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If I were to choose one word to describe the now-under-construction Health and Wellbeing Center, it would be holistic. At UD, we educate the whole person — mind, body, heart and spirit.
"Their work is deeply rooted in helping students find their path and discover their vocation," said University of Dayton President Eric Spina about Jennifer Dalton and Verb Washington, 2025 recipients of the Lackner Award. "Both model the Marianist way of leading through service to others."
Dennis Currier’s UD men’s soccer teams are wildly diverse — and wildly successful. That’s a winning strategy, on and off the field.
From my office in St. Mary’s Hall, I often find myself gazing out the window at the towering yet graceful Immaculate Conception statue on the Roesch Library lawn. With arms outstretched, Mary welcomes all who enter our campus.
This is one of those feel-good, behind-the-scenes stories that deserves to be part of University of Dayton lore.
"On this Christmas Eve, I find myself reflecting on the unwavering faith of Mary, who holds such a special place in the hearts of the Marianists and our campus community," University of Dayton President Eric Spina writes in his Christmas message to students, faculty and staff.
“There’s nothing like Christmas on Campus anywhere in the world.” That’s not an overblown statement from Christmas on Campus co-coordinator Gabby Backus ‘25. For me — and tens of thousands of Flyers over six decades — this is a night of pure joy and selfless giving.
"As we gather this Thanksgiving, may our tables be spaces where everyone feels valued, heard, nurtured and supported," University of Dayton President Eric Spina writes in a message to the campus community.
Bella Lungren, a senior education major, smiled as she surveyed the Kennedy Union ballroom, filled with scholarship donors and her classmates whose lives have been transformed through their generous gifts.
The aroma of Brother Mitch Schweickart, S.M.’s homemade spaghetti sauce hit me the moment I walked through the front door.
Will ChatGPT lead to the demise of original thinking, or will it make University of Dayton students better thinkers?
In an ambitious undertaking, University of Dayton students are devoting thousands of hours to addressing health inequities and working with community partners to bring better care to all, particularly underserved populations.
"Long before experiential learning became hot in higher education, Dick and Sue Davis knew the value of giving business students the opportunity to put their learning into action in a field that requires risk, innovation, creativity, teamwork and thoughtfulness," University of Dayton President Eric Spina said at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Davis Center for Portfolio Management.
Dayton Flyers Coach Anthony Grant quietly delivered a message more important than any X’s and O’s drawn up for a buzzer-beater play.
The conversation around the dinner table at Brother Ray Fitz's house in the student neighborhood turned to the perplexing question, “What do you say to people who don’t agree with you?”
After a long day of walking on the El Camino de Santiago in Spain, Father Bob Jones, S.M. ‘98, would gather University of Dayton pilgrims to reflect on their day.
When Sister Rose Rucoba ‘19 noticed all the statues of Mary on campus, it took her back to her childhood in Wheaton, Illinois, where she was raised on stories of Our Lady of Guadalupe and enjoyed participating in May crownings. She quickly felt at home at UD.
There are no exams. No grades. No compulsory attendance. And the professors volunteer their time.
During the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds’ heyday, boisterous fans gathered in the grandstand to cheer on their favorite horses during harness racing. We’re off to the races again, but this time it’s a heated competition to be the frontrunner in the global digital transformation race.
In Father Jim Fitz's world, no dreams are impossible if you have faith.
The magnificent Ohio Statehouse atrium buzzed with youthful energy and purpose as former Governor Bob Taft and former Senate President Dick Finan ’54 mingled with student interns and alumni of the University of Dayton’s Statehouse Civic Scholars program at a networking reception and celebration this week.
Meg Carlson set the joyous vibe for the grand opening and blessing of the Roger Glass Center for the Arts with her jazzy rendition of “Feeling Good” from the Broadway hit, Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd.
Small actions can have a big impact. That’s my takeaway from an energizing meeting with this summer’s undergraduate fellows in the Hanley Sustainability Institute, where their desks by the window overlook Fitz Hall’s rooftop solar arrays.
When I swung by the "Mary in Catholic Education" exhibit in the Marian Library Gallery this week, I immediately spied a busy chalkboard, reminiscent of my childhood days at St. Joseph’s School in Buffalo.
