The Ohio State University at Lima

Javad Abdalkhani, professor of Mathematics, has retired after nearly 29 years at Ohio State Lima. He has moved to Powell to be closer to the Columbus campus, where he plans to attend applied mathematical conferences and be involved with research activities. He also hopes to volunteer to help students at various levels who need assistance with math.

Photo: Abdalkhani (center) with other members of the Mathematics Department at his retirement party.

Bryan Albright will serve as the Interim Assistant Dean beginning May 8. As the Interim Assistant Dean, Bryan will have a variety of responsibilities consistent with a reorganization of the Dean’s office. Bryan’s duties will include, but not be limited to: master scheduling, serving as the liaison with the Campus Bookstore, outreach and engagement efforts, auxiliary services, community partnerships, and special projects as assigned by the Dean.

David W. Hartwig, lecturer in English since 2012, has taken a tenure-line position as assistant professor of Medieval and Renaissance British Literature at Weber State University. “This campus has been an amazing place to start my career,” Hartwig said. “Students, colleagues, and friends, have been instrumental in my development as a teacher and scholar. I’m extremely proud of having worked with such great people, winning the campus teaching award in 2015, and significantly improving our student retention on campus.”

Photo: David Hartwig, right, with Dean Charlene Gilbert, at his farewell reception.

Roger Nimps, assistant dean, has retired after 28 years at Ohio State. He and his wife Allison Gilmore, associate professor emeritus of History and former associate dean, are moving to Rapid City, South Dakota, where Gilmore has taken the position of department head for Humanities and Social Sciences at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Photo: Roger Nimps, center, at his last Senior Leadership meeting.

Doug Raver, assistant technical director in Theatre, has retired after nearly nine years of service at Ohio State Lima and many more on campus.

Photo: Doug Raver, third from right, with the rest of the Theatre Department onstage at his retirement party.

Richard Scheer, custodial worker, has retired after 14 years of service. Scheer plans to spend time with his family and possibly take a retirement job of driving the shuttle for Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships.

Al Slaughter has joined the Facilities Department as air quality technician. Slaughter previously served as a service manager for the John P. Timmerman Company.

John Upshaw, chief diversity officer, took advantage of the recent VSIP to depart from Ohio State Lima after 13 years.

Biography of John Upshaw

John A. Upshaw was Special Assistant and Chief Diversity Officer at The Ohio State University at Lima. Prior to his position at Ohio State Lima, Upshaw was employed at Rhodes State College, where he served as Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences and Humanities departments and as Director of Transfer, Residency, International and Multicultural Affairs. Upshaw also served as Student Retention Officer, Student Peer Advisor and Instructor at DeVry University.

At Ohio State Lima, Upshaw created the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, or ODI, from ground zero and he was the administrator and founder of CLIFFS, College Level Intervention For Freshman Success. Prior to becoming Chief Diversity Officer, Upshaw served as Director of Student Life and Student Conduct Officer.

In addition, Upshaw served on a number of Ohio State committees and made numerous contributions to the University in an effort to create a learning environment that promotes student success. He served as a member of the Consultation Assessment Team; as a steering committee member for the student retention initiative; as an oversight committee member for all staff searches; provided diversity training for all new employees; and was a member of Ohio State Lima’s Diversity Committee.

Upshaw also served as the advisor for the LGBTA, Multicultural and Human Trafficking student clubs on campus.

Upshaw received the Ebony Award in 2009 during the 73rd Annual Celebration at the Bradfield Community Association. The Ebony Award recipients are honored for their efforts to promote harmony between the races in the community.

Upshaw’s work with the Lima Family YMCA Black Achievers program led to Ohio State Lima being recognized as the volunteer organization of the year in 2007-2008 and 2011-2012 and Upshaw received the individual 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award presented by the Lima YMCA Black Achievers.

In 2015, Upshaw received the Cultural Awareness Award during the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Commemorative Celebration. The recipients selected in this category have demonstrated an appreciation for diversity and evidenced skill in building and maintaining harmonious cross-cultural relationships. The recipient’s achievements foster Dr. King’s vision of unity among people of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Thanks in part to an OSU Sustainability grant, a 2017 Prius Four Touring sedan has joined the Ohio State Lima vehicle pool and will be the primary car for long-distance trips. The Ford Taurus will also still be available. The Happy Bus has been retired and made its last trip to Columbus surplus under its own steam.

