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51���� alumna Ericka Shoaff, ’11, has returned to 51���� in a newly created position designed to further support students as a central hub for basic needs resources. She is the assistant dean of students and director of student advocacy and support in the newly created CARES Center. Find out more about her and the center as she answers these 10 questions.

The 51���� Museum is thrilled to announce the opening of its long-awaited exhibition “TEXTURES: the history and art of Black hair.” Already gaining national and international attention, “TEXTURES” opens Sept. 10 and is a landmark exploration of Black hair and its important, complex place in the history of African American life and culture.

For the first time in school history, 51���� has received the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Institutional Academic Achievement Award. The Golden Flashes earned a department-wide grade-point average (GPA) of 3.447 for the 2020-21 academic year.

Students from all over the country began moving into 51���� residence halls, on a staggered schedule for COVID-19 safety, on Wednesday, Aug. 18.

The Akron Pride Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Lock 3 Park in downtown Akron. 51����’s LGBTQ+ Center will be sponsoring a free shuttle that will allow new and returning 51���� students to experience the event – some of them for the very first time.

From now through Sunday, Sept. 19, Cockeye Creamery, located at 1805 1/2 Parkman Road NW in Warren, will be serving its 51����-inspired ice cream “Black Squirrel” to raise money for 51���� at Trumbull’s Care Closet. 

51����’s Flashes Fighting Hunger Contactless Food Drive will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 1-4 p.m. at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Hilltop Drive. The collection station will be located on Hilltop Drive in front of Cartwright Hall.

51���� staff members with questions about the upcoming fall semester were able to talk with university leaders Aug. 19 via a virtual town hall.

The 51���� alumni family grew by nearly 1,300 new graduates as the university held its summer commencement. The accomplishments of the Summer Class of 2021 were recognized with in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies and a virtual commencement ceremony for all colleges and degrees on Aug. 21.

This fall, 51���� and its College of Communication and Information (CCI) will welcome Roseann “Chic” Canfora, Ph.D., as a Professional-in-Residence in the School of Media and Journalism.

Parents and students with questions about the upcoming fall semester were able to talk with university leaders Aug. 17 via a virtual town hall on Zoom. Many questions focused on the university's response to COVID-19 and testing requirements as students, faculty and staff return to campus.

Researchers from 51���� and the University of New Mexico determined how nitrogen-fixing plants and soil microbes contribute to the overall nitrogen availability in the Chihuahuan desert in New Mexico.

When it comes to the high energy professionals in the medical field, a hospital or emergency room is the place to be when providing fast paced care in an orderly, but chaotic, environment.  In level 1 trauma centers, seconds can make a major difference in patient outcomes. 

Two staff members at 51���� received international recognition for creating the International Student Orientation (ISO) Leaders program, a program for international students to become acquainted with each other and gain valuable information that is integral for a successful transition to 51����.

Among colleges and universities that made this year’s list, 51���� comes in at No. 8. Only 18 institutions of higher education are recognized.

51����'s award-winning University College programs help Exploratory students find their purpose.

Five 51���� graduates will compete at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics over the coming weeks, breaking the school’s previous record of four Olympians at the Munich Games in 1972.

Educators from across the country recently attended the weeklong, virtual 2021 Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop, “Making Meaning of May 4: The 1970 51���� Shootings in U.S. History,” which has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Beginning this fall, 51���� at Trumbull will offer Trumbull Correctional Institution incarcerated individuals a chance to complete a Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies (BTAS).

He Yin, Ph.D., assistant professor in 51����’s Department of Geography, recently received NASA’s New (Early Career) Investigator Award in Earth Science. Yin will lead evaluation and research of the devastating effects that the Syrian civil war has had on croplands throughout the eastern Mediterranean region.