Hiram College Spring 2011 : Page 3

Goings on in and around Hiram did you know? Let the Sun Shine! The leafy walks and gorgeous sunrises are indelible parts of the Hiram experience, but now the College is using its idyllic assets to benefit its academic mission, and its bottom line. In February, installation of 234 solar panels atop the Coleman Sports Center was completed and vaulted Hiram College to a new level of environmental sustainability. Coupled with the Hiram Farm Living and Learning Community, the College’s community gardens, and the ground-breaking environmen-tal research being done at the James H. Barrow Field Station, the solar array represents the latest development in Hiram’s commitment to merging liberal educational ideals with envi-ronmental stewardship, and greenhouse gas reduction. “The roof is just one part of our commitment to sustainability and being environmentally responsible,” said Thomas V. Chema, president of Hiram. “We’ve done our inventory and we know what our carbon footprint is. We anticipate being able to roll out more energy saving, and environmentally responsible strategies in the future.” The project was made possible by a $165,728 U.S. Department of Development grant to Hiram and its partner, Carbon Vision LLC, of Shaker Heights, a renewable energy company. The system can collect enough energy to generate about 57 mega-watts of electricity per year, enough to power about five average American homes at an average of about 11 megawatts per home per year. To allow the Hiram community to track how much solar power the Coleman array is producing, Carbon Vision established a monitoring web page. Anyone with an internet connection can see what the current state of the system is, and view historical electrical information. To monitor the system, follow: http://live.deckmonitoring.com/?id=hiram_college SOLAR PANELS ON THE COLEMAN CENTER Amie Scarpitti, vice president, Renewable Energy Technologies for Carbon Vision, said the panels could produce enough elec-tricity to provide almost 10 percent of the sports center’s needs. “This was the first institution-sized project for our company,” said Scarpitti. “The technology we used was state-of-the-art, and we are excited to measure the efficiency we think will re-sult.” To be sure, there are challenges. Systems like Hiram’s have no backup, meaning they can be disabled by power outages, such as one caused by a thunderstorm. While saving on electricity and reducing Hiram’s carbon foot-print are laudable goals, many might doubt that Northeast Ohio’s gray winters yield enough sunshine to make solar gen-eration practical or even possible. But Scarpitti said Ohio’s solar production potential is under-rated. “Germany, which is at roughly the same latitude as Ohio,” she said, “has many fewer sunny days than Ohio, but leads the world in solar panel installation.” SPRING 2011 3 s

Did You Know?

Let the Sun Shine! The leafy walks and gorgeous sunrises are indelible parts of the Hiram experience, but now the College is using its idyllic assets to benefit its academic mission, and its bottom line. In February, installation of 234 solar panels atop the Coleman Sports Center was completed and vaulted Hiram College to a new level of environmental sustainability. Coupled with the Hiram Farm Living and Learning Community, the College’s community gardens, and the ground-breaking environmental research being done at the James H. Barrow Field Station, the solar array represents the latest development in Hiram’s commitment to merging liberal educational ideals with environmental stewardship, and greenhouse gas reduction. “The roof is just one part of our commitment to sustainability and being environmentally responsible,” said Thomas V. Chema, president of Hiram. “We’ve done our inventory and we know what our carbon footprint is. We anticipate being able to roll out more energy saving, and environmentally responsible strategies in the future.” The project was made possible by a $165,728 U.S. Department of Development grant to Hiram and its partner, Carbon Vision LLC, of Shaker Heights, a renewable energy company. The system can collect enough energy to generate about 57 megawatts of electricity per year, enough to power about five average American homes at an average of about 11 megawatts per home per year. To allow the Hiram community to track how much solar power the Coleman array is producing, Carbon Vision established a monitoring web page. Anyone with an internet connection can see what the current state of the system is, and view historical electrical information. To monitor the system, follow: http://live.deckmonitoring.com/?id=hiram_college Amie Scarpitti, vice president, Renewable Energy Technologies for Carbon Vision, said the panels could produce enough electricity to provide almost 10 percent of the sports center’s needs. “This was the first institution-sized project for our company,” said