University News

Home Opener Breaks the Ice for Hockey Fans

It was a record-breaking crowd that attended the Dayton Bombers home opener in the Ervin J. Nutter Center on October 20. Spirits were high, in spite of the Bombers 6-1 loss to the Peoria Rivermen before a crowd of 6,250 cheering fans. The Bombers financed the $1.5 million project to retrofit the arena, which included installing 13 miles of tubing beneath the ice floor and pouring over one million pounds of concrete. Installing the Nutter Center ice is the first of a two-phase project that will increase recreational opportunities for students and the community. Phase two is the construction of a $4 million ice facility, which will serve as the permanent practice site for the Bombers and provide recreational and club skating for students and the public. Planned completion date for phase two is spring 1997.

Research and Grants Top $26 Million

The numbers are in and Wright State University faculty and staff again set a record for external funding. During 1995-96, the university received $26,104,256 - an increase of nearly $1 million - in funding from various sources.

Wright State's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs processed and submitted 651 proposals from 210 faculty and staff. Of the proposals, 457 were funded, compared to 439 (out of 631 proposals) the preceding year. One hundred and forty-four faculty and staff, or 69 percent of the 210 sub-mitted proposals, received funding.

Federal agencies, primarily the National Institutes of Health, Department of Education, Department of Defense, NASA, and the National Science Foundation, accounted for approximately $14 million, or 54 percent, of the $26 million. Another 12 percent, or about $3.1 million, came from industrial firms.

Wright State continues to rank third among Ohio's state-assisted colleges and universities in external funding for research and scholarly activity.

University Earns Reaccredation

A two-year-long self-evaluation process ended in November when the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools reaccredited the university and its programs for a 10-year period, the longest term possible. The NCA's reaccreditation is a comprehensive approval of Wright State's ability to offer its full range of programs and activities. The approval came after the NCA's on-site evaluation last May.

The accreditation process evaluates more than the formal educational activities of an institution; it also assesses characteristics such as governance and administration, financial stability, admission and student personnel

services, institutional resources, student academic achievement, institutional effectiveness, and relationships with constituencies outside the institution.

"This represents a significant accomplishment for Wright State and is a strong indication that we are accomplishing our mission of providing high-quality academic programs and services to the Miami Valley," says President Harley Flack.

Individual academic programs are also accredited by numerous specialized agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Education, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, to name a few.

Board of Regents Approves Ph.D. in Engineering

A benchmark in collaboration to provide advanced engineering education in the Miami Valley was reached in September when the Ohio Board of Regents approved a consortial Ph.D. program in engineering at Wright State University.

Wright State will offer the degree in collaboration with its Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute (DAGSI) partners: the Air Force Institute of Technology, the University of Dayton, The Ohio State University, and the University of Cincinnati. DAGSI was founded in the fall of 1995 that assist advanced engineering programs in aerospace, automotive, and other related high-technology industrial sectors.

DAGSI competitive scholarships are available to students entering the new Ph.D. engineering program, with classes starting in the fall of 1997, according to Frank Moore, DAGSI director. The decision was applauded by area business leaders, who view the program as a valuable resource for increasing the number of engineers who hold doctorates. Officials also see the program as a valuable tool in attracting high-tech industries to the Miami Valley and in providing continuing education for the existing high-tech workforce, considered vital to an area where more engineers live per capita than any other metropolitan area in the state, according to Moore.

Academic Budgets Receive $1.1 Million

Academic Budgets Receive $1.1 Million Because of a positive year-end balance for FY 95-96 and fall enrollment figures only slightly lower than projections, President Harley Flack authorized in October the release of $1.075 million to academic units.

Of the total, $700,000 in one-time funds were allocated to assist with the increasing costs of operations and supplies in each of the colleges and schools. The Lake Campus

received $46,876 of this amount. The remaining $375,000 restored the depleted academic initiative funds in the Office of the Provost.

"The budgets in our academic units have not been increased in several years, and the NCA accreditation team cited this as one of its concerns," President Flack says. "Returning most of the money to the colleges and schools was the best way to share the funds."

WSU Has a New Number

WSU Has a New Number The university's area code and three-digit prefix has changed. Wright State's area code, along with the rest of the Dayton area, changed from 513 to 937 in September. In addition, the university's three-digit prefix changed from 873 to 775. However, all four-digit extentions remain the same. For example, the new number for the university's information desk is (937) 775-5740.

The university's telecommunications center will intercept calls to the 873 exchange through January 30, 1997. Callers from outside the area will be able to dial either 513 or 937 until June 13, 1997. Cell phones and pagers will not be affected.

Project Chile Wins Award

The College of Business and Administration's Project Chile program won an Innovation in Leadership in Business Education Award from the Mid-Continent East Business Administration Association of the American Collegiate Schools of Business, a regional national accreditation organization.

Created in 1994 to promote world trade, global awareness, and foreign language skills, Project Chile is an internship program that sends students to Chile, where they research the needs of and develop an international trade plan for their assigned company.

Graduates of Project Chile have received Fulbright Scholarships, bilingual teaching positions, and internships in international trade graduate programs.

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