Find News
MBA from Ashland University shifts trajectory of Ambur Banner's career in social work
Ambur Banner says her Master of Business Administration degree from Ashland University really shifted the trajectory of her career. “Most people don’t think of a social worker as a seasoned business leader – but here I am,” said Banner, who was recently named the acting director of the Unified Government Public Health Department in Kansas City, Kansas. “Social workers are leading in different spaces every day,” she added. “My MBA gave me the education I…
Gupta praises AU for helping him on his career path to superintendent job
Neil Gupta says his career wouldn’t have advanced as successfully as it has without Ashland University. “All the jobs I’ve gotten have directly been related to what AU prepared me for,” said Gupta, whose recent job advancement was being named superintendent of the Oakwood school district in the Dayton area. Not only has Gupta earned a master’s degree (educational curriculum and instruction) and a doctorate (educational leadership) from AU, he also has served…
Russell, M.Ed. alumnus, loves promoting diversity in education as National Teacher of the Year
Kurt Russell still often uses one of the things he learned from his time in Ashland University’s Master of Education program in the mid-1990s. “I learned to make sure you are honest to yourself as a teacher, not copy another teacher’s style and be authentic,” said Russell, who has been teaching history at Oberlin High School since earning his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from AU in 1996. “I use that every day as I teach.” That philosophy…
1965 Ashland alum authors two books in one year
The past year has been a busy one for Clinton Stanley “Stan” Zimmer, a 1965 Ashland College graduate. He has written two books, one about his parents’ experiences in China as missionaries from 1936 to 1948 and the other about coping with mental illness in his family. “They will probably be the only two I write,” Zimmer said about his hectic year of writing, which saw “The Pull of China” published in December and “Eagle Wings Over the Valley” finished in…
AU grad Jennifer Winkler creates unique school art program in Smithville
“Thank you for allowing me to come into your awesome classroom. You should be so proud of the teacher you have become, evolving to meet the interests/needs of your students. I was so inspired.” This is one of several notes hanging on the bulletin board in the classroom of the high school and middle school art teacher at Green Local Schools, Jennifer Winkler, a 2012 Ashland University graduate. Surrounding the bulletin board of notes, photos and drawings are…
Star of critically-acclaimed ‘Till’ received an MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland in 2017
Danielle Deadwyler’s acting career has taken her from the Atlanta stage in her hometown to many parts in television and film, including the lead role in the recent movie “Till.” Earning a creative writing master’s degree in 2017 from Ashland University has helped in her journey toward movie star status and talk of possibly winning a Best Actress Oscar with “Till.” “The potential of teaching and writing were given, however, I always sought to incorporate the…
’99 AU grad: Journey to new drug discovery started at Ashland
Nicole Harriott ’99 didn’t have a career in mind when she came to Ashland University. That didn’t change after four years at AU. It took until graduate school to finally realize the kind of job she wanted. “I just want to reassure you: if you don’t know what you exactly want to do, that’s OK,” she told students in the audience during a presentation she gave Friday, Oct. 21, at her alma mater. “As long as you follow your passions along the way, you will find…
Russell, 1996 M.Ed. alumnus, selected as 2022 National Teacher of the Year
ASHLAND, Ohio – Kurt Russell, a veteran history teacher at Oberlin High School who earned a master of education in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University in 1996, was named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The announcement was made live during “CBS Mornings” on April 19. “I am truly humbled and honored to be selected as the National Teacher of the Year,” said Russell in a news release issued by…
Gold medalist Katie Nageotte encourages 900 newest AU graduates to speak their dreams
ASHLAND, Ohio – For Katie Nageotte, the self-described “dumb jock in my family,” speaking at a college commencement was something she never saw herself doing. In fact, she said, she missed her own college graduation because she was in training. That training paid off. Nageotte, an Ashland University alumna, won a gold medal in the pole vault in this year’s Summer Olympics. And she also was tagged as the University’s speaker for its Winter commencement, held…
Amanda Stewart: "Incredible field experience ... set me on the right course" at AU
To say Amanda Stewart is an overachiever is an understatement. Prior to attending Ashland University, she graduated from Canton McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, and through the Timken Early College program, she achieved dual associate degrees in Arts and Science. At Ashland, Amanda graduated with a B.S.B.A. with a double major in Sports Management and Marketing in the spring of 2021, and with just five classes left to go for her Master’s in Project…
