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Rockets Announce ‘Liftoff’ Program For Student-Athletes as Part of Partnership With Opendorse
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The University of Toledo Department of Athletics announced today that it is partnering with Opendorse to create “Liftoff,” a program that will provide Rocket student-athletes with the education and resources to capitalize on their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

UToledo Athletics will use the Opendorse NIL package — Opendorse Ready, Monitor, and Social — to support its mission of preparing student-athletes for success in the coming era of college sports with the market’s best resources. Together, the products will empower Rocket student-athletes to understand, build and protect their brands with the industry’s leading education, marketing and compliance technology.

“We are very excited to partner with Opendorse, which will be a tremendous benefit to our student-athletes as we move forward into the new era of NIL,” said UToledo Vice President and Athletic Director Mike O’Brien. “With the expertise of Opendorse, combined with the considerable resources available on our campus and in our community, our new “Liftoff” program will be able to provide our student-athletes with the knowledge and skills that will better prepare them for a new world of opportunities now and in the future.”

$\"Liftoff$ “Toledo Athletics has embraced change and readied its department to meet the coming opportunities and challenges associated with name, image and likeness,” said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. “Toledo has embraced the kind of long-term approach that benefit Rocket student-athletes for years to come.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order on Monday that allows college student-athletes in the state of Ohio to profit off the use of their name, image or likeness. The order goes in effect today. The NCAA Division I Council has recommended that student-athletes be allowed to engage in NIL activities that are consistent with the laws in their state. Under this new rule, individual institutions would be responsible for determining what activities are consistent with state law.

About Opendorse
Today more than 40,000 athletes around the world use Opendorse to understand, build, protect, and monetize their brands with support from partners including the PGA TOUR, NHL, NFLPA, MLBPA, WNBPA, LPGA, over 100 professional and collegiate sports teams, and hundreds of brands.

Opendorse Ready
Opendorse Ready is an NIL education solution in college athletics. The program provides student-athletes with industry-proven assessment, education, and performance tools to understand and build their personal brands as we enter a new era. With Ready, Toledo will provide student-athletes with custom brand value assessments, live consultation sessions with industry leaders, and on-demand access to the NIL Masterclass, an education series featuring experts on brand building, monetization, and financial literacy from leading brands including Instagram, Twitter, the Players’ Tribune, and Overtime.

Opendorse Monitor
Opendorse Monitor is the compliance product athletes use to protect their brand. With Monitor, athletes can disclose activities to simplify compliance. Institutions are able to evaluate transactions once disclosed by student-athletes.

Opendorse Social
Opendorse Social is the marketing product athletes use to build their brands. Thousands of professional and college sports organizations use Social to maximize their media – equipping athletes with access to video and photo content through drag-and-drop media libraries, one-tap publishing technology, and real-time analytics.
The post Rockets Announce ‘Liftoff’ Program For Student-Athletes as Part of Partnership With Opendorse first appeared on UToledo News.
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Online Graduation Photo Galleries Now Available
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Relive the excitement of graduation day through the lens of University Photographer Dan Miller with the online photo galleries now available on the Commencement website.

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Shan Howard holds up her diploma case in celebration of earning her master of social work degree at the spring 2021 commencement ceremony.

The celebration toolkit features event photographs from the ceremonies created by the Office of University Marketing and Communications.

Photos from the morning and afternoon main spring commencement ceremonies on May 8 are available, as well as the doctoral hooding ceremony on May 7 and the College of Medicine and Life Sciences ceremony on May 21. The galleries will be available until July 1.

The event photographs are separate from the portrait photographs taken of graduates through a partnership with Grad Images. The company will directly send each graduate a proof of their pictures along with ordering instructions.

The post Online Graduation Photo Galleries Now Available first appeared on UToledo News.
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Rivalry at the Roost
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Shortstop Trace Hatfield runs off the field excitedly after the defense turned a triple play in the fourth inning of the game against Bowling Green on Friday night with two Falcons on base. The Rockets won 5-2 in the first game of the baseball Battle of I-75 series in downtown Toledo in front of 2,500 fans at Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens.

