“This is a place willing to dream bigdreams.”ae-lane-report.s3.amazonaws.com/images/pdf/... · Kentucky Center,which broke ground this summer. The special events center is going

“This is a place willing to dreambig dreams.”

— Dr. James Votruba, President, Northern Kentucky University

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R egents Hall is buzzing with activi-ty. Hundreds of students, profes-sors, family and friends are gath-ered on the campus of Northern

Kentucky University this crisp April day forthe Celebration of Student Research andCreativity. Inside the multi-purpose facility,row upon row of poster presentations fes-toon table tops, where students, professorsand mentors make brief presentations topassersby on topics as esoteric as“Developments in Fullerene-TransitionMetals Supramolecular System Design andSynthesis.”

Creations of student-artists aboundthroughout the hall. Meghan Curry, a sec-ondary educationmajor who works asa bank teller to fundher NKU degree,noted that her proj-ect, “Werneke’s andBroca’s Areas of theBrain,”provided richfodder for class-room discussionwhere she labors asa student-teacher.“The kids are fasci-nated by how braininjury affects ourability to speak.Research like thismakes learning fun,something that is important in the highschool classroom.”

“The Celebration is a wonderful event,an affirmation of the unique learningopportunities that students have here atNorthern Kentucky University,” said Gail

2 SPOTLIGHT ON NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Innovation and Opportunityat Kentucky’s Youngest University

NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY OVERVIEW

Dr. James C. Votruba isPresident of NorthernKentucky University.Named “the most influen-tial person in NorthernKentucky” by a localnewspaper, Dr. Votrubahas led NKU since 1997.

With more than 14,000 students, NorthernKentucky University has grown significantly since its founding in Highland Heights in 1968 .

SPOTLIGHT ON NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY 3

Wells, university provost and a professorand administrator who has seen theHighland Heights campus blossom fromhumble beginnings in the late 1960s to oneof the most important and innovative learn-ing centers in the Bluegrass State. “Theundergraduate research projects, the one-on-one mentoring that the students dowith their professors, sets NKU apart fromother schools in the region and the state.”

Big Bang in Highland HeightsBut what truly sets NKU apart from these

other universities and those throughout theregion is what can only be described as asort of multi-tiered Big Bang occurring onthe northern edge of Campbell County. It ishere that new construction,bold new ideasand new educational disciplines are con-tinually being explored and executed,meeting the needs of one of the fastestgrowing corners of Kentucky. And keepingvigil on NKU’s upward spiral is its president,Dr.James Votruba.

“This region is an economic engine forthe state,”says Votruba,“and we take that veryseriously here.”Which means that NKU hasto be at the very cusp of educational inno-vation and development to insure that the14,000 or so students are revved up to makethe transition from a logistics economy to ahigh-tech information economy.

To meet the needs of a region thatencompasses not only the nine countiesof Northern Kentucky, but also much ofSouthwestern Ohio and SoutheasternIndiana, NKU has to be able to present

“well-prepared graduates with the skillsets needed to do the jobs that fuel theeconomy,”Votruba said.“We need to pro-vide support for economic growth; weneed involvement in educationalenhancement for teachers at the elemen-tary and high school levels; and we needto ask the community what are its fearsand hopes so we can see what the univer-sity can do.” Those demands, he added,place the university at the leading edge ofpublic engagement in Northern Kentucky.And NKU has responded.

Besides offering a broad scope ofundergraduate programs that range fromaccountancy and business programs,nursing, education and other traditionalcollegiate and liberal studies, NKU hasestablished a growing array of graduateprograms including the Master ofBusiness Administration, and advanceddegrees in nursing, education and myriad

On a clear day, the downtown Cincinnati skylineis visible from the NKU campus.

The Northern Kentucky University Department ofNursing and Health Professions fills a critical needin the Commonwealth by offering baccalaureateand masters degrees in nursing in addition toassociate degrees in other health programs.

