OWU in the News

September 25, 2014 | By Ohio Wesleyan University

Jeff Sindelar ’04

Forbes ranks Columbus, Ohio, as nation’s No. 1 ‘Best Opportunity City’ for 2014

Ohio Wesleyan students, faculty, staff, and alumni make headlines every day with their expertise and accomplishments. Here are a few of the latest highlights…

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Forbes Magazine ranks Columbus, Ohio, as the nation’s No. 1 Best Opportunity City for 2014.

According to the magazine, most cities on the new list are “small enough that enterprising people can really make their mark. But they’re still large enough to offer amenities – museums, parks, and in many cases vibrant downtowns – that make for a high quality of life.

“Most importantly, because these places offer affordable housing, residents enjoy the opportunity to spend their energy getting creative, starting a company, or simply enjoying time off,” the magazine states, “without the pressure-cooker professional environment and stressfully high housing costs that are the hallmark of many of the nation’s biggest job centers.”

In addition, Forbes reports that “Ohio clocks in as the state with the most Opportunity Cities on our list with Columbus, Toledo (No. 4), Akron (No. 13), and Cincinnati (No. 18).”

Read the complete article, “Forbes’ Opportunity Cities: 19 Places Where It May Be Easier To Make Your Mark.”

Andrea Colvin, Ph.D.

Andrea Colvin and Glenda Nieto-Cuebas

Ohio Wesleyan assistant professors of Spanish Andrea Colvin, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto-Cuebas, Ph.D., are featured in The (Columbus) Dispatch as co-directors of OWU’s second annual Spanish Film Festival.

Both OWU faculty members tell Dispatch reporter Terry Mikesell that they have used Spanish-language movies in the classroom.

“I realized that our students really enjoy films, when you mix it up a little bit,” Colvin says. “Incorporating films into class gets them pretty excited, and it’s a unique way to let them experience the culture.”

Glenda Nieto-Cuebas, Ph.D.

Nieto-Cuebas tells Mikesell the movies are good exercises in critical-thinking.

“I would love my students to develop a new appreciation for foreign films,” Nieto-Cuebas says. “It’s important for us as educators that students … understand the message beyond the image.”

Read the complete Dispatch article, “Universities’ tandem festivals celebrate Spanish language.”

Sean Kay, Ph.D.

Sean Kay

Sean Kay, Ph.D., is invited to speak at the Washington, D.C.-based Eisenhower Institute, where he discusses his new book, “America’s Search For Security: The Triumph of Idealism and Return of Realism.”

Susan Eisenhower, chairman emeritus of the Eisenhower Institute, introduces Kay to the capacity crowd, stating that his book “in 50 years, will have accurately explained major parts of the future of American foreign policy.”

OWU student Luke Waters ’16, part of the Wesleyan in Washington program, tells writer Eric Miller that Kay’s presentation provides “a comprehensive look at the history of United States foreign policy. He showed what has been done, what can be done, and how we go about achieving success in the future.”

Read Miller’s complete Eisenhower Institute article.

Lisa Workman ’85

Lisa Workman ’85

Lisa Workman is named president of the Community Foundation for Crawford County (Ohio), founded with help from the Timken Foundation in 1984 when a permanent, tax-exempt, public charitable foundation was established to improve the quality of life for citizens of Crawford County.

Workman is a Crawford County native who returned home to be closer to her father. She also has experience working with national nonprofit organizations throughout the country. At Ohio Wesleyan, she majored in English.

“The foundation does so much in the community and affects the quality of life for area residents. It is very inspiring and I am grateful to be a part of it,” Workman told the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum.

Read the full news article, “Foundation has new president.”

Jeff Erdmann ’85

Jeff Erdmann ’85

Jeff Erdmann is listed at No. 8 on Barron’s 2014 Top 100 Financial Advisors list and is one of only 15 advisors to make the Barron’s list every year since its inception a decade ago.

Erdmann majored in economics and business at Ohio Wesleyan and currently is a Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Advisor based in Connecticut.

See the complete Barron’s 2014 Top 100 Financial Advisors list or read more about Erdmann’s career.

Alan W. Ohnsman ’89

Alan W. Ohnsman ’89

Alan Ohnsman joins Santa Monica, California-based TrueCar, Inc., as senior vice president/chief communications officer.

Ohnsman holds degrees from Ohio Wesleyan and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He previously worked for Bloomberg News.

According to TrueCar, his auto-industry ties date back to the 1980s when he made Honda Accord and Civic seats at a Marysville, Ohio, factory.

Read the complete TrueCar announcement.

Jeff Sindelar ’04

Jeff Sindelar ’04

Jeff Sindelar is selected as a featured speaker at the 19th annual Take Back the Night event presented by Malone University and the Domestic Violence Project, Inc. Sindelar is a graduate of both Ohio Wesleyan and Harvard Law School.

According to the Hudson Hub Times, Sindelar became active with gender violence prevention in college, co-founding a group focused on engaging men in sexual assault prevention. At Harvard, he designed a clinical self-study program focused on developing sexual assault prevention education for men.

Currently, he serves on the board of the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center in Cleveland and is a member of the Ohio Men’s Action Network (OHMAN) Steering Committee.

Read more about Sindelar and the upcoming event, “Malone University and Domestic Violence Project, Inc. present ‘Take Back the Night’ Oct. 21.”