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The post Rivalry at the Roost first appeared on UToledo News.
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A Day to Celebrate
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Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2020 who participated in spring commencement ceremonies May 8 in the Glass Bowl. Watch the video to relive the excitement of graduation day.

The post A Day to Celebrate first appeared on UToledo News.
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UToledo Recognizes Graduates’ Resilience During Commencement Ceremonies
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Excited graduates joined by proud family and friends celebrated their college graduation milestone on Saturday with commencement ceremonies in the Glass Bowl.

The University of Toledo President Gregory Postel congratulated graduates for their focus, resilience and strength to overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic during the last year.

“Today we celebrate you and your successful academic journey,” he said. “Achieving this milestone isn’t easy — even under normal circumstances. You have all persevered through unimaginable hardships and I’m confident that you are now prepared to face anything. Your accomplishments — both individually and collectively — inspire hope in all of us!”

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Daire’yon Watson, who earned his bachelor’s degree in social work, leads a line of Rockets excited to celebrate their graduation.

The two in-person commencement ceremonies — one at 10 a.m. and another at 3 p.m. — celebrated 1,964 candidates for bachelor’s degrees, 703 candidates for master’s degrees, 52 candidates for associate’s degrees, 12 candidates for educational specialist and 45 candidates for graduate certificates.

Another 302 graduates from the Class of 2020 who earned their degrees during the coronavirus pandemic returned to campus to participate in the in-person ceremonies.

The night before, UToledo hosted a doctoral hooding ceremony in Savage Arena for graduates earning the University’s highest academic degrees.

UToledo alumna Irma Olguin Jr. remotely delivered the keynote address at each of the ceremonies.

Olguin, who graduated in 2004 from the UToledo College of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering, is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Bitwise Industries in Fresno, Calif. Her tech company has a social mission to revive economically challenged cities by building a robust technology sector.

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Heidi Herman earner her master of science in nursing through the clinical nurse leader program.

She inspired graduates to find out how they can do their highest and best for themselves and for their communities.

“Today is about figuring out what kind of person you want to be — not what kind of job, not what title, not what salary, not your retirement plan, but what kind of person are you going to be,” she said. “Now you’re here. This is a thing not everybody gets to accomplish. This is a thing where everybody’s life experience may not lead them to this moment. So, what are you going to do with that? How are you going to give back? What kind of person are you going to be?”

The commencement ceremonies also were streamed live online and can be watched at utoledo.edu/commencement.

Additional upcoming commencement ceremonies include the College of Law Commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 15, and the College of Medicine and Life Sciences Commencement at 3 p.m. Friday, May 21, both in Savage Arena.
The post UToledo Recognizes Graduates’ Resilience During Commencement Ceremonies first appeared on UToledo News.
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UToledo Ready to Celebrate Graduates at In-Person Commencements
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The University of Toledo is ready to celebrate graduates with in-person commencement ceremonies that adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols.

The graduation ceremonies kicked off last week with the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ceremony on May 11 and will continue throughout the month. Holding several smaller ceremonies allows for better physical distancing among graduates and guests.

$\"\"$ The main spring commencement ceremonies will be 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, May 8, in the Glass Bowl.

The 10 a.m. ceremony recognizes graduates from the colleges of Engineering; Health and Human Services; Nursing; and University College.

The 3 p.m. ceremony recognizes graduates from the colleges of Arts and Letters; the John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation; Judith Herb College of Education; and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

All attendees will be required to wear face masks at both the outdoor and indoor ceremonies and keep at least 6 feet from others not in their household. Graduating students were required to reserve tickets in advance and each was eligible to receive up to four tickets for their guests.

UToledo alumna Irma Olguin, Jr. will remotely deliver the keynote address at the ceremonies.

