UCF Trustees and NY Residents Instrumental in New UC, EPA Water Initiative

Have you ever wondered where your water comes from? Do you know the steps of purification that happens before it comes out of your tap?

On January 18th, UC launched a joint partnership with the EPA and created the Water Technology Innovation Cluster (WTIC). The initiative is geared towards research and development of new water technologies for better availability and usage.

Right now, nearly 40% of the world’s population does not have a clean supply of water. And this percentage will grow, potentially leaving 50% of the world’s population with severe water shortages by 2050.


UC President Gregory H. Williams and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson committed to work together to:

• Conduct joint research and collaborate on innovative technology development.
• Include undergraduate and graduate students in the discussion, and emphasize courses of study in the environmental sciences.
• Identify innovative practices to advance new water technologies at local and global levels.

Two members of the University of Cincinnati Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Jerry Leamon, Business ’73, and Jeff Williams, DAAP ’75, HON ’09, were major drivers in WTIC’s formation. Jerry and Jeff both reside in New York City.

UC and the EPA already have a longstanding relationship, which will be further strengthened by this new partnership. WTIC hopes to ultimately become the world’s leading source for practical solutions and sustainable practices in water usage.

Have you given much thought to environmental conservation?

What do you think about this new partnership? Let us know!

Looking Back at 2010: Proudly Cincinnati at UC

Can you believe the final days of 2010 are upon us already? New Year’s is a natural time for reflection, as we pause to take stock of the year gone by before turning our focus to the challenges and opportunities that await in 2011. And after considering just some of the wonderful happenings at UC in the past 12 months, there’s little doubt 2010 was a great year to be Proudly Cincinnati.

We want to thank everyone – from faculty, staff and students, to alumni, friends and supporters – for helping make this a year to remember. We hope the New Year brings even more wonderful things to each and every one of you, and we thank you for reading our blog. Be safe and enjoy celebrating the New Year with your family and friends!

As we bid farewell to 2010, here’s our top-10 list of reasons we were Proudly Cincinnati in 2010:

1. Being part of four of the five Centers of Excellence named so far by the state of Ohio and the Ohio Board of Regents
2. Being named the only public “Green University” in Ohio by The Princeton Review.
3. Doubling the number of start-up companies sparked by UC researchers.
4. Launching of the student-led Proudly Pennies campaign and the "1819" alumni giving effort.
5. Formation of the new UC Health system.
6. Launching our new strategic plan, UC2019 – Accelerating Our Transformation.
7. Ranking among the top 200 World Universities, according to The Times Higher Education magazine in London.
8. Welcoming the largest enrollment in UC history, with over 41,350 students arriving in fall quarter.
9. Being named one of the world's most beautiful college campuses by Forbes Magazine.
10. Reaching the $715-million mark in our $1 billion Proudly Cincinnati Campaign.

 What were you most excited about? Is there something we missed? Weigh in below and let us know!