NKU At A GlanceFounded: 1968Located: Highland

Heights, Ky.Website: www.nku.edu

Admissions: (800) 637-9948Enrollment: 14,000

Alumni: 39,000Average Class Size: 24

Student/Faculty Ratio: 18:1

2006-07 ResidentUndergraduate

Tuition: $2,724 per semester2006-07

Operating Budget: $164.1 million


other fields. According to Carole Beere,associate provost for community outreachand dean of graduate studies,the universi-ty plans to add two graduate programsannually for the foreseeable future. TheChase College of Law serves the commu-nity through its full- and part-time degreeprogram, providing new attorneys withsome of the best internships and extern-ships available anywhere in the country.

Responding to a globalized marketplaceIn response to rapid globalization and

the evolution of a high-tech informationuniverse, NKU recently christened itsSchool of Informatics, where students will

learn to flourish in a world where datatechnology merges with information tomeet the needs of a more digitized world.

As part of this response, PresidentVotruba asked veteran entrepreneur andeducator Bob Farrell to make tracks as theuniversity’s first associate provost for eco-nomic initiatives,creating a mutually benefi-cial partnership between the university andregional businesses that will spark innova-tion, allow students new cooperative learn-ing opportunities and will assist companiesin a variety of business milieus.

Collaboration also has been a criticalfocus as Votruba has sought to make NKUever more accessible to the local commu-nity. The university was a keystone playerin the recent development of VISION2015,a comprehensive plan for the overallenhancement of life in NorthernKentucky that was established with reach-

able goals and clearly observable bench-marks – critical components to continueto attract the top-notch workers to theregion so sustained growth and develop-ment is possible.

Community outreach also is sought invirtually ever corner of the university: TheScripps Howard Center for CivicEngagement brings students and commu-nity together in nonprofit collaboration ini-tiatives; the Fifth Third BankEntrepreneurship Institute creates a realis-tic platform for students to explore the cre-ation of their own economic “engines,”andsmall businesses owners can access a widespectrum of services and R&D potentialsnot otherwise available to them; the ChaseLocal Government Law Center offersresearch and information services to small-government entities throughout theBluegrass State;and at a state-of-the-art facil-ity in Boone County near the GreaterCincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, theMetropolitan Education and TrainingServices Center served more than 40,000visitors throughout the region as a meetingand training site.

Teaching the teachers of KentuckyNorthern Kentucky University also

maintains its important position as theepicenter for teaching and updating sci-ence and math teachers throughout thestate at its Center for Integrative NaturalScience and Mathematics, where the mis-sion is to enhance the teaching, learningand applying of science and maththrough a variety of interdisciplinary col-laboration.

The sum of these parts has resulted inwhat Votruba identifies as the defining qual-ity of non-instructional engagement of com-munity partnerships, along with academicprowess, that results in a university thatactively and progressively engages theneeds of the community. “We’ve done allthis,essentially,by defining this metro regionas our campus rather than just HighlandHeights,” he said.“We have internships andcooperatives in place to exploit the manyassets of the region. We have many, manymembers of our faculty who have “realworld”experience,which has been a criticalcomponent of our success over the years.”

But Votruba explained that one of themost important reasons NKU has grown atan exponential rate since its founding just

The NKU logo on the Steely Library provides a nighttime landmark for visitors to NorthernKentucky University.

more than a quarter century ago is itsbirth as an entrepreneurial enterprise.

“After I first came here for a visit almost10 years ago, I went home and told mywife, ‘this is a place willing to dream bigdreams.’ We are smaller than a Universityof Cincinnati, and we are a younger uni-versity, but that means we are more agile.We are able to go where the puck is likelyto be.The morale is very high here, and itshows through an agility and spirit ofinnovation you will find everywhere.”

There are sure to be more celebrationsof the school’s agility and spirit upon thecompletion of the new, 9,200-seat Bank ofKentucky Center,which broke ground thissummer.

The special events center is going tobe the catalyst for a $40 million project atthe entrance to the campus that willinclude a hotel and additional buildingsin the mold of North Carolina’s ResearchTriangle. Those developments, especiallythe advent of the new center, will bringprospective new students — and their par-ents — onto the campus, insuring furtherinterest and growth at NKU.

