Watch UC Play Xavier in Crosstown Shooutout - Where YOU Are

Photo: Cincinnati.com

On Saturday, Dec. 10, the University of Cincinnati Men's Basketball Team will play Xavier University in the Crosstown Shootout. If you won't be in town for the game, there's a good chance a group of UC alumni will be hosting a game watch nearby! Check out the list below to see where you can watch UC play Xavier. If your city is not featured below and you're interested in organizing a game-watch, please contact Sam Walston at the UC Alumni Association.

Boston 
Chicago
ClevelandColumbus
Dallas/Fort Worth
Detriot
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Las Vegas
Miami
Milwaukee
NYC
Raleigh-Durham
Richmond/Tidewater
Saint Louis
San Diego
San Francisco
Tampa
Twin Cities
Washington DC

CCM Alumna Plays Glinda the Good in Wicked

Alumna Tiffany Haas in front of CCM's
Corbett Center for the Performing Arts in 2002.

With all the buzz around the hit Broadway musical “Wicked,” it’s definitely exciting to hear about a University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music alumna taking on one of the show’s biggest roles.  During the show’s Pittsburgh run, Tiffany Haas bubbled up for the first time and assumed the role of Glinda the Good Witch, a character she had been studying ever since joining the cast as her understudy in 2010.

She was originally hired in 2005 to be a female vocal swing and understudy for the role of Nessrose, but, after two years, left to join the national tour of “The Drowsey Chaperone.”  However, Tiffany couldn’t stop thinking about Glinda, a character she adored in her childhood obsession, “The Wizard of Oz.”  "I felt like I could connect with the character," she said. "I understood where she was coming from."

In 2010, she rejoined the cast as the character’s understudy.  "It was the same people in the room that were in the room in 2005 when I was hired as the swing," she Tiffany. "They have been through this journey with me. They kept me believing, pushing myself and challenging myself. I feel that I've come full circle."

UC Students Faculty and Staff Sing for Pennies

Students, faculty and staff are warming up their vocals and selecting their songs for the first-ever Proudly Pennies Karaoke Night. Perform with fellow students and cheer on faculty and staff as they sing for Pennies Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm in Alumni Hall of the Myers Alumni Center.

Performers include:

• Alan Hagerty and Michael Linger
• Nicole Mayo and Nicole Ausmer, PhD
• Daniel Cummins
• Yolanda Cooper
• Michael Magazine and Edward Winkofsky with students Stephanie Kenning and John Lame
• Jason Heikenfeld, PhD
• Kathy Brown and Kurt Schellinger
• Shintara Carpenter
• Jane Sojka, PhD

A newly formed ensemble called Random Sample will also perform at the event. Random Sample includes the following UC faculty members: Erynn Casanova, PhD, Omotayo Banjo, PhD, Lattisha Bates, PhD, Danielle Bessett, PhD and Corinne Reczek, PhD.

Come and be serenaded by the great, and not-so-great, voices of UC while enjoying delicious appetizers and refreshing beverages. Cost is $10 for faculty, staff and friends and $5 for students. All contributions will count toward the 2011-2012 faculty/staff campaign and support Proudly Pennies, the SDC-led fundraising campaign to raise one billion pennies ($10 million) for UC. Register to attend.

Barefoot Runner Shares UC Experience

Cincinnati Enquirer/Gary Landers

While attending the University of Cincinnati, my husband had the pleasure of running on the same track and field team as Alex Ramsey, one of the most insightful people you will ever meet. While you may not know him, you may remember Alex as the runner who completed the Flying Pig Marathon...barefoot.

I recently had a chance to catch up with Alex and he reflected on his UC experience. Alex, a 2009 graduate of the College of Business, currently lives in Haiku, Hawaii and he's still running barefoot!

What were some of the most memorable experiences you had at UC?
Skating around Clifton, competing against Ohio State, and interacting with different cultures all made my experience at UC memorable. I spent the majority of my collegiate life as an athlete. I was a part of a remarkable family of men and women who called themselves the UC Track & Field team. We traveled the country together, woke up for morning runs at 6:30 a.m., and slept on buses, all the while enjoying each other's quirky company.

How did UC transform your life?
Being around so many tremendous people who had aspirations for greatness really transformed me into a no-limit person. On campus, I could converse with a mechanical engineer, spit story with a graphic designer, or get inspiration from an opera student singing passionately as I walked past CCM. Those interactions were unique. Inside me grew a connection to these various souls. I take them with me wherever I go.

What makes you proud to be a graduate of UC?
My source of pride comes from being a member of a community that prizes education for the foundation of progress. With education we realize we have choices. No longer are we limited by our ego's definition of our worth. UC taught me that I can move freely through my dreams and not question whether or not I am living life right.

What have you been up to since graduation? Where are you living now?
I am on a mission to follow my love for learning. A quest of self-discovery. My passion in life is running, so that is what I have chosen to do. It has taken me all around the nation and currently to a remote island fortress in the southern Pacific. Some call the island Maui but I like to consider it a think tank to realize my wildest dreams. I have experienced success through applying the principles of manifestation. And know that this path, one less traveled, has been paved for me. I am here to surrender to something bigger than myself. Progress.