Denny Gerdeman ’62 and his wife, Jane, have been season ticketholders for six decades and manage to make it to every men’s basketball home game even though they now live 100 miles from the University of Dayton Arena. You might say UD is their true north.
I asked Ben Thomas and Molly Potter — president and vice president of the UD student body since last May — to pick up my blogging pen and provide you with thoughts about serving as visible student leaders on campus, including the joys and challenges and any lasting lessons.
The University of Dayton cancelled afternoon classes on Monday. Well, not exactly. The Central Mall, dotted with students, faculty, staff, and families sprawled on blankets, turned into a massive outdoor laboratory for viewing the moon move across the sun and cast the University into twilight and then near-darkness.
When President Spina asked me if I would write a guest blog before our sixth annual giving day, One Day, One Dayton, I told him I would be thrilled to borrow his pen and use his platform.
When Dr. Sidaard (Sid) Gunasekaran ’12 ’16 won the prestigious KEEN Rising Star Award, the organization awarded him a sleek electric guitar, worthy of a rock star. He is a rock star among students and faculty in the School of Engineering and in the aerospace engineering world.
Camryn Yacks’ teammates shouted out encouragement after she air-balled her first shot playing wheelchair basketball. As athletes with disabilities, they know it’s not easy the first time you wheel out on the court, even if you were a college athlete like Camryn.
Choosing the right college, where you feel a true sense of belonging, is always a moment filled with excitement and some level of anxiety. However, this year, ongoing delays in the FAFSA at the federal level have complicated the college choice process for many families.
As I walked for the first time through the vibrant, light-filled visual arts gallery in the newly opened Roger Glass Center for the Arts, I was struck by an abstract piece consisting of a geometric arrangement of beautiful blue wooden cubes mounted on one of the movable walls.
“You’ll never get that time back.” That’s how Matt Hoyng, an industrial engineer in the University of Dayton Research Institute, talks about the value of UD’s expanded parental leave policy that allowed him to take six weeks off after his second son, Palmer, was born in July.
Last week’s annual campus breakfast honoring the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. played like a symphony that builds to a powerful crescendo.
“We had a motto of getting 1% better each day and playing with heart for each other,” reflected middle blocker Alayna (Laney) Yates after the Flyer volleyball team’s historic 32-3 season. “We were all in.”
"Our Heart. Our Home." These welcoming words greet me outside my office, and the sight always brightens my day.
Professor Josh Ambrosius set the mood for a class discussion about space and religion by playing “Count the Stars,” a beautiful hymn with an out-of-this-world twist. Listen closely, he told us, and you can hear the electromagnetic “voices” of planets, stars, and galaxies.
When Karen and I walked into a crowded Immaculate Conception Chapel for the wedding of Yasmin Espino ’22 and Tre Whittaker ’21 last month, I felt such happiness and pride. This was a historic moment — the first wedding of a special couple who met in Flyer Promise.
Barbara Crecelius stood on a bank of the Great Miami River during a misty fall afternoon as the River Stewards unveiled a storybook trail that brings their colorful children’s picture book, Into the River, to life for families strolling along the bike path near Carillon Historical Park.
As a Flyer Promise Scholar, Aidan Mornhinweg hears his success coaches and professors tell him, “Dare to be great,” and he’s taking those words to heart.
We’re busy building a bigger tent at UD, creating space for every member of our campus community.
Ever notice that the “of” in the University of Dayton wordmark and logo is italicized?
During move-in weekend, business students turned a campus parking lot into a makeshift construction site for the building of walls for two Habitat for Humanity houses. It was a sight to behold.
President Eric Spina's advice to first-year students boils down to two words: show up. "Showing up is 95 percent of what it takes to succeed — at this university and in life," he said at the New Student Convocation.
Chris and Mandee Jones ’98 met their first day on campus and struck up a friendship. Well, more than a friendship. They became soulmates and, eventually, spouses.
There’s something magical about walking into a room of incoming first-year students, especially when they are all the first in their families to pursue a college degree. It’s a piece of the American dream.
During the middle of a performance at the Dayton Arcade, Arabella Loera '23 sought out Dr. Laura Hume in the audience for a poignant exchange.