To say that the growth in physical plant

and intellectual endeav-ors at NKU over the pastdecade has been freneticlikely would be an under-statement. But Votrubanoted that the level ofenergy expended at andon behalf of the universityreflects the needs ofNorthern Kentucky andthe region as a whole.

“We named the sci-ence building Founder’sHall for the professorsand staff who camehere in the early 1970s,”he said.“They describedthemselves as pioneers. They came herewith the idea that they probably wouldmove on,but most of them ended up stay-ing.They loved the newness, the freedomto create. The challenge here is to keepthat spirit of entrepreneurship alive.

“Can that spirit be sustained? I think itcan,” he continued.“This region has grownbecause of the many entrepreneurs whobuilt it.The challenge is laid out for the nextgeneration: Are they as willing and able as

the earlier generation to continue thatdream? Some of the founders I referred tosay,‘don’t worry, we see the next generation,and they have the same fire in their bellieswe had.’ They appear to be rooted in thissense of public engagement. And so, I dohave confidence”for the future.l

Students at Northern Kentucky University’s ChaseCollege of Law take notes on their laptops duringa classroom lecture.


OFFICE OF ECONOMIC INITIATIVES

In the not-too-distant future,you couldfind yourself flipping open your lap-top, accessing the Web in a Wi-Ficloud as you ride to work on a

Northern Kentucky TANK bus.That “wired”bus can also, in times of crisis, be convert-ed into an emergency mobile commandcenter, part of a fleet that could be dis-patched almost instantaneously through-out Northern Kentucky.

Envisioning this scenario – a collabo-ration between the Transit Authority ofNorthern Kentucky and NorthernKentucky University – and then rolling itout is all in a day’s work on the seventhfloor of the Lucas Administration Center,home of NKU’s Office of EconomicInitiatives.

Launched last year and led by charis-matic entrepreneur Bob Farrell, the newuniversity enterprise already has fulfilledmuch of its promise,matching NKU’s cere-bral prowess with the business communi-ty in partnerships that create market solu-tions, new products and also deliver real-world learning experiences for students.

Borne of NKU President James Votruba’sdesire to discover what kinds of entrepre-

neurial influencescould be forged oncampus, the eco-nomic initiativesteam is engaged inan ambitious pro-gram that will buildstronger ties with thebusiness communi-ty. The goal: creatingreal economicdevelopment bygrowing existingfirms and creatingnew businesses, aswell as energizingthe NKU brain trustat all levels – includ-

ing the student population,which will benefitfrom being involved in the multitude of part-nerships through internships,co-ops and ulti-mately,employment with business partners.

“It’s the same formula that we used atSDRC,” said Farrell, speaking of the compa-ny he co-founded in the late 1960s. “Webrought in University of Cincinnati studentsin co-operative learning partnerships thatwould lead to the development of one ofthe most highly trained workforces in thefield in a kind of ‘farm club’ system.”

Farrell, who was recruited a coupleyears ago by Votruba from the Universityof Cincinnati, said a similar programlaunched on a larger scale at theHighland Heights campus will beextremely effective, where business part-ners and university assets will be matchedthrough the office’s national network –created by Farrell and staffers that includeAssistant Vice President Jan Hillard andInfrastructure Management InstituteDirector Tim Ferguson.

Ferguson,who came to NKU from NewYork-based Computer Associates, wherehe was a research and development exec-utive, said the efforts of the InfrastructureManagement Institute – a critical engine

for the Office of Economic Initiatives –will focus largely on opportunities tobring university talent into play for infor-mation technology clients globally, espe-cially seeking synergies between clientsand NKU’s new School of Informatics.

Hillard,who also is a professor of polit-ical science, noted that much of the suc-cesses the office will enjoy are likely to befound in projects that “lie below the line,”off-radar, where the team’s ability atmatching creative talent to market needswill be most effective – and profitable.

“The key to all this is networking,”Farrell said.“In the midst of it all, we posi-tion ourselves as partners. There are noturf wars in this office. Instead,by bringingin all parties together we think can pro-vide solutions,we can create a situation inwhich the whole is much bigger than thesum of its parts.”l

NKU Office Creates Market Solutions

With a student to faculty ratio of 18:1, NorthernKentucky University takes great pride in givingstudents individual attention in the classroom.

