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Shila Shreve and Joy Downing with their Club STUNT team

Pair of AU graduates love coaching Club STUNT together at the Kroc Center

Ashland University graduates Shila (Hartzler, ’23) Shreve and Joy (Boone, ’19) Downing appear to be a perfect pairing as co-coaches for the Ashland Salvation Army Kroc Center’s new Club STUNT program for girls. “We couldn’t have found better coaches,” said Dan Lawson, the Kroc Center’s director of community relations and development. “They really put their heart into getting our team ready for competition. “They inspire, motivate and encourage the girls on…

graphic promoting TubaChristmas

20th edition of AU’s TubaChristmas set for Saturday, Dec. 7

ASHLAND, Ohio – The 20th year of Ashland University’s TubaChristmas will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, starting at noon at Hugo Young Theatre in the Center for the Arts. The annual concert features traditional holiday favorites played on tubas, euphoniums, baritones and sousaphones, and is free and open to the public. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of TubaChristmas events take place throughout the world. The first such concert was held in 1974 and now…

graphic promoting Festival of Lights event

AU’s Festival of Lights will be Sunday, Dec. 8

ASHLAND, Ohio – The 33rd edition of Ashland University’s Festival of Lights, a collaboration between the choral music program and the Office of Christian Ministry, will take place Sunday, Dec. 8. The Advent candlelight service starts at 7 p.m., at Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. AU’s Festival of Lights communicates the birth of Jesus Christ through verse and song. It consists of scripture readings, seasonal choral music and hymns by the AU Choir, the AU Chamber…

graphic promoting AUJO seasonal concert

AUJO to present seasonal concert on Saturday, Dec. 7

ASHLAND, Ohio – The Ashland University Jazz Orchestra (AUJO), as well as a group of its alumni members, will be presenting its annual seasonal concert on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m., in the Hugo Young Theatre of the Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public. The 19-piece AUJO band will play a variety of selections, headlined by holiday favorites arranged for a jazz ensemble, including “Joy to the World” and “Merry Christmas Baby.” Also to…

Jim Goode ( Ohio Wesleyan), Ron Whitehill (’70 Ashland University), John Heiser (BGSU and ’66 Ashland University), Dave Gray (’70 Ashland University), Justin Marotta (’72 Ashland University), Tony Magistro (’70 Ashland University), Eric Behnke (Oklahoma State).

Alumni restore tombstones of founding fathers of their fraternity, Phi Delta Theta

Usually once a month for the past five years, brothers of the Ashland/Mansfield Phi Delta Theta Alumni Chapter meet for lunch. About a dozen or so, give or take a few, attend each time, bouncing from the Ashland and Mansfield areas. They also like to meet in graveyards. You read that correctly. It’s not all fun and games with this group of retired Phi Delta Theta brothers, which includes several Ashland University graduates. AU has had a Phi Delta Theta…

Jeffrey Delbert

Delbert excited to be part of Communication Studies' undergrad, grad programs

Jeffrey Delbert, Ph.D., is looking forward to all the opportunities available to him as a new faculty member in Ashland University’s Communication Studies Department. “I am excited about teaching at the master’s level and I’ve also proposed a new political communication class,” said the assistant professor, who previously taught communication at a smaller university in North Carolina for 12 years. Delbert joins a department at AU that has many exciting…

John Lersch ’79 (right) poses with the Peace Pole

Recently discovered Peace Pole now installed at center of AU main campus

ASHLAND, Ohio – A Peace Pole—an internationally-recognized marker that represents love, peace and harmony—was installed and unveiled earlier this semester at Ashland University. There are an estimated 250,000 Peace Poles across the U.S., serving as powerful symbols that each display the timeless message "May Peace Prevail on Earth” in a variety of languages. AU’s first such Peace Pole was erected in an appropriate location – outside Bixlar Hall, where the…

Beth DiDonato

Woman with two AU master's degrees finalist for Woman of the Year award

When it comes to the education she has received in her life, Beth DiDonato said she feels extremely fortunate. “I believe it more than prepared me for what I have accomplished,” said DiDonato, whose education includes two master’s degrees from Ashland University. DiDonato’s most recent accomplishment was being selected as a finalist for the 2024 Lucille Nussdorfer Tuscarawas County Woman of the Year award, presented annually by the Dennison Railroad Depot…

Ashley (Brillhart '07) Hershberger

Alumna honored with a young professional award in Wayne County, Ohio

Seeing TV character Trent Crimm wearing an Ashland University shirt on an episode of “Ted Lasso” got Ashley (Brillhart '07) Hershberger thinking about her time at AU. “It resonated so much with me because my favorite quote from the show is, ‘Be curious, not judgmental,’ reflecting the lessons I learned at Ashland University,” Hershberger said. “AU played a pivotal role in my leadership journey. It not only helped me embrace what makes me unique, but it…

"Death by Gun" art exhibition promo

Art exhibition addressing gun violence opens Nov. 14, runs through Dec. 12

ASHLAND, Ohio – The Coburn Gallery, in collaboration with the Ashland University Department of Art & Design, will present “Death by Gun,” an exhibition featuring works by Eileen Woods, from Thursday, Nov. 14, through Thursday, Dec. 12. It will kick off with an opening reception on Nov. 14, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Gallery admission is free and open to the public. “Death by Gun” poignantly addresses the issue of gun violence by honoring its victims through a…

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