If I could bottle the spirit of the Berry Summer Thesis Institute, I would in a heartbeat. Thanks to the generosity and forward-thinking vision of the Berry Family Foundation and the Berry family, students learn the joy of discovery.
Willis “Bing” Davis makes a lasting impression on everyone he meets — from school-age children to my 97-year-old father, from scholars and artists far and wide to community leaders.
It’s never about Paul. After a barrage of praise and gratitude for his stellar 38-year University of Dayton career, Dr. Paul Benson, true to character, turned the tables on a standing-room-only Kennedy Union ballroom crowd of well-wishers by saying, “You’ve been teachers for me.”
"As you imagine and shape your future, I urge you to dream boldly, act with conviction, and lean into the moment. Keep moving forward, without fear, toward lives of great purpose and service. Say yes. Always say yes," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina told the Class of 2023 at spring commencement.
When trustees, alumni and friends ask me to describe the vision behind our ambitious and historic We Soar campaign, it comes down to three words: It's about people.
Ashley Andrews and Matt Khalil are not artists, and both readily told me that they knew little about Buddhism and Judaism before trying their hand at building a table representing both faith traditions.
Slowly playing a jazzy rendition of the UD fight song on a trumpet, Willie L. Morris IV '13 wound his way around the familiar intersection of Lowes and Lawnview, past campus lampposts, and through the audience to the center of a stage in the historic Dayton Arcade.
It's being billed as "one day like no other," and Katie Bardine '23 is all in. The Stander Symposium is no small affair, and neither is One Day, One Dayton.
On Easter, "we will profess our belief in the reality and possibility of new life — in a new way of treating one another with love and compassion," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina writes in a message to the campus community.
Three UD civil engineering co-op students are helping to raise the curtain on the magnificent Roger Glass Center for the Arts.
A few months ago I read a guest essay in The New York Times by Nick Burns, editor at Americas Quarterly, that criticized some American universities as “ivory towers walled off from reality.”
Faith takes deeper root when we open our hearts and share ourselves with others. My wife, Karen, has discovered that firsthand as a mentor for Marianist Student Communities.
When the Rev. Peter Matthews asked me to talk to people in the pews at McKinley United Methodist Church on the eve of MLK Day, I initially hesitated.
I sat among colleagues at the 2023 Learning Teaching Forum and listened with rapt attention to Dr. Karlos Marshall as he shared his deeply personal educational journey and offered lessons for bringing out the best in every University of Dayton student.
As an anchor institution, we pride ourselves on developing mutually beneficial partnerships in the community, but the one with Premier Health stands tall in my mind. As neighbors, we share a special bond that goes beyond proximity to philosophy.
Professor Kim Bigelow and Rachel Zidaroff, director of operations for United Rehabilitation Services (URS), gave four mechanical engineering students a modest $1,500 budget and a challenge — create a prototype of a portable device that would help people with limited motor skills take their work gloves on and off by themselves using just one hand.
"Some people are book-smart, but lack empathy, kindness and mercy. You cannot go about transforming the world — which is ultimately your assignment when you leave today — without both," President Eric Spina told the Class of 2022 at winter commencement. "As Flyers, you’re called to use your minds and hearts to work across disciplines and differences to make the kind of profound change the world needs."
As 33 school buses rolled into parking lot C with 1,100 children on Dec. 8, my heart leaped for joy at the familiar sight. Christmas on Campus, now in its 59th year, was back in all its glory, and you could feel the euphoria. This year’s theme could not have been more perfect: “Miracle on UD Street.”
A small but sturdy silver link hangs from my keychain, a gift from Flyer football coach Rick Chamberlin. In a tradition he carried over from his predecessor Mike Kelly, Rick gave everyone who ever played for him a link to remind them they’re forever connected to the program and each other.
"I'm so grateful for the gifts each of you brings to our campus as we strive to be a University that welcomes all around the table," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina wrote in a Thanksgiving message to the campus community.
During Sunday’s scholarship brunch, I marveled at Daisha Willaims' poise, confidence — and ease in articulating why investing in students pays dividends.
If I'm wearing a Dayton Flyers baseball cap in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or Pittsburgh or even Bryce Canyon National Park, someone invariably will smile and yell, "Go, Flyers!"