Bob Farrell is AssociateProvost for EconomicInitiatives at NKU. Farrellwas co-founder of StructuralDynamics ResearchCorporation, a Cincinnatibased software engineeringcompany that sold for $1 billion to EDS in 2000.


COLLEGE OF INFORMATICS

When White House offi-cials informed NorthernKentucky University Pres-ident Dr. James Votruba

that President George W.Bush had accept-ed Votruba’s invitation to visit, universityofficials were elated. But when Votrubaand staff learned that Bush would be talk-ing about American competitiveness andplanned to discuss NKU’s new College ofInformatics in mid-May, the buzz aroundcampus was that the program was,indeed, at the forefront in U.S. academia.

“The College of Informatics is one ofthe most ambitious recent initiatives”inaugurated at NKU, Votruba said. “Howuniversities organize knowledge is notimmutable.We organize and reorganize totake advantage of the real world. And wefound that we had an extremely high rateof computer technology and informationtechnology being taught and explored.Weproduce more information technologygraduates than anyone else in the com-monwealth. Together with the new initia-tive for economic development, you will

see that we have brought people and con-cepts to create a real synergy,” positioningNorthern Kentucky University to be in thevanguard of that new horizon where infor-mation technology, the digital realm andbright employees merge.

The word for that juxtaposition isInformatics, and beginning this year, NKUjoins the ranks of only a handful of univer-sities nationwide working in this recentlyemerging field of study.

Dr.Douglas Perry, newly hired dean of theCollege of Informatics, noted that, at first

blush,the concept for the new discipline is alittle hard to pin down.

“Informatics is an emerging and rapidlyevolving concept, and as such, it doesn’t fitinto a neat, single-sentence definition,” hesaid. But broadly speaking,“Informatics isthe digital intersection of the arts, sciencesand professions, where digital tools areused to both extend these domains andbring them together. As an example, thenew tools of bioinformatics are used toadvance research in genomics, proteomicsand betabolomics.Or,artists can now paintwith electrons to produce new works ofstunning creativity. And the sophisticatedmethods of information systems,well-testedin banking and commerce, are now being

applied to the health care industry — afield that is still largely paper-based.”

Perry noted that informatics brings thesediffering domains together in numerousways.“The immersive technology of integrat-ed media can visu-alize scientific datain ways that allowscientists to explorethree-dimensionalstructures at themolecular level.”Headded that newadvances intelecommunica-tions and portalaccess allow thevirtual collabora-tion of architects,engineers, con-struction managersand subcontractorson major buildingprojects. In another example, content analy-sis of digital media can identify and evengenerate typologies of musical forms.

“Informatics also embraces the studyof the digital space in society and howpeople inhabit this space,”Perry said.“Youcan thus examine the rise of the digitalculture, the influence of information tech-nology on organizational behavior andthe impact of disseminated media on thesocial construction of knowledge.”

Perry explained that the history ofinformatics has its roots in Europe,“wherethe term has been used for many years. Itconnotes computer science and informa-tion technology and the whole spectrumof digital technology.Here, it is a curiouslyAmerican approach, where computer sci-ence is separate and distinct from otherdigital technologies. The notion of abroader digital landscape is old inEurope,” but informatics as it has beendeveloped, first at Indiana and now atNKU, clearly seeks to further fortify whatPerry calls a “tri-partite model” thatincludes a vast array of content, a digitaldelivery and those who use that content.

New Program Creates National Buzz

The College of Informatics is currently housed inthe NKU Science Center which was built in 2002.Funding is in place to construct a high-tech Centerfor Informatics building in the near future.

Dr. Douglas Perry will bejoining Northern KentuckyUniversity this summer asDean of the College ofInformatics. Dr. Perry comesto NKU from IndianaUniversity, the first schoolin America to start anInformatics program.