Olguin is co-founder and chief executive officer of Bitwise Industries in Fresno, Calif. She graduated in 2004 from the UToledo College of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering and went on to blaze a trail of inclusivity for women and minorities in the tech industry.

In March, Bitwise Industries announced it is investing in Toledo. Olguin’s tech company plans to open a branch in the Jefferson Center building, Toledo’s historic former post office, to provide paid apprenticeships to students from diverse and underserved communities to learn tech skills.

Additional upcoming commencement ceremonies include the College of Law Commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 15, and the College of Medicine and Life Sciences Commencement at 3 p.m. Friday, May 21, both of which are in Savage Arena.

Graduates receiving doctoral degrees will have the opportunity to participate in a separate hooding ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 7, in Savage Arena.
The post UToledo Ready to Celebrate Graduates at In-Person Commencements first appeared on UToledo News.
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UToledo President Inspires Hope in Inaugural State of the University Address
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In his inaugural State of the University Address, The University of Toledo President Gregory Postel praised the campus community for the empathy, resiliency and innovation shown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We faced one challenge after another this past year, but we never lost sight of that which unifies us — the human factor. Perhaps more than at any other moment in our lifetime, we rallied as a community around those who lost friends and family members due to the pandemic,” Postel said in the video speech released Monday, May 3.

During his introduction to the Annual Report component of the President’s speech, Faculty Senate President Terry Bigioni also recognized faculty, staff and students for their commitment to the health and safety of one another. “I would like to say how proud we all are of our students, who seemed to immediately recognize what was at stake, what we all had to lose.

$\"\"$ “While other schools were having outbreaks and closures, our campus positivity rates were consistently well below local community levels. By that measure, one might even say that it was safer to be on campus than off campus. Truly amazing. Faculty and staff may have reopened our University, but it was our amazing students who kept it open.”

Alfred Baker, UToledo alumnus and chair of the UToledo Board of Trustees, thanked Postel for his leadership. “We are confident that President Postel is the right leader, at the right time for our University.”

Postel’s address highlighted the personal stories of perseverance of Jacob Connolly, UToledo’s recent Goldwater Scholar; Leah Williams, transplant survivor and soon-to-be Rocket graduate; and Pierre Maldonado, 2010 UToledo graduate and University of Toledo Medical Center nurse.

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Postel

He also recognized the UToledo Black Theatre Ensemble, faculty and students in the Departments of Theatre and Film and Communication for their innovation and collaboration knitting together the production’s components shot independently according to social distance guidelines into the final “20K Leagues Under the Sea” performance that was nothing short of breathtaking.

Quoting Winston Churchill, Postel emphasized that addressing the challenges of 2020 has proven that the higher education and healthcare industries are far more agile than previously thought.

“We have faced financial uncertainty head on as we create a solid foundation to build future growth together. We’ve made huge strides toward financial stability of our hospital. And we’ve worked together with our faculty and staff to prioritize strategic investments in support of our key initiatives for the future of our institution,” Postel said.

In his address, Postel affirmed that UToledo’s brightest days are ahead.
“The end is in sight, and I’m confident that brighter days are ahead as we commit to an increased focus on student success, ensure UToledo offers relevant and in-demand academic programs, strive for exceptional customer service and engage with our community in new and innovative ways.”

View the State of the University Address and Annual Report videos published on the President’s Office website.
The post UToledo President Inspires Hope in Inaugural State of the University Address first appeared on UToledo News.
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Social Work Graduate Pays it Forward After Receiving Gift of Life
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Leah Williams’ next step is clear: she’s going to grad school.

“I just got notice that I was accepted into the MSW program at UToledo, so I can actually become, now, a renal social worker,” she said. “I wanted to work in transplant so I could help other people of color, like myself, obtain transplants.”

But that wasn’t always the case. When Williams transferred to The University of Toledo in 2015, she had a different path in mind. She still intended to pursue social work, but at the time she had planned to work with children and families. Life, however, redirected that path.

“I ended up taking time off of school to have a kidney transplant.”