As a child, Melissa Kitchin '95 pretended to be Indiana Jones as she explored the estate and garage sale "treasures" in her grandfather’s filled-to-the-brim garage.
Flyer running back Jake Chisholm, who scored the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left on the clock in Saturday’s game against Valparaiso, is in the running for the Heisman. The academic Heisman, that is.
University of Dayton students, more intent on making it to their early morning classes, didn’t pay much attention as four deans lined up for a group photo in the Kennedy Union Plaza.
Walking through the Employer Engagement Center, our tour group noticed that nearly all the walls in the interview rooms and throughout the impressive building were painted various shades of blue.
Universities are often criticized for being ivory towers disengaged from the world and inaccessible to students from middle- and low-income families. That's not the narrative we're writing at the University of Dayton.
Rick Omlor ’79, retired president and CEO of YSI Inc., lives three doors down from UD students, a vantage point that gives him a bird’s eye view of student life. He likes to chat with students hanging out on their front porches on a beautiful sunny day. Little do they know that they are talking to the chair of the board of trustees.
"May the possibilities you hold in your hearts today carry you forward in the days ahead, and may God’s grace always be with each of you," University of Dayton President Eric Spina wrote in a message to the campus community on the first day of fall semester.
"Always hold the door open for one another," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina told the Class of 2026 at New Student Convocation. "It's a lesson in building community. It's a sign of showing respect for one another. It's a symbol of love and acceptance."
Tierra Freeman popped one of her presentation slides up on the screen in Sears Recital Hall as 10 honors students in the Berry Summer Thesis Institute gathered on stage for a group photo before lunch. As I glanced up, the question jumped out, "What is a role model?" That’s an easy one.
This summer Kathleen Henderson '86 '93 and Beverly Jenkins '78 will each surpass an amazing 40 years in various administrative roles at the University of Dayton, where they have largely served students, doing what Kathleen calls "the heart work."
Seeing University of Dayton students discover their passions and push themselves to achieve their dreams is one of my greatest joys as president. Correction. It is my greatest joy.
I love visiting alumni around the country, but I also get a kick out of hanging out (virtually) on their porches, too. During one recent porch talk, moderator Andrew Wong ’19, of the Charlotte, North Carolina, alumni community, asked me to name the "top five things alumni need to know in order to be in the know."
John Zaller showed off a bright red cardinal he made out of recycled plastic cups as part of his group's final presentation in the Latino/Latina Religious Experience course.
Flyer Nation, it's time to show an outpouring of love for University of Dayton students during our annual 24-hour One Day, One Dayton celebration!
As the University of Dayton prepares to launch One Day, One Dayton, Shaq Tensley '15 borrows my blogging pen to describe why he's volunteering to help his alma mater attract an ambitious 4,000 gifts over 24 hours.
In the spring issue of the University of Dayton Magazine, President Eric F. Spina writes about his admiration for the work of young alumni, including the 10 Under 10 honorees.
Kristen Altenau Keen may be a champion for student wellbeing, but “no one thinks I’m cool,” she says with a laugh. "There is immense power in the student voice. Students leading the conversations around education and intervention sometimes have far greater impact than staff.”
University of Dayton poet Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin and songstress Dr. Minnita Daniel-Cox have performed the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar dozens of times together all over the country, but when they reunite this weekend in Sears Recital Hall, their interpretation will take on greater poetic meaning.
When I tell people that the University of Dayton Orchestra is comprised of a majority of non-music majors (including many engineering students!), they look at me in surprise.
When longtime, current University of Dayton trustee Mary Jo Scalzo died after a brief battle with cancer on Christmas day, we lost more than a valued member of our governing board.
If the walls could talk at the nearby Marion's Piazza on Shroyer Road, I think they'd tell us a bit about why entrepreneur and philanthropist Roger Glass is such an avid supporter of the arts.
I felt the buzz immediately upon entering the Greater West Dayton Incubator. It was impossible not to feel the energy, excitement — and sense of possibility.
“Anything going on in the news?” asked communication professor Joe Valenzano, opening up another lively edition of “Conservative Political Rhetoric.”
While some universities grapple with their mission and identity in a changing world, we know who we are. Alongside the Marianists, the Marianist Educational Associates — known on campus as MEAs — personify the heart and soul of UD.