Scarpitti. “The technology we used was state-of-the-art, and we are excited to measure the efficiency we think will result.” To be sure, there are challenges. Systems like Hiram’s have no backup, meaning they can be disabled by power outages, such as one caused by a thunderstorm. While saving on electricity and reducing Hiram’s carbon footprint are laudable goals, many might doubt that Northeast Ohio’s gray winters yield enough sunshine to make solar generation practical or even possible. But Scarpitti said Ohio’s solar production potential is underrated. “Germany, which is at roughly the same latitude as Ohio,” she said, “has many fewer sunny days than Ohio, but leads the world in solar panel installation.” • Former Hiram College Trustee Chuck Miller has given $500,000 to the College through the estate of his parents, Paul C. and Kathryn W. Miller. The money will be used to renovate Miller Dining Hall as the new home for student support services personnel and for Hiram’s new initiatives to recruit and provide support for military personnel returning to civilian life. The funding also will establish an endowment to support programs related to work done by Kathryn Craig, director of the Career Center, and Frank Hemphill, director of student academic services, in support of Hiram students. “I am certain that our mother and father would be pleased and delighted that their contribution to Hiram College would be used for these activities,” said Miller. “Both of them were very strong believers in education and the opportunities that can result from the learning from not only the individual student’s career, but his or her family and the communities in which they live.” • Hiram received a gift of more than $1 million from the estate of Jim and Marcella Nelson. Jim was a 1942 graduate of Hiram College. He was a successful Cleveland-area executive who joined the Hiram board in 1958 and served as an emeritus trustee until his death in 1997. His wife, Marcella, passed away last summer and through the generosity and planning of the couple, Hiram is receiving the funding as part of their planned gift. The bulk of the funding will go toward the College’s endowment. • Another planned gift from the estate of E. Bruce and Virginia Chaney of approximately $700,000 will enable the College to undertake a major renovation of the main locker room space in the Coleman Center. (Read more about this in Terrier News). Chaney attended Hiram for one year in the 1930s. He was a successful entrepreneur who established food warehouse businesses. Although he graduated from Ohio University, he relished his experiences at Hiram. • The James H. Barrow Field Station was the focus of a variety of recent gifts. The College recently received a $320,000 grant from the Paul & Maxine Frohring Foundation in support of academic programming.The grant includes $100,000 to endow the Field Station director’s position; $50,000 to fund a wetlands and ponds assessment; and approximately $110,000 earmarked for student research in the form of paid independent or faculty-led year-round research projects directly related to the curriculum. The balance of the grant is slated to support the staffing necessary to manage the growth and expansion of the Field Station property. • A $62,512 award from the Kent H. Smith Foundation will enhance student research at the Field Station. Approximately $10,000 of the award is allocated for forest ecology research; $25,000 for native bird field research involving student and faculty projects; and $25,000 for signage, installation of park-style gates at the Field Station entrances and fencing along the Rt. 305 and Wheeler Road frontages.The entrance gates will be consistent with those in use throughout Northeast Ohio’s local park systems, and the signage will educate the Field Station’s more than 2,500 annual visitors about native trees, plants, flowers and animals. • Howie Taylor ’61, an emeritus professor at Princeton University, has established the Howard F. Taylor Minority Scholarship at Hiram, an operating scholarship for African-American students.He is also in the process of establishing an endowed scholarship, which start at $25,000, for African American students. The scholarship is for minority students with at least a 3.0 grade point average and who are from Cleveland. Taylor hopes that his gesture which has been meaningful to him will inspire others to do the same. Hiram Receives Carnegie Foundation Recognition Hiram College has received yet another level of special recognition in academia: the classification for Elective Community Engagement.This distinction was created in 2006 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to “address elements of institutional mission and distinctiveness that are not represented in the national data on colleges and universities,” according to the Carnegie Foundation website. The classification focuses on two