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Jen McConnell ’06 to be featured on HGTV’s House Hunters on Aug. 30
Jen McConnell, a 2006 graduate of Ashland University and co-owner of a highly successful real estate agency in Charleston, S.C., will be on HGTV’s popular show House Hunters on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 10:30 p.m. The episode is the first of House Hunter’s new season. Accent magazine featured McConnell, her successful business, her young son’s battle with pediatric cancer and the foundation that it inspired, in the Fall 2022 issue. That original story is…
AU grad becomes superintendent in community with a special place in her heart
Twice, Jennifer Allerding’s son, Kaden, has been diagnosed with cancer, and both times the Loudonville-Perrysville community has rallied around her family. “I made the commitment that if I ever had the opportunity to make a difference in the community, I would,” said Allerding, who is the new superintendent for Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools. “The desire to move to L-P provides me the opportunity to give back to a community that gave so much…
Miller selected as AU’s new VP for Institutional Advancement
ASHLAND, Ohio – Jason Miller '96, the chief advancement officer at Ashland University, has been named the university’s new vice president for institutional advancement, effective Sept. 1. Miller has served various roles in the advancement office since January 2011. “Jason Miller has proven himself as a steady leader for more than a decade here at Ashland University. We have high hopes for his continued success in this new role, and offer him a hearty…
AU grad named a 2023 Jostens Renaissance Educator of the Year
Tricia (Molden) Phelps has never forgotten how much Ashland University has helped her teaching career. “It gave me the foundation to start my career, and I’m still teaching, and I love everything about teaching,” said Phelps, who graduated from AU in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in education. “I am still a proud Eagle.” That “foundation” has led to a 25-year career as a health and physical education teacher at Licking Valley High School in…
Kleman credits Ashland University with career path toward being promoted to lieutenant
Because her sister, who was studying nursing at Ashland University, always talked about how great the professors and staff were there, Rachel Kleman decided to transfer to AU after her freshman year at another college. “Upon taking preliminary and mandatory credit classes, I found interest in criminal justice and sociology, which in turn led me to getting a degree in both,” said Kleman, who graduated from AU in 2018. Kleman said it was one of the best…
Six state winners of prestigious History Teacher of the Year honor have ties to AU
ASHLAND, Ohio – Six state winners of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s History Teacher of the Year award for 2023 are either graduates or current students of Ashland University’s Master of American History and Government (MAHG)/Master of Arts with a Specialization in Teaching American History and Government (MASTAGH) programs. The state winners were announced at the end of July. The six state winners connected to Ashland’s programs are as…
Master's degrees and more - Ashland University a big part of the Nickoli/Miller family
When it was announced in April that Ashland University had been recognized as a 2023-24 Best Graduate School for education by U.S. News & World Report, AJ Nickoli didn’t waste any time commenting about it on social media. “Whole Nickoli family went to grad school here,” the AU assistant football coach wrote on the university’s Twitter post about the recognition. “This is LEGIT!!” “My mom, dad, grandpa and uncle all got their master’s at AU,”…
AU graduate named chief commercial officer for global medical technology company
Ashland University has helped James Kaufman in many ways throughout his decades-long career. First, it allowed him the flexibility to take remote and night classes at the Ohio State University Marion campus and Marion Technical College for his bachelor’s degree while working full time in the 1980s. Then the training Kaufman received from its business administration and marketing programs was a valuable asset when expanding his expertise to include a medical…
Moon and Bassitt earn trips to Outdoor Worlds in Hungary
Katie Moon is used to winning championships, and another one came to fruition on Sunday (July 9) night in Eugene, Oregon. Moon, the former Ashland University track and field NCAA Division II All-American who is the top-rated outdoor women's pole vaulter in the world, won the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships title in the event on Sunday night with a new season-best and world-leading showing of 4.90 meters/16-feet-0¾. This comes after Moon won…
Ashland University grad Valerie Zeno named principal for a rural Ohio school district
Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Valerie Zeno wanted a college experience different than the one she had at Normandy High School in Parma. “When I visited AU, I saw an Amish buggy driving down the road and fell in love with the charm of Ashland,” Zeno said. “On my campus visit, everyone was welcoming and friendly, and it immediately felt like home.” That “small-town” experience has played a big part in Zeno’s career, including accepting her most…
Lessons learned from AU lead Beres to job as Clinton County Port Authority director
A constant of human history, no matter the technological and moral advances, is that a decision in the real world is never made where you have all the information you need. This insight has been incredibly helpful to Alex Beres, a 2006 Ashland University graduate. “A great lesson from some of the courses I had at Ashland was that never was there a leader who acted with perfect knowledge,” Beres said. “I try not to approach any subject matter or decision to…
MBA graduate recognized in the Marquis Who’s Who
After several colleagues suggested she consider it, and carefully weighing the pros and cons, Shari Thomas enrolled in Ashland University’s MBA program. “I decided to enroll in the MBA program specifically because of the program’s flexibility and support of a work/life balance,” said Thomas who completed the program in 2002. “As a mother of two young children and working full time, I intentionally chose to attend one course, each semester, for four…
