Tower & Times Spring 2010 - University of Rio Grande

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When students returned for classes this year, they were greeted with numerous improvements all across campus. New computer labs, improvements to campus buildings and even a new look to the outdoor basketball court were all part of the changes. Kingsley Meyer, director of campus networking and computing, explained that Rio Grande added more than 115 new computers to its facilities for the new academic year. Most of the computers were spread out to the different computer labs across campus in buildings such as Wood Hall, Bob Evans Farms Hall, the Kidd Math and Science Center and the Davis Career Center. “It was very important that we put the computers in the places that would most affect the students,” Meyer said. “We placed them in the facilities where they will have the biggest impact on our students and our academic programs.” In addition, placing new computers into these labs also allows Rio Grande to move some of the computers that were previously kept in the labs into other facilities across campus. The new computers on campus included several donated by the 10 Improvements on Rio’s Campus Students had the chance to tour a state-of-the-art factory recently and talk with an alumnus who leads the facility. The graduate is Bozidar Kurtovic, who currently works for Rolls-Royce Energy Systems as a Plant Leader. The students taking power plant operations courses had a chance to tour the plant where Kurtovic works, and talk to the alumnus about his career. Kurtovic earned an associate’s degree in manufacturing technology from Rio Grande in 1996 and his Kidd Foundation specifically for improvements in the Kidd Math and Science Center. Rio Grande also made several other technological improvements, including a new back-up data system for scanned documents. Meyer explained that the new back-up document storage system is key for protecting needed information, and is an integral part of the campus technological system. Another big technological improvement that might not be noticed by most students, but is very important to the campus, is the investment in new servers. The new servers are more efficient, take up less space and have greater capability than the older items. In addition, they are also more energy efficient, which falls in line with the other energy efficiency programs at Rio Grande. One improvement that is very noticeable on campus is the new paint on the outdoor basketball court near the Rhodes Student Center. The court has been painted red and has the letters for Rio on it. Students Tour a State-of-the-Art Factory bachelor’s of science in industrial technology in 1997. He is currently working toward earning his MBA “The Industrial Technology program offers a unique blend of courses that prepared me well for the challenges I’ve encountered in the workplace.” from Ball State University, and will graduate from that institution in December. He and his wife, Kelli (Potter) Kurtovic, have two Aaron Quinn, dean of students at Rio Grande, explained that he and student Jerry Waters painted the court over the summer. The job took 12 gallons of paint, and Waters painted the letters, Quinn said. Waters also painted several murals on the walls in rooms inside the Davis University Center. “He made them look very nice,” Quinn said. The murals add to the feel of the newly renovated and expanded building, and will be in place for students and area residents to enjoy for years to come. Another improvement on campus is the new HVAC system for the Kidd Math and Science Center. The new system will do a better job of climate control for the math and science building, and is also more energy efficient. One other major improvement is in Boyd Hall, where new floors have been put in as part of a renovation project. daughters, Adrianna, who is 7 and Mariah, who is 5. “I was born and raised in Croatia, and came to the U.S. (and to Rio Grande) in 1993,” Kurtovic said. He came to America right after high school, and said he had no problem adapting to the educational programs at Rio Grande. “I think that Rio Grande’s College of Technology programs offer a unique blend of academic and continued on page 11
State-of-the-Art Factory Tour continued from page 10 hands-on experience that prepared me, as closely as possible, for realworld situations and problems,” Kurtovic said. The majority of his instructors also had industry experience, and they were able to bring a real-world perspective to the classes. “During my four years at Rio, I also had an opportunity to work on a number of practical projects such as an automated railroad tie press machine that was designed and built in the manufacturing lab at Rio Grande and installed in Sutton, W. Va., where it is still operating today,” Kurtovic said. “The Industrial Technology program offers a unique blend of courses that prepared me well for the challenges I’ve encountered in the workplace.” Kurtovic has great respect for Keith Saunders and other members of the Rio Grande faculty, and said he stays grateful for all that the Rio Grande faculty members taught him. He stays in touch with Saunders and others at Rio Grande because he enjoys hearing about what is new on campus, and because he feels it is important for alumni to share their insight about changing industry demands with faculty and students. “I am absolutely thrilled to have Rio Grande students come and visit me at Rolls-Royce,” Kurtovic said. “As a student at Rio, I’ve always enjoyed going to various plant tours. It is a great way to give more meaning to materials covered in classes and to see them applied in real-world situations.” Saunders said he is thankful that Kurtovic takes time out of his busy schedule to talk with Rio Grande students and give them a tour, and added that he is very proud of how successful Kurtovic has become. 2009 Greek Leadership Conference Fraternity and sorority students spent the day learning about leadership and community service during the 2009 Greek Leadership Conference. The day was an opportunity for students to talk with faculty and staff about campus issues, discuss numerous aspects of being in a Greek organization on campus and discuss community service projects for the academic year. One such project is to renovate and maintain the park on Lake Drive at the Reservoir. This three year project, in coordination with the Village of Rio Grande, includes grounds keeping, placement of new playground equipment and benches, replacement of the walking path and the addition of a boat dock. The fraternities and sororities can work together on new community service projects and take on new challenges. The conference was sponsored by Jack Hagar, a 1977 graduate and a member of Alpha Sigma Phi, and Susan Burnside Hagar, a 1970 graduate and member of Chi Omega Alpha, who gave a gift to the Greek organizations to cover the cost of the event. They did this as a way to give back to the Greek organizations that they were a part of during their time at Rio Grande, and as a way to help the current students learn about leadership and community service. The Hagars are residents of Upper Arlington, Ohio. The leadership conference also served as a way to bring the students from the various Greek organizations on campus together in order to form a unified group. The fraternities and sororities can work together on new community service projects and take on new challenges. The conference featured sessions on several other topics, such as how organizations can work together, how the students can work on fundraising and alumni relations, the work that officers do in Greek organizations, alcohol awareness and the benefits of being in Greek organizations. The students also received a resource guide and directory that will help them in their work throughout the year. 11
Page 1 and 2: A Publication for Alumni and Friend
Page 3 and 4: Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley Named Pr
Page 5 and 6: 2009 Rio Alumni Reunion A large cro
Page 7 and 8: 1998 Birth: Daughter Kathryn Rose t
Page 9 and 10: Rio Grande is now offering a new ma
Page 11: Jacob White, Ph.D. from the Kidd Sc
Page 15 and 16: RedStorm Basketball Senior guard P.

Tower & Times Spring 2010 - University of Rio Grande

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