Anything else you would like to say about UC or experiences since graduation?
Campus is located in a nook of the city. It’s vibrant and full of life. I hope students continue to reinvent themselves. Question everything. And befriend experiences that they would not be exposed to anywhere else. I reflect on all the relationships that were formed during my college days and smile. Out there somewhere are these creative forces wreaking havoc on conventionality. Opening the boxes of innovation and giving their unique contributions. This life is about creation and UC embodies that.

Billy Martin, Brig Owens, UC President Broadcast LIVE from the US Capitol

UC legend Brig Owens and famous DC attorney Billy Martin are speaking at the US Capitol this Thursday at 6:30 pm, and YOU can participate LIVE no matter “Where You Are!” (pun intended). The UC Foundation will be streaming this event live for UC alumni and donors who cannot physically attend.  During the event you’ll be able to “share” the stream to invite your friends, post it to your Facebook, chat live, and tweet your thoughts both during and after the event. Hope you’ll join us! Watch it right here on this blog, on Facebook, the UCF website, or the Proudly Cincinnati livestream channel. Don't miss it!

Regional Network Scholarship Available to Incoming Freshmen

Through the generous support of UC's alumni community, the UC Alumni Association awards more than $100,000 each year to approximately 65 exceptional UC students. Incoming UC freshmen from UCAA regional alumni networks are encouraged to apply for the Regional Alumni Network Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded on behalf of UCAA's 30-plus regional alumni scholarships to support local future Bearcats. To be eligible, applicants must be an incoming freshmen and have permanent residency in a participating UCAA regional alumni network. The application deadline is Jan. 9, 2012. Please pass this scholarship on to any incoming UC freshmen you may know in your region!

The UC Alumni Association also offers additional scholarship opportunities for current and incoming UC students and do not require students to be permanent residents of a participating UCAA regional alumni network.

UC Student Spends Senior Year in France

University of Cincinnati photojournalist and French student, Dylan Vincent is doing something many students dream of - studying in France for his entire senior year! Dylan, a photojournalism and French major, is studying in Aix-en-Provence, France. This is the perfect opportunity for Dylan to combine both of his areas of study while traveling and studying the French culture.

l'Arc de triomphe du Carrousel, Paris France

While studying in France, Dylan has take a few trips throughout France. Before traveling to Aix-en-Provence, Dylan had the opportunity to explore Paris, France.
 
"The highlight was definitely stumbling upon la Joconde (Mona Lisa)," Dylan said. "It’s quite small in real life but it was just incredible to see it with my own eyes; not through a camera lens or on TV."

Hors du Musée d’histoire naturelle  d’Aix-en-Provence

Following his excursion of Paris, Dylan took the train to the Aix-en-Provence, and was impressed when he finally reached the city.

"This city is absolutely gorgeous," Dylan exclaimed. "The city is so beautifully constructed and it’s one of those charming European cities that have lots of culture and excitement in the streets."

Most recently, Dylan took a trip to Nice, France over his fall break.

"Nice, like you would probably assume, is nice. It’s absolutely gorgeous and in my opinion, the epitome of the Côte d’Azur lifestyle," Dylan said. It’s right on the Mediterranean and the city itself is gorgeous. The weather was also amazing. If I were in Cincinnati right now, I’d probably be freezing and wearing layers."

Nice, France

Continue to follow Dylan's study abroad experience in France by reading his blog C'est chouette la vie  (It's a great life).

The opinions expressed by featured persons, blog contributors, and comment providers on this blog are theirs alone and do not reflect the opinion or policy of the University of Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati Foundation or the University of Cincinnati Alumni  Association.  Materials, stories, content and activities linked to from this blog (embedded or otherwise) are not endorsed by nor are the responsibility of UC, UCF or UCAA.

Bearcats Host Networking Events in California

Last week, UC alumni gathered along the California coast – from San Diego to Berkeley – to network, talk about UC and get a taste-of-home from Skyine Chili and Graeter's ice cream. A few alumni spoke at the LA and Berkeley events while a CCM student talked about his internship experience with Fox Studios in LA. Alums also were brought up to speed on important UC news, campaign progress and the 1819 initiative. Alumni from all colleges and a wide range of classes – from the 1960s to 2000s – were in attendance. UC alumni association network leaders and members of the Proudly Cincinnati Campaign committees attended the events that were hosted at a range of venues, including a very hip bowling alley, an alum’s home, a Herman Miller showroom (where UC gets a lot of its building furniture) and a custom lighting shop (owned by two DAAP alumni.)

Stay connected with alumni in California or other places across the country by contacting your regional alumni network leader.

Tailgate with Fellow Alumni in Pittsburgh

Are you making the trip to Pittsburgh Saturday to watch the Bearcats take down the Panthers? Join the UC Alumni Association and fellow UC alums for a special Bearcat Blitz in Pittsburgh. The pre-game event will held from 4:00-6:30 p.m. at McFadden's Pittsburgh, 211 North Shore Drive. The cost is $15 per person and includes a buffet and UC raffle for a chance to win a Coach Butch Jones-signed football!

UC is the first bowl-eligible Big East team, making the game against Pitt very important.

Register now and call 1-877-CATS-TIX to purchase tickets for the game!