Wright State hosts Chancellor John Carey and other state education officials for meetings, campus tour

The four-hour visit by officials from the Ohio Department of Higher Education concluded with a visit to the Student Success Center and a group photo. (Photos by Erin Pence)

Chancellor John Carey and other high-ranking members of the Department of Higher Education paid a visit to Wright State University, where they toured the Creative Arts Center, the Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration (NEC) Building and the Student Success Center.

During the March 9 visit, Carey and his entourage also met with President Cheryl B. Schrader and Provost Thomas Sudkamp as well as more than a dozen Wright State vice presidents, deans, chairs and other leaders of the campus community.

“I was really impressed with the efforts happening here regarding students at the Student Success Center – the improvements, results and completion. Those efforts are impressive,” Carey said at the end of the four-hour visit. “And the Creative Arts Center kind of blew your socks off. It’s just been a great day. I am really proud that we have Wright State University in Ohio.”

Chancellor John Carey praised Wright State University and President Cheryl B. Schrader for the university’s successes in areas like student support, community partnerships and academic resources.

Schrader welcomed the education officials at the Student Union, giving them a brief history of Wright State, detailing the excellence of the students, faculty and staff, and offering a current assessment of the university’s financial health.

“The good news is that our financial situation is stable,” she said. “We have a balanced budget for FY18. Our belt-tightening is having a positive effect, and we are rebuilding some of our reserves.”

Carey said he brought his team to Wright State to meet and welcome Schrader as she begins her tenure and let her know she has their support. He called Wright State a “great asset” to the state of Ohio,” singling out its cybersecurity programs, efforts to support military veterans and its recent textbook-affordability initiatives.

“I think there are a lot of successes to talk about at Wright State, about partnerships,” Carey told Schrader. “Like you, I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

Wright State students Ivan Mallett and Daniel Palmer speak with Gary Cates, senior vice chancellor at the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Carey and fellow education officials were then given a bus tour of Wright State, threading their way through student housing and the woods and past Mini U, the Wright State Physicians Building and the Nutter Center.

At the Creative Arts Center, Linda Caron, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, took the group through the art galleries, dance studios and theaters.

At the NEC Building, the group was briefed on STEM-related research, hearing presentations from Douglas Leaman, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics; Nathan Klingbeil, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science; Madhavi Kadakia, chair of biochemistry and molecular biology; Dennis Andersh, executive director of the Wright State Research Institute; and Nicole Kinzeler, assistant director of population and public health.

Tim Littell, center, executive director of student success and associate dean, led a tour of the Student Success Center.

During a working lunch in the Student Union, Joseph Keferl, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, discussed the university’s efforts in partnering with the community to battle the opioid epidemic. He also described potential restructuring for health and human services programs in a way that would more effectively meet the needs of students and the community.

At the Student Success Center, Tim Littell, associate dean and executive director of student success, showed the group one of the center’s state-of-the-art Student Centered Active Learning Environment (SCALE-UP) classrooms as well as the math, writing and tutoring areas. The tour ended with Wright State students Ivan Mallett and Daniel Palmer briefing Carey on their textbook-affordability efforts.