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2021 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement.

After recovering from her transplant at The University of Toledo Medical Center, Williams returned to school and refocused her undergraduate studies toward becoming a renal transplant social worker. She intends to work with African Americans and other people of color affected by kidney disease, helping them navigate the complicated journey toward a transplant.

“When I was on dialysis for two years, I noticed that in the dialysis centers, there were a lot of African American people and people of color there who either did not qualify for transplants or didn’t know how to qualify for transplants,” she said. “I made it my mission to go back to these centers and say ‘Look, this isn’t even about people of color. I just notice they are the most affected. They are overrepresented in chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, because of a lot of preexisting conditions and other factors such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.”

Beyond simply navigating the transplant process, there is a great deal that goes into receiving a new organ. Social workers like Williams help patients — often older people — identify which services they may need after their transplant, in addition to helping them cope with what’s often a significant psychological load.

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Leah Williams is graduating with her bachelor’s degree in social work and will continue her education at UToledo in the master of social work program.

“We help people essentially change their lives so they can have this life-saving gift and move forward with a better life,” Williams said. “We do assess them from the psychosocial perspective for transplants and their input is needed because every transplant is unique. There’s a counseling aspect to it, too, because when you do receive a gift of life, it’s usually from a deceased donor. And there’s often a sense of guilt or wonderment about what had happened to the person that gave you your gift.”

Williams hopes to work at a transplant center or dialysis center in the Toledo area, and she’s already well on her way, interning at The University of Toledo Medical Center. Her internship is just the latest iteration of what’s become a long relationship with the University, which helped Williams through the transplant process via Student Disability Services.

“That department is very great. They help me a lot every semester, always asking ‘Okay what do you need to do? What do you need us to do to support you?’ That’s always been their main focus,” she said. “Just every aspect, from using UTMC to receive my kidney transplant to working there now to finish my internship for my bachelor’s degree, the University has always been a very strong point in my life.”

And as she begins her next step, Williams plans to keep that mentality of helping others in mind. She received help during her undergraduate work, and now she plans to offer the same kind of help to others, both during and after her graduate studies.

“I have some connections to dialysis centers in the Toledo area, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to get in somewhere after graduation and be able to help people,” she said. “That’s my life. Helping people.”
The post Social Work Graduate Pays it Forward After Receiving Gift of Life first appeared on UToledo News.
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Unique Program Opens Opportunities for Pharmacy Graduate
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Briana Maktabi followed her siblings to The University of Toledo but it was a one-credit-hour elective taken as a sophomore that helped her find her passion and set a course for her own educational career.

Born in Pennsylvania, Maktabi left the U.S. with her parents as a young child. After spending most of her youth in Syria and Saudi Arabia, she came back to the states with her brother and sister in 2014.

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2021 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement.

Starting at UToledo in 2015, Maktabi knew she wanted to do something in a health-related field, but wasn’t exactly sure what that might be.

“My older sister had just started pharmacy school and I saw there was an introduction to cosmetic science course,” she said. “I loved the idea, so I signed up to learn more about the program.”

She was hooked.

Maktabi soon enrolled in the Cosmetic Science and Formulation Design Program, directed by Dr. Gabriella Baki, an associate professor of pharmacy practice in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“I was so inspired by her and I knew that was truly what I wanted to do,” she said. “Dr. Baki was so excited explaining things and I was so happy I would be able to work with her. She is a really great role model.”

After earning her bachelor of science degree in 2019, Maktabi immediately enrolled in UToledo’s industrial pharmacy master’s program.

She is set to graduate with her master’s degree on May 1.

“Briana was a fantastic student to work with. She was reliable, independent, very passionate about her research and always did everything with a smile on her face — even when it came to repeating experiments for the fifth time,” Baki said. “One of Briana’s strengths is that she is a great communicator and was good at translating highly technical information when her audience was science-oriented but not experts in her field of research.”