Dan Matthews, assistant professor of Theatre, taught Theatre 2100 at Lima Central Catholic High School as part of the College Credit Plus program. He also taught Theatre 4921S in conjunction with Knowlton School of Architecture and the City of Lima. (http://knowlton.osu.edu/news/2017/04/ohlex-activating-land-vacancies)

Swathi Mohan, lecturer in Chemistry, has been selected to participate in the Lecturer Learning Community of the Ohio State Teaching Enhancement Program, or OSTEP, in a competitive, peer-reviewed process. As part of the program, Mohan will develop and implement a personalized teaching enhancement plan. More info.

Bill Angel, associate professor of Political Science emeritus, presented “Frank Lausche: The Last Progressive” to the Allen County Historical Society on April 30. More info.

Margie Anich, lecturer in Theatre, appeared in the Octopus Production of Cabaret and is currently directing the Octopus Production summer musical, Next to Normal, which will be performed at Ohio State Lima, June 23-25.

Joe Brandesky, professor of Theatre
• keynote speaker for the Czech and Slovak Scenography for Shakespeare Symposium at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, Nov. 2017.
• curator for the joint Ohio State University/Columbus Museum of Art exhibit Shakespeare in Prague — Imagining the Bard in the Heart of Europe. The exhibit will be at the Incarnate Word University in San Antonio July-Sept. 2017. He was also a contributing editor for the exhibition catalog. More info.
• Convened the Czech and Slovak Scenography for Shakespeare Symposium in Columbus, March 2017.
• His essay, "Jaroslav Malina in Memoriaum," appeared in Theatre Design and Technology, Nov. 2016. His essay "Jaroslav Malina’s Last Exhibition" appeared in the journal Theatralia.

Sabine Jeschonnek, professor of Physics, had an article "Factorization breaking of A ^T _d for polarized deuteron targets in a relativistic framework" published online in the April 1, 2017, issue of Physical Review C (Vol.95, No.4).

Dan Matthews, assistant professor of Theatre, had the opportunity to build two scale models of famous, historical scenery from the 20th century for the Columbus Museum of Art exhibit, “Shakespeare in Prague: Imaging the Bard in the Heart of Europe,” which will be on display through May 21. Click here for more from the museum. The designs were both for “Hamlet” – the first designed by Vlastislav Hofman in 1926, and the second by Frantisek Troster in 1941.

"After travelling to Prague as part of Dr. Joe Brandesky’s Prague Theatre Program, a study-abroad program for Lima and Columbus students, and gathering information about the original designs, I was ready to start the reproductions," Matthews said. "Using long-lasting materials and adhesives I took time to create reproductions that would last for years to come, whereas most scenic models are built to be light weight, quick, and cheap. After 80+ hours of work, two band-aids, and the complete usurpation of my family’s utility room the models were ready for the museum."

Nancy Stephani, lecturer in Social Work, is a regular contributor to the “Mental Health Moments” column in the Findlay Courier.

Beth Sutton-Ramspeck, associate professor of English, presented “ ‘Scourgify!’ Voldemort, Mudbloods and the Politics of Cleaning” at Harry Potter and the Pop Culture Conference at the 20th Annual DePaul Pop Culture Conference. DePaul University, Chicago, in May 2017; and “ ‘Filth! Scum! By-Products of Dirt and Vileness!’ The Dirt on Dirt in the Harry Potter Series” at the World of Harry Potter, an Annual Conference on Popular Culture and the Deep Past at The Ohio State University in Feb. 2017.

Doug Sutton-Ramspeck, associate professor of English, had a short story, “Winter Sky,” appear in The Georgia Review, vol 71.1 (Spring 2017) and a poem, “Nomads,” in The Kenyon Review, online March 1, 2017. His book of poems, Naming the Field, is board approved at the LSU Press and will be published in fall 2018. He has won the 2016 McGinnis-Ritchie Award for Fiction for the short story “Messenger.” The award is selected by the editors of Southwest Review at Southern Methodist University as one of the best works of fiction published in their journal that year.

Margaret Young, associate professor of Music, presented at Music Teacher’s National Association National Conference in Baltimore in March 2017, “A Closer Look at Group Piano Programs” and at Research in International Music Education Conference in Bath, England, in April 2017, “Exploring Global Trends in Keyboard Education.”