major areas: curricular engagement, and community outreach and partnerships. The distinction is awarded to institutions of higher learning that voluntarily outline their community engagement objectives, both in and outside the classroom. For the 2010 application process, 115 two- and four-year colleges and universities were selected for classification, including six Ohio colleges. These 2010 inductees join 196 other schools that have received this distinction since 2006, bringing the total to 311 schools nationwide. Other Ohio schools honored were Denison University, John Carroll University, Miami University (Oxford and Hamilton campuses), and Oberlin College. “We’re pleased to be honored nationally for the manner in which Hiram College is making a difference in our community, our state and in our country,” said Hiram College President Thomas V. Chema. “This is another third-party endorsement of the educational experiences offered to Hiram students both in and outside the classroom.” Black Box Theater Opens The long-awaited black box theatre, The Renner Theater, opened the last weekend in March, and “Hair” – its inaugural production – really rocked.Betsy Bauman directed the show and its “Tribe.” The generosity of many made The Renner Theater possible, including The Renner Foundation, Andrew C. Currie ’61, the John P. Murphy Foundation, Joan Jagow, David ’54 and Alice ’53 (Sam) Bell, the Showboaters, the Fredland family and friends, Anita and Dennis Baker-Blocker and Elizabeth B. Juliano ’84. Hiram Students Win Platinum Chef Ohio Hiram hosted four other small Ohio colleges at the Platinum Chef Ohio competition held in our dining hall’s professional kitchen in March —and our Hiram team won the $2,500 prize!Congratulations to Jamie Zychowski ’12, Rose Zychowski ’13, Zeerak Ahmed ’13, Matt Geraldi ’13 and Zach Fincham ’13. Sponsored by AVI Fresh, our chefs earned rave reviews from the judges for their cuisine and presentation. Steve Jones, vice president for business and finance, was one of the lucky judges. Hiram’s First BSN Students Graduate Spring 2011 honors the first graduating class of Hiram’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.After being honored in a nursing “pinning” ceremony in the morning, 15 students became the first Hiram educated nurses to walk across the stage and collect their BSNs. “They’ve been the pioneers,” says Davina Gosnell, the nursing program director. “They will always be the first. They’ll carry a history that none of the other graduates will. That’s pretty special.” Hiram Receives Reaccreditation from Higher Learning Commission Hiram College successfully hosted a reaccreditation team from the Higher Learning Commission and has been reaccredited for a full 10-year period.“The team was impressed with our community shared commitment to fulfilling our mission and the way in which Hiram has progressed over the last decade,” said Hiram College President Thomas V. Chema. “Like all institutions, we have challenges we must face in this global economic environment. Our evaluators left campus certain that Hiram College is positioned for a promising future.” Chema and Board Reach New Three-Year Agreement Hiram College President Thomas V. Chema has had his contract extended through June 30, 2013, as a result of a new agreement reached between the Board of Trustees and Hiram’s 21st president. “Higher education is facing exceedingly challenging times; having strong leadership in place is a necessity for Hiram College. I am delighted that our agreement with Tom will keep our focus on our ambitious goals for Hiram’s future,” said Ken Moore, chair of the Hiram College board of trustees. “Tom has done well in the role of president.He has been a relentless ambassador for the institution at the local, state, and national levels. His vision for Hiram’s future is compelling and his appreciation for Hiram’s history is genuine. Working together, we have accomplished much during the past six years with Tom at the helm and have positioned Hiram for a promising future.” Hiram Swim Team Honored for Academic Excellence The Hiram College women’s swimming and diving team has earned Scholar All American status from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Collegiate teams must earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better to earn the honor. Hiram’s team grade point average for the fall semester was 3. 13. Oberlin College was the only other North Coast Athletic Conference team to earn the honor in women’s swimming. “We have a long tradition of academic excellence among our swimmers,” said Hiram College President Thomas V. Chema.“This is national recognition of the quality of the learning atmosphere here at Hiram and the dedication and commitment of our swimmers to be successful not only in their intercollegiate sport, but in their co-curricular activities.”

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