It was Baki’s mentorship and the flexibility to continue working in the cosmetics field offered by UToledo’s industrial pharmacy program that kept Maktabi in Toledo.

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Briana Maktabi’s research on the use of meadowfoam seed oil in lipstick was awarded first place in the student poster competition at the 74th Annual Society for Cosmetic Chemists.

“There’s a couple universities that offer a master’s in cosmetic science,” she said, “but I didn’t even think about applying to them because I knew I would get to work with Dr. Baki and continue working on cosmetic research.”

As a graduate student, Maktabi was involved in industry-funded research to study meadowfoam seed oil, which is derived from a wildflower native to California and Oregon.

Specifically, Maktabi examined if meadowfoam seed oil could be effective as a dispersing agent for pigments used in lipstick. Dispersing agents, she explained, are needed to stabilize the powdered pigment and keep it from clumping together, and meadowfoam seed oil appears to be as good as other, more traditional oils.

Her findings were presented at the 74th Annual Society for Cosmetic Chemists meeting in December, where she was awarded first place in the student poster competition — a first for UToledo.

Maktabi is currently writing a manuscript on her research, which she hopes to publish in a peer-reviewed journal.

With both a bachelor’s degree in cosmetic science and formulation design and a master’s degree in industrial pharmacy, Maktabi feels well-prepared for a range of jobs in the cosmetic science industry and beyond.

But first she’s continuing her education — she’s been accepted into the experimental therapeutics doctoral program in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“She has a bright future ahead of her,” Baki said, “and I cannot wait to see the great things she’ll achieve.”
The post Unique Program Opens Opportunities for Pharmacy Graduate first appeared on UToledo News.
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Northwestern Mutual’s Top Intern Accepts Position Upon Graduation
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Last summer, Jonathon Wheeler was one of more than 3,000 college students nationwide with internships at Northwestern Mutual, a financial services company.

The accounting and finance double major at UToledo quickly set himself apart.

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2021 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement.

The interns’ roles were mostly the same as the company’s full-time financial advisors: Meet with clients and help them develop financial plans.

By summer’s end, Wheeler was ranked as the sixth-best intern in the company, based on the number of clients, policies and the premium (dollar amount of those sales) he achieved.

By Christmas, he had moved up to No. 3. And by the end of January, he was ranked No. 1 among the entire 2020 intern class.

It’s a lofty achievement – one that secured him a full-time position as a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual following his May 8 graduation.

“Being the top intern is not something that I necessarily wanted to accomplish, but it is more a testament to the hard work and time I have put into the internship,” Wheeler said. “This is what I hope to be doing for the rest of my life.”

He attributes his success to his ability to relate to people and to the career preparation he received at UToledo.

“All my business courses related to accounting and finance have helped me become an expert in personal finance,” Wheeler said. “UToldeo has helped me prepare a lot for my internship.”

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Wheeler

UToledo alumni Michael and Dominic Pisanti, identical twin brothers who majored in finance, also helped propel Wheeler’s development as his mentors.

“Now they are my coworkers at Northwestern Mutual,” Wheeler said, “and have been able to push me to develop personally and professionally.”

Dominic Pisanti, a financial advisor and college unit director at Northwestern Mutual, said Wheeler is disciplined, hardworking and exemplifies what it means to be a self-starter.

“He is a natural born entrepreneur as well as a leader,” Pisanti said. “His natural ability to connect with individuals at a deep level is going to take him far in his business and in life. He is one of a kind and nobody will outpace his dedication for success.”

Wheeler chose UToledo because his father is an alumnus and because he wanted to stay close to his home in nearby Northwood, Ohio.

A high school wrestler who took fifth in the state, Wheeler was an exercise science major initially.

“I started at the University as a 17-year-old student and was way over my head. I did OK but not good enough, so I switched my second year to accounting. And now I am 22 doing great in the accounting and finance field.

“I have grown a lot since I became a Rocket.”
The post Northwestern Mutual’s Top Intern Accepts Position Upon Graduation first appeared on UToledo News.
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