Erin Dickerson’s Prayer
Dear God,
Help us to be more like children. To see the holy in the mundane. To hold the secular and the sacred in the same breath. To let nothing stand between us and You. To know that You are in helplessness and hopelessness the same as You are in faith and healing. Children understand that prayer and conversation with You need no frills, nothing fancy, but to simply be an expression of our hearts.
Amen.
Volunteer Signups Available Online with the Virtual Clipboard
Did you know that you can now signup to volunteer or to take part in social events using a simple online registration form right from your phone or PC? The Member Calendar has a complete list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and social events.
Visual Arts Contest Results
Jane Fiehrer said there were 28 Drawing entries and 14 painting entries.
Click this link to view the Drawing Entries.
Click this link to view the Painting Entries.
The entries that received 1st, 2nd and 3rd places are listed first followed by the honorable mention recipients and then all the rest of the participants.
Announcements
- Nancy Lehren said that the next Build-a-Bear will be on June 14, 2023, from 4 PM to 6 PM and will be held at the YWCA. It will be for children affected by domestic violence. Let Nancy know if you would like to help, she needs a few more people.
- Joan Cordonnier announced for Sarah Umbreit that volunteers are needed for packet pickup day and the day of for the Americana 5K run. Contact Sarah Umbreit if you would like to help or signup online on the Member Calendar.
- Mike Bevis said the golf committee is looking for donations of gift cards and bottles of wine for gift baskets. You can bring them to the next few meetings. The Tom Frazier Tee Off for Youth Golf Classic will be on Monday July 17, 2023.
- Tom Novak thanked everyone that has helped with flags this year. Memorial Day flags were deployed successfully.
Happy Birthday Jean Pummill and Kristin Passidomo
Today we celebrated the birthday of Jean Pummill and Kristin Passidomo. It was a twofer! We sang Happy Birthday led by Bob Duffy. President Beth let guests know they should come back. We are not vicious, we are just singing-skills challenged.
Heather Schnier Academic Volunteer Coordinator
Heather Schnier, the Academic Volunteer Coordinator for Centerville City Schools, made a plea to us today for volunteers for the after-school program at Cline Elementary. Kids in this program can use some support. It is mainly a mentoring program.
From the school website: Volunteers build relationships with students by: listening to the students read and/or reading to the student, playing math games, helping with homework/skill building, participating in monthly field trips in the Miami Valley, engaging the students in their particular areas of interests. Program meets weekly at Cline Elementary on Wednesdays from 2:30-4 p.m. (Grades 2-5)
Wright State University, Daniel Palmer
Karl Frydryk introduced Daniel Palmer, Director of Government Affairs and Secretary to the Board of Trustees of Wright State University (WSU).
Palmer is a 2019 graduate of WSU. He was there during numerous issues at the university. Now with many improvements, as an employee he is extremely proud of his alma mater.
Wright State University is very important to the regional economy of Miami Valley and all of Ohio as 90% of the students come from the area and they stay in the state to work. Companies like Intel are coming to our region and they will need workers. Intel is building two new chip fabrication plants on 1000 acres in Licking County.
View Palmer’s slide deck here.
Ohio College Student Statistics
- What percentage of full-time post-secondary students attending school in Ohio are from Ohio? Answer: 73.6%
- How many students are enrolled in Ohio colleges? Answer: 654,555
- Has enrollment in Ohio colleges increased or decreased since 2010? Answer: Declined 12.2%
- By comparison, did enrollment increase or decrease between 1970 and 2010? Answer: Nearly Doubled! Increased 98%
- What percentage of Ohio residents attending college leave to attend a college out of state? Answer: 16.3%
Challenging Times Ahead
Challenging times are ahead for the college industry. The lower birth rate caused by the recession of 2008 is going to be felt in 2025 with a huge decline in enrollment.
In Ohio there are currently 124,712 students entering Kindergarten and there are 137,181 students entering twelfth grade. That doesn’t seem to be a dramatic difference, but you need to remember that only 85% of kids that start kindergarten graduate high school, so the numbers are much worse.
Palmer said that Ohio Senate Bill 83 is going to pass, and he said it will create a lot of challenges for Ohio Universities.
Wright State Challenges Starting in 2015
- There was a federal investigation of the University.
- The 2016 Presidential Debate was cancelled.
- There was a faculty strike.
- The president of the University changed.
At Wright State University in 2015, there were 19,000 students and 3000 employees with a yearly budget of $350 million. Palmer was enrolled then and said he often couldn’t find a place to park. Now there are 12,000 Students, 2,000 employees, and a yearly budget of $226 million.
The Future Is Much Brighter
Palmer said that Wright State University is back!
- They have right-sized their workforce.
- Their credit rating has jumped three levels.
- They have hired President Sue Edwards and her contract continues to be renewed and she will be there for at least a total of five years.
- Enrolment levels are stabilizing.
- Their cash reserves are the healthiest they’ve ever seen.
Wright State University Costs Less than Most Ohio Colleges
Wright State University’s in-state undergraduate tuition is $10,864 per year and almost everyone pays less than that amount. There are only two other colleges in Ohio that charge less and that is because they receive special subsidies from the state of Ohio.
More Good Stuff
Wright State University is ranked very high nationally. They are hoping to receive a new one-million-dollar per year grant from the Air Force Base to help students be able to get a security clearance at graduation so they can start working at the Air Force Base right away.
They have started a partnership with First Flight Aviation. Wright State University will be offering majors, minors, and associate degrees for pilots. With a degree, pilots can reduce flight hours required by major airlines by 500 hours. There is a shortage of pilots, and this will help since it will make it more affordable to become a commercial pilot.
Wright State University has a near one of a kind MRI machine that is airtight and can control the amount of oxygen a test subject is receiving. Experiments with this machine are in high demand by the military for improving war fighter pilots’ capabilities. They can see the effects of oxygen levels on the brain.
Thank You
Thank you, Daniel Palmer, for letting us know about the improvements happening at Wright State University and how important they are for the success of our region.
Welcome Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Brooke Fornes | Mike Bevis |
| Daniel Palmer | Speaker |
| Danny Smith | Dave Kay |
| Glenn Crawford | Bill Stone |
| Haden Gregory | Rick Hartley |
| Heather Schnier | Beth Duncan |
| Jeff Mitchell | David Mitchell |
| Jennifer Wilder | Mike Thonnerieux |
| Jill Campbell | Ellie Parker |
| Katie Rice | Jerry Stahley |
| Lisa Couture | Beth Duncan |
| Mick Phillips | Bill Stone |
| Sidney Calloway | Katie Calloway |
| Wesley Calloway | Katie Calloway |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Dr Charles Opperman | Jesse Gaither | 2nd reading |
| John Curran | Joan Cordonnier | 3rd reading |
| Scott Hertenstein | Mike Bevis | Induction |
| Sonja Hertenstein | Mike Bevis | Induction |
Happy Bucks
No time for Happy Bucks this week.
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Scott Langer | Late to meeting |
| Denise Green | Not wearing Optimist pin in a photo shoot in the paper |
Membership Anniversaries
No membership anniversaries this week (this is rare).
Birthdays
| Jean Pummill | June 6 |
| Kristin Passidomo | June 6 |
| Bob Vogt | June 7 |
| Charles Opperman | June 7 |
| Brooks Compton | June 9 |
| Mike Wall | June 12 |
CNO Donations – 2013 through April 2023
Click here to see a summary of donations the club has made since 2013
Thank You Notes Received
CLICK HERE to see the Thank You Notes the Club received this week.