“To say that informatics is interdiscipli-nary is an understatement,” Perry said.“Rather, it is more accurate to say it istrans-disciplinary. It is founded on the the-ories and methods of computer scienceand information technology, yet it tran-scends them in that it is more appliedthan computer science and more basicthan information technology. It is basedon accepted theories of communication,yet it applies them to new, digital-basedinteractive modes. As a final example, itappropriates the principles and tech-niques of design to enhance human-com-puter interaction.Thus,the possibilities forinformatics are endless.”

Perry uses the example of his own pri-mary field of expertise — cellular biology— as a way to illustrate how real-life appli-cations of informatics have changed theway research is done.

“Because of advances in technology,experiments in cell biology that used to takeweeks can be done in days or hours,” hesaid.“Yet,when researchers get data,they endup dealing with 30- to 50-million data points.Thus the need for bio-informatics, makingthe bridge with digital tools to these scien-

tists who can’t understand thedata unless they have the spe-cific tools to interpret the data.Yet the science is so complex,someone in technology can’tunderstand the underlying sci-ence,and likewise,the scientistcan’t understand the develop-ing technology that allows thissophisticated approach. Soyou have a hybrid, and thathybrid is in informatics.”

Perry noted that NKUalready produces more gradu-ates in information-relatedsubjects than any other public university inKentucky. And,at the same time,informationtechnology leads Northern Kentucky onjobs. Recognizing the trend, the universitymade the commitment to technologygrowth with the new school.

“By creating the school,NKU took a boldstep in 21st Century higher education,”Perrysaid.“As one of the very few universities inthe country to do this, NKU stands to gainnational prominence as one of the academ-ic leaders in informatics, by virtue of beingone of its pioneers.”

The result will be, Perry said, greatstrength in institutional research andapplied informatics. And there will be ahigh demand for the NKU student with adegree in informatics.“The demand is goingto skyrocket for students with degrees inhealth informatics and bio-informatics, twofields that we can do right away at NKU.”l

Technology plays a large part in the campus culture of Northern Kentucky University, whichproduces more graduates in information-relatedsubjects than any other public university in theCommonwealth.


THE BANK OF KENTUCKY CENTER/SPORTS BUSINESS DEGREE

Any way you look at it, the prom-ise of The Bank of KentuckyCenter marks a true feather inthe cap for Northern Kentucky

University, the youngest state university inthe commonwealth. With funding giventhe nod by the General Assembly in 2005for the $60 million hall, in addition to the$6 million for a 10-year naming rights con-tract by the Northern Kentucky-basedbank, the arena will allow consolidationof numerous on-campus activities andplay host to an anticipated 130 events ayear, according to NKU President JamesVotruba.

Set to break ground in June, Votrubanoted that the facility “will be about the sizeof the Cintas Center at Xavier University” inCincinnati,a facility that has been the site ofcollegiate sporting events as well as nearlydaily events including lectures,presentationsand outside programs – activities that

Votruba said he would like tosee occur similarly in NorthernKentucky’s premier education-al mecca.

“We see an economicimpact from the center at anestimated $4 million annuallynet to the region’s economy,”Votruba said. He noted thatthe facility will allow the cam-pus to become a real hub ofnumerous activities – includ-ing athletic events, concerts,special entertainment events and othergatherings – which, he added, will alsobring new faces onto the campus.

“It allows us one more tool in our out-reach to high school students and theirparents to take a close look at the univer-sity” that has not been available in thepast.Votruba said that in addition to mar-keting materials on site, it is likely that stu-

dent docents will be in place to providead hoc campus tours for visitors, demon-strating to guests the importance andimpact of higher education in Kentucky.l

Sports fans throughout thecountry understand theimportance of star power

with their favorite team, whetherthat be a pitcher in baseball,quar-terback in football or even a driv-er on the NASCAR circuit.But thepeople behind the scenes havesome of the most interesting takeson sports in America, and aunique degree program atNorthern Kentucky Universitytakes advantage of the school’sproximity in the region to offerstudents equally unique careeropportunities.

Tom Gamble, a sports mar-keter and host of several sport-

ing programs on radio in the market,heads up the degree pro-gram at NKU,“giving students a real foundation in sports busi-ness that will give them a true leg up when they graduate.”

