Remarks by President Zimpher to the University of
Cincinnati Board of Trustees, March 29, 2005
 I’d like to echo Phil Cox’s recognition of Dr. Carey,
Medical Director of Hoxworth, and ONA President
James, for their efforts in the recent labor negotiations.
 Now on with more good news:
 UC has received a SCCOR grant of more than $19
million to study genetic and environmental factors
associated with heart failure in the African-American,
Caucasian and Latino populations. What is learned will
allow us to identify high-risk patients to tailor
preventative measures and treatments to these
individuals. The new grant involves three UC
departments—internal medicine, pharmacology and cell
biophysics, and pediatrics.
 In line with the UC|21 stretch goals, UC has launched a
new program to attract the nation’s best and brightest
students and increase the number of National Merit
Scholars enrolled here. The UC|21 Designated Scholars
Award, to be offered to finalists in the National Merit
Scholarship Program, will provide funding for in-state
tuition, fees and housing in a UC residence hall.
Awardees will also receive a one-time allocation of
$1,500 that they could use toward the purchase of a
computer, to fund undergraduate research or to support
a trip to study abroad.
 Our Cincinnatus Scholarship competition in February
broke more records. More than 1900 competitors
participated, an increase of 108 students from last
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year’s record-breaking numbers.
 Two UC faculty have received prestigious Career
Development Awards from the National Science
Foundation: Dion Dionsysiou in the College of
Engineering and Theresa Reineke in the College of Arts
and Sciences. These awards recognize young faculty
who have promising careers ahead of them. Reineke, a
biologist, has developed a number of non-toxic methods
to deliver DNA-based therapies to diseased cells.
Dion’s research area is water quality engineering.
 The CCM Wind Symphony, conducted by Rodney
Winther, is featured on an album which won a Grammy
Award, under the category of “Producer of the Year,
Classical.” David Frost produced the recording for the
Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, an ongoing
series, and won the Grammy.
 The Starling Project Foundation and CCM are jointly
creating the Great Wall International Music Academy, a
month-long residence-based educational program for
gifted musicians worldwide in Badaling, adjacent to the
Great Wall, in China. The goal of the Academy is to
provide the highest caliber music training in an
environment of cultural exchange and growth. The
Great Wall International Academy will become an
annual program beginning in the summer of 2005.
 Through a collaborative partnership between the
presidents of NKU, UC and XU, area mathematics and
science teachers will be honored at an award ceremony
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April 8-9 at the NKU METS Center for Corporate
Learning in Erlanger, Ky. It is one of the first results of
our three-way collaboration – known as
“Conversations, Connections, Collaborations” – which
aims to address issues affecting Greater Cincinnati.
 It is my hope that this annual event will lead to greater
recognition of the importance of excellence in
mathematics and science education in our region.
 In another collaborative effort, UC, NKU and XU
recently raised more than $80,000 for tsunami relief. A
pre-game ceremony at the Crosstown Shootout took
note of this cooperation.
 On the legislative front, I testified earlier this month on
Articulation and Transfer and a plan called Ohio’s
Return on Educational Investment, which you will hear
more about shortly from me. This testimony was
presented to Ohio’s House Higher Education
Subcommittee on Appropriations and Finance. I also
gave testimony to the Ohio Senate Education
Committee in February supporting Governor Taft’s
proposed Partnership for Continued Learning, which
would establish a statewide P-16 Council.
 UC’s Division of Government Relations and University
Communications has launched our new Community
Connections Database, which eventually will catalog all
of UC’s civic engagement. Over time, we expect to
have hundreds, maybe even thousands, of records that
describe the many ways that UC interacts with the
region. By cataloging our connections, we can better
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communicate them and celebrate them, as well as
stimulate new partnerships and relationships.
 Our investment in building UC’s
reputation is making a difference. One
year into our new advertising campaign,
we used the Greater Cincinnati Survey to
see if our campaign is having an impact.
I’m happy to report that UC is up on all
six of the key indicators we are tracking.
Even better, we are up — that is, we
have moved the needle in a positive
direction — by a statistically significant
measure on two critical indicators: “UC
is a leader in scientific research” and
“UC is improving its service to
students.” Both are closely tied to the
goals and objectives of UC|21.
 Dearborn County, Indiana, may be one of the fastest
growing communities and job generators in the Tristate area, but officials are not resting on their laurels.
The new Dearborn County Economic Development
Initiative (DCEDI) has joined forces with our
McMicken College of Arts & Sciences’ Applied
Economics Research Institute. The effort will gain
Dearborn County valuable data and analysis, while
providing UC economics graduate students with
valuable hands-on experience. Thirteen grad students
will spend spring quarter collecting and organizing the
county’s existing economic data, and creating and
analyzing new data to be used for marketing the area.
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 A 2-year collaborative relationship between Dr. Craig
Froehle of our College of Business and the Radiology
Department of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical
Center is bearing fruit. Recently, the first patent
application emerging from the collaborative work was
submitted to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The
patent application covers an innovative approach to
automating the patient triage process using a
combination of medical, operational, and perceptual
factors.
 On our Clermont campus, we are relocating one of our
former Uptown Campus sprung structures. Its
reconstruction is slated for completion in early June.
 April 15 will also mark Clermont’s ground breaking for
a 14,000 square foot two story classroom and office
building addition.
 And finally, Aisha Berry, a current senior in our
College of Business, will on April 11th, represent the
state of Ohio as Miss Ohio USA at the 53rd Miss USA
competition in Baltimore, Md. We wish her great luck!
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