What's the measure of a life well lived? I'm drawn to words often attributed to Winston Churchill: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
“What does it mean for us to go back into history and pluck Jessie Hathcock's good name from our student rolls and put it here on this beautiful new building?” posed Denise James, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Higher education, national organizations and legislators across the country are advocating to double the Pell grant, writes University of Dayton President Eric Spina in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. It's a transformative opportunity to improve enrollment of lower-income students at a time when they continue to experience the most adverse impacts of the pandemic.
Destiny Watson '20 shared a photo on Instagram after Saturday's joyful, tearful dedication of the NPHC Legacy Terrace, which features nine granite pillars symbolizing the contributions of Black fraternities and sororities on our campus.
"You’re the kind of leaders who imagine a better world, then go about the business of creating it — without fanfare and bluster but with great purpose," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina told the 2021 Alumni Award recipients.
"The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer," Katie Hill told University of Dayton students in her New Venture Creation class. Sitting in a classroom overlooking Main Street in the revitalized Dayton Arcade, I thought about the power of her words in this space.
"You are people of high competence and high character. You’re the kind of leaders who imagine a better world, then go about the business of creating it — without fanfare and bluster but with great purpose," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina told the 2021 Alumni Award recipients.
When I asked the President's Council before our annual summer retreat to reflect on their unit's biggest accomplishments over the last five years for inclusion in a time capsule, I expected a standard report card.
The Class of 2021 entered the University of Dayton with the idealism of youth and, four years later, left with a commitment to be instruments of change in the world.
“Callings” is billed as an introduction to the heart and soul of UD for incoming first-year students, and there’s truth in that advertising.
It never gets old. And never will. The view of the chapel as I arrive to campus in the quiet early morning is beautiful: whether shrouded in fog, covered in snow, or reflecting early daybreak. It is inspiring: I am part of a faith-filled institution with an important mission. It is meaningful: it is the heart of the place that I have come to call home.
UD President Eric F. Spina will join President Emeriti Daniel J. Curran and Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., in a virtual conversation with alumni and friends at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 9. Sharon Howard ’78 will moderate the informal gathering with the three leaders.
Before the most successful Giving Day in UD’s history unfolded, I listened to Beth Flach speak from her living room and her heart to hundreds of volunteers about why she supports and roots for UD.
"Life has already tested you in ways that no other class has been tested across the 171 years that UD has existed — and it didn't come in the way of an essay scrawled in a bluebook or a complex problem set. It came in the way of selfless sacrifice, and you aced that final exam," President Eric F. Spina told graduates at four undergraduate ceremonies May 8-9.
I deeply admire Pope Francis and his focus on loving and supporting the most marginalized members of society. When I was asked to record a Sacred Stories podcast, I selected three short passages from the pope’s book, The Name of God is Mercy, for sharing and offering my reflections.
I stopped by Maggie Cahill’s front lawn on Stonemill Road last week to hear her describe how she edited a full-length memoir and worked with the author to prepare it for submission to a publisher.
As a child, Emily Parker said she "looked at the world in an innocent way," not seeing any difference between herself and her adoptive family until second grade classmates told her she was different.
Talk about Flyer love! Some University of Dayton students are using their mini-spring break day on April 14 to fly #1Day1Dayton porch sheets, run a personal 5K, and tweet their love for their school.
"I got accepted to my first graduate school program, and I am feeling so blessed. Dreams really do come true," tweeted Brianna Gavin. My heart soared.
Masha Kisel is drawn to the colorful mosaic of Mary in the courtyard outside St. Mary’s Hall. "I think of her as a fellow Jewish mother. Even before I was on the faculty, I'd come to that spot to sit and pray," she said.
The city’s name is in our name. Beyond this deep and meaningful bond, it’s a reminder that we must work together to imagine and build our shared future.
The mid-afternoon sun streams into an upper-floor classroom, offering students a magnificent view of Main Street from the newly revitalized and simply spectacular downtown Dayton Arcade.
We’re taking a holistic approach to helping students not just cope with adversity, but also thrive. Meet Holly Harmon, new director of the University of Dayton’s Counseling Center.