“A little over four years ago, I was working for a sports mar-keting company, where we used interns from throughout theMidwest and Southeast,” Gamble said.“I was blown away by

how ill-prepared the students were when they arrived at ouroffices.” Gamble formulated an idea of going to NKU to seewhat kind of sports management programs were available,and he was put into contact with Dr. Matt Shank from thedepartment of management and marketing.

“Matt has written a textbook used at institutions through-out the world on sports marketing, and it was a great match,”Gamble said. He and Shank put together their “active team,”made up of industry executives from Northern Kentucky andCincinnati,and in 2002,the program – operated through NKU’sbusiness school – was launched.

“Because of the location,NKU is able to tap into great sport-ing venues for internships and employment for students.”Thisincludes opportunities with the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals,The Kentucky Speedway, and the Tennis Masters’ Series inCincinnati, as well as numerous collegiate athletic programsthroughout the region.

“Our degree, since it is affiliated with the business school,has that practical,business hands-on approach that makes thisdegree program that much more effective in the eyes of theemployer,” Gamble said.“But because of the marketing back-ground that we’ve tapped into with our staff and board, youget this great sports marketing package as well.It is an excitingopportunity at NKU.”l

New Arena Will Be Feather in NKU’s Cap

The $60 million 9,200 seat Bank of KentuckyCenter, scheduled for completion in early 2008,will provide a much needed regional events centerfor Northern Kentucky.

Sports Business Degree Offers Exciting Opportunity

Northern Kentucky Universityfields 13 men’s and women’sathletics teams that compete inNCAA Division II.


SALMON P. CHASE COLLEGE OF LAW

Gerry St.Amand knew that whenhe made the transition from theUniversity of Virginia toNorthern Kentucky University

to lead the Salmon P. Chase College of Law,he would be leaving behind the veneratedivy-laden structures designed by ThomasJefferson and the Army’s JudgeAdvocate General’s program tolead a hands-on, civilian law pro-gram.What he didn’t realize,how-ever, was how attached he wouldbecome to Northern KentuckyUniversity.

“It’s an exciting time,” he said.“The Bank of Kentucky Center andthe new student center are goingto be big pluses here. All the devel-opment from U.S. 27 to the cam-pus,with new office space,retail,a hotel andconference center, are going to have a greatimpact on the university and the community.”

But an institution that has remained anintegral part of the community is the ChaseCollege of Law, a once-private law schoolbased in Cincinnati that was merged intoNorthern Kentucky University in 1971.Andlike the university, Chase has graduallyadjusted over the years to meet the growingdemands of the NorthernKentucky marketplace,provid-ing one of the Bluegrass State’simportant training grounds fora career in law.

“We primarily serve theregion,where about 80 percentof our alumni are either in themetro area or working through-out Kentucky,” he said. “Chasegraduates work in 112 of the120 counties in the Bluegrass,but we also have graduatesworking in 47 states,the Districtof Columbia as well as otherpoints throughout the globe.”

Because Chase, like NKU, attracts full-time working students seeking degreespart-time, that part of the law-degree pro-gram at Chase is important. “We tend todraw from students who are already in the

business community, or some studentsalready work in law enforcement andthey decide they want to pursue a lawdegree. We have a lot of students whoremain in business, adding strength totheir business careers with a law degree, ”St.Amand said.

The typical part-time student will earna degree in about four years, he said.

“As far as the program goes overall, wehave a couple areas where I think we’vedemonstrated a lot of strength: our advoca-

cy programs and our competi-tion programs.We didn’t havea competitive mock trial pro-gram until my first year here.That got off the ground thanksto Kathleen Hughes,and it hasrapidly become successfulresulting in high-quality litiga-tors. And our advocacy pro-grams have been very strong.”

St. Amand said that whilethe class size at Chase has var-ied over the past several years,administrators have settled onenrollment between 500 and600 full- and part-time students.

“In 1999,we had a total enrollment of about350 students. Although small is good, youcan be too small,and we were.Our objectivenow is to have enrollment in the range of thelow 500s.”l

Chase Remains ‘The Lawyers’ School’Center Gives LocalGovernments Extra Help

With a staff of two persons, theChase Local Government Law

Center might not seem to be an outfitwith statewide impact. But because ofthe nature of governance in theBluegrass State — and its propensitiesfor small government entities — thelocal government law center provides acritically important service.

Founded in 1987, the office’s missionhas expanded from providing technicalsupport to tiny municipal governmentsin Kentucky to include all the variousforms of local governments.

Phillip Sparkes,director for the center,noted that the center has four main areasof focus. First, “we continue to providetechnical support and research services.”Sparkes said. “Many local governmentsare too small to have their own legal staffand the attorneys they hire don’t neces-sarily specialize in government law. Weprovide a way for those attorneys toavoid reinventing the wheel by providingmodel ordinances. We become thelawyer’s lawyer.”

A second focus matches law stu-dents with the legislature, the execu-tive branch, courts, cities, counties andother groups.

The center also provides case lawupdates and serves as an importantresource in continuing education forlawyers working in government fields.

And finally, the center’s two staffmembers also are instructors at thelaw school.

“Northern Kentucky is a fun place towork on local government law becausethere are so many local governmentsoperating in the region,” Sparkes said.“Also,with Ohio just across the river witha completely different tradition of gov-ernment,there is a tremendous opportu-nity to view the best and worst of localgovernment from our offices here.” l

Gerry St. Amand has servedas Dean of the Salmon P.Chase College of Law for thepast seven years. In March,St. Amand was named Vice-President for UniversityAdvancement at NKU.

Students at the Chase College of Law receiveinstruction in all areas of courtroom managementincluding a competitive mock trial program.


THE METS CENTER FOR CORPORATE LEARNING

Creative integration is at the heartof Northern Kentucky University,and nowhere is that conceptmore visible than at The NKU

Metropolitan Education and TrainingServices (METS) Center for CorporateLearning,a 43,600-square-foot complex thatgoes beyond state-of-the-art to provide busi-nesses throughout Northern Kentucky andthe commonwealth access to an exception-al training infrastructure. Featuring morethan $4 million of computer, media andpresentation equipment, a 150-seat “smartauditorium,” an executive boardroomimported from the 22nd Century andnumerous breakout rooms, classrooms andcomputer labs, located adjacent to theNorthern Kentucky/Greater CincinnatiInternational Airport serves as one of thecornerstone business outreach initiativesNKU provides.

“The center is here because nine yearsago, employers in the region told JimVotruba the training they needed to pro-vide their employees depended more andmore on technology,” said Rob Snyder,METS Center executive director.“But thattechnology has become more complex— and expensive — so much so thatmany organizations can’t afford all thekinds of technology upgrades they needfor meeting and training.Even big compa-nies can’t justify this kind of facility for useonly 20 days a year.” Thus, a facility wasborn that meets the needs of the entireregion with a wide array of training infra-structure as well as services.

The potential for training here is mind-boggling.

Snyder noted that the center’s integratedcapabilities allow clients to hold meetings ortraining sessions on site and simulcast foraccess via the Web.Using an integrated pro-gram called Mediasite, the center can pro-vide training, corporate communications,distance learning and product marketing,among other services.“Recently we had aCincinnati-based construction companythat wanted to have training on site,but didnot want to have to bring in employees from

three other cities, so they hosted everythinghere, and the other employees logged onand participated in a virtual session,”he said.

Webcasting has become a widely usedservice at METS, “because people canwatch a training program or a meetinglive, and then they have access to thesame material that we have digitallyrecorded. Thus, if you miss a three-hourtraining program,you can access it on theWeb, and the only thing you’ll miss is thelive interaction,”Snyder said.

Catholic Healthcare Initiatives, a net-work of 69 hospitals operating throughoutthe nation’s heartland, used the METSCenter last year as the core facility todecide on the purchase of a $1 millionmedical dispensing machine that wouldbe installed system-wide. “They got thefield of choices down to three finalists,butthe management wanted to make sure allkey players were able to weigh-in on theacquisition of the device,”Snyder said.

Individual hospital management teamswere flown into the Boone County METS siteto meet with the vendors, and the meetingwas Webcast live to the 69 hospital sites sothat virtually everyone involved in the deci-sion could comment.“After the three demon-strations,CHI had a virtual team meeting viaour Webcast,and from that, they made theirfinal decision. They were extremely happy

with the process,and they were able to makea well-qualified decision in a fraction of thetime it otherwise would have taken,”he said.

The METS Center also provides a fullspectrum of consulting services for businessclients in the region that includes experttrainers brought in from throughout thecountry via the center’s large database of theregion’s and the nation’s top quality/topvalue providers; focus group managementand small-group training;dedicated informa-tion technology/audio visual planning andsupport teams; and complete programassessment that runs from “snapshots”to divi-sional or organizational effectiveness.

“In the final analysis, what differenti-ates us from every other college in thecountry that has a training and develop-ment unit is that we look at all aspects ofthe employer,” Snyder said. “We talk theemployer out of spending money if itdoesn’t contribute to the betterment ofthe organization.We give no preference toour experts at NKU; we promote the bestpeople, the best value, whatever the clientneeds.” l

METS Center Provides Business Outreach

The state-of-the-art Northern Kentucky UniversityMETS Center for Corporate Learning, is a 46,300square-foot state of the art training and meetingcomplex. The facility houses $4 million of com-puter, media, and presentation equipment, includ-ing a 150-seat “smart auditorium.”


Donna Sawyers has gained fame and no small fortunefor the creation of her company,Fabulous Furs,as wellas her recent leadership in developing a “wedding dis-

trict” in the heart of Covington. It was no accident, then, whenNorthern Kentucky University’s Entrepreneurial Institute,spon-sored by Fifth Third Bank, named Sawyer its prestigiousEntrepreneur of the Year for her various enterprises.

What is surprising about the award, though, is that it isdetermined by students enrolled in NKU’s entrepreneurialprogram, part of an initiative that helps identify and trainyoung entrepreneurs for the burgeoning Northern Kentuckymarketplace, according to Dr. Rebecca White, director of theinstitute.

“This was a fun venture that was driven by the students,”Whiteexplained of the entrepreneur awards.“Outside the classroom set-ting, students did a lot of research on the region, looking for out-standing entrepreneurs.” They zeroed in on Donna Sawyers,as wellas Roger Griegs,a Northern Kentucky drug company founder.“Theawards ceremony was a big event,with a couple hundred peoplefrom the local community,and about 108 students.There were ven-ture capitalists,our local congressman,and Dr.Votruba there.It wasa great experience,especially for the students.

“We are an academic center by design,”White said.“We oper-ate differently than a small business administration, as oneexample. Instead,we are educating tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.”

Structured to be a comprehensive resource center for stu-dents, faculty and the business community at large, the insti-tute provides a nationally recognized entrepreneurship cur-riculum, conducts applied research on topics for entrepre-neurs,and,perhaps most important,teaches prospective entre-preneurs how to establish new enterprises and grow, manageand maintain them efficiently.

Originally drawn up as a minor degree program, Whitenoted that students and professors alike recognized that manystudents – including those in the music,engineering and con-struction programs – requested more of the nuts-and-boltstype of classes that would help them operate their own con-sulting businesses.Ultimately, though, the institute began offer-ing the minor concentration to all majors throughout the cam-pus, and the bachelor’s program was launched in 1999 withthe investment by Fifth Third Bank as seed money.

Today, the NKU Entrepreneurship Institute offers a B.S. inentrepreneurship, the minor program as well as certificatesthat are available either through traditional studies or online.

“Fifth Third Bank is very excited to be a part of theEntrepreneurial Institute,” said Tim Rawe, president of Fifth ThirdBank in Northern Kentucky. “We are proud of our association withNKU. We employ many of their students on a part-time basis asthey pursue their degree,and we subsequently hire many into ourmanagement program following their graduation.” l

Young Entrepreneurs Get Trained for the Marketplace

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“This is a place willing to dream bigdreams.”ae-lane-report.s3.amazonaws.com/images/pdf/... · Kentucky Center,which broke ground this summer. The special events center is going