Springfield graduate and Toledo junior wide receiver Eric Page is quiet —“very, very quiet and shy” if you ask his mother, Amy Weemes.

However, the same cannot be said about Page’s game. In just two seasons with the Rockets, the 2010 First-Team Walter Camp All-American and All-Mid-American Conference performer has already positioned himself to become Toledo’s all-time receptions and reception yardage leader this year.

“I try to lead by example,” Page said. “I’m not the most vocal guy. I mean, I think people follow your actions more than they’ll follow your words, so I try to lead by that.”

Listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, the Toledo native is usually one of the smallest players when he steps onto the football field, but size has not been a problem for the shifty, crafty playmaker thus far, as the Rockets regular season finale last year against Central Michigan proved.

Page accounted for five touchdowns in Toledo’s 42-31 victory over the Chippewas at the Glass Bowl that day: two on receptions, two on kickoff returns and one on a 28-yard pass to sophomore quarterback Terrance Owens.

“Even at UT, I spend most of my time just going, ‘Really? He did that? How did he do that? What just happened?’” Weemes said. “Every single time that I see him create something out of nothing, it’s just phenomenal. There’s no way to explain it because you’re looking at him and you’re going, ‘That’s my kid.’ It doesn’t sink in. It’s just surreal.”

Mom knows best

Even when Page was a child, Weemes knew her son had a natural talent superior to the other kids he played soccer and flag football with at the YMCA, as well as an energy level that was hard to contain.

“He was extremely energetic and very hyperactive and never slowed down, but you can probably see that already,” Weemes said.

Weemes joked with her friend Dave Connelly, who later became Page’s head coach at Springfield, that her son was going to be special despite his size.

“He said, ‘I cannot believe that you called it back then,’” Weemes said. “He said, ‘This kid is phenomenal. He’s crazy. He’s insane.’ Yeah, he was little, but he, like, ran 10 times faster and was much more with it, and realized things, and saw things and understood things — I mean, even at 4 and 5 years old.”

Page went on to compile 8,800 yards of total offense with the Blue Devils. In his senior year alone, he accumulated 2,381 yards rushing on 256 carries for 34 touchdowns, 1,102 passing yards for 11 touchdowns and kicked 47 extra points, earning Northern Lakes League Most Valuable Player, First-Team All-State and Ohio Division II Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors.

“It’s a big thing for the school and a big thing for the kids coming through the school just to know that they can go out and do something and just not [be] somewhere you’re just passing through,” Page said.

Despite the personal achievements, Page said he did not let the attention get to him.

“I really didn’t have to worry about it,” Page said. “I’m a humble person as it comes, and I just don’t focus on the outside. I try to stay inside my head and just focus on what I have to do and stay motivated.”

Family matters

A lot of the credit for Page’s success goes to Weemes, a single mother who worked multiple jobs while raising Page and his younger brother Darnell, nicknamed ‘DJ.’ Weemes said she would take the boys outside the trailer park where they lived to do activities, as both Page and DJ played multiple sports growing up.

“When we were growing up, there was always competition between us,” Page said.

Nineteen months apart in age, the pair became closer once DJ began high school at Springfield.

“They were kind of the ‘Terrible Twosome,’ I called them, for quite a while because they were just out of control,” Weemes said. “You couldn’t slow them down.”

Though her sons are still close, Weemes said you would never know Page and DJ were brothers based on their personalities.

“DJ was a soccer player,” Weemes said. “He’s also a baseball player, but he is all about chasing the girls and having a good time, and Eric is very subdued, laid-back and serious.”

An accounting and human resources major at Toledo, Weemes is now in her fifth year as a part-time student. In May, Mom’s House of Toledo, an organization which helps low income, single mothers graduate from college, technical school and high school, honored Weemes as its Mom’s House Champion this year at the organization’s 18th anniversary dinner and auction at The Pinnacle in Maumee.

“It was great,” Page said. “It was just great seeing her happy and just seeing her rewarded for all the time she put in. I mean, an award’s not going to be able to say how much she’s done for us, but it was a good honor.”

Rockets head coach Tim Beckman was also in attendance at the event.

“That’s what the whole thing’s all about: getting to know your players,” Beckman said. “Getting to know their families started when we first got here, when we first met Amy when we went out to eat on the official visit that first Friday night. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what you try to build, and that’s why there’s so much more to coaching than X’s and O’s.”

Homegrown star

Page kicked off his career at UT in 2009 by hauling in 12 catches for 128 yards and one touchdown in the season opener at Purdue, a Toledo freshman record.

He went on to lead all freshmen wide receivers in the country with 82 catches for 1,159 yards.

In 25 career games at Toledo, Page has registered 181 receptions for 2,264 yards and 15 touchdowns, impressive considering he always wanted to be a running back and played quarterback in high school.

With two years remaining at UT — barring any injuries or unforeseen circumstances — Page needs just 49 receptions and 838 receiving yards to pass Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Stephen Williams as Toledo’s all-time receptions leader and all-time leader in pass reception yardage, who holds the records for both categories.

“I’m just taking it day by day,” Page said. “I’m not really feeling the pressure. I’ve got a lot of things to focus on right now with school and family. It’s just a great honor.”

Officials from Midwest Terminals, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and various local, state and federal governments dedicated the new rail line currently under construction at the Ironville Terminal on Aug. 15 by driving commemorative golden spikes into it.

The port authority and Midwest Terminals shared their joint plans for the $18 million project that includes three phases of development. The project will use 71 acres of waterfront property on the Maumee River for material delivery and handling to support a potential manufacturing base on the additional 110 acres of the property.

“The development of Ironville Terminal has received a tremendous amount of support due mostly to the incredible potential this property has for commerce and job development,” said Paul Toth, president and CEO of the port authority.

“This is the one project picked for support by the entire community, including state, local and federal governments,” he said.

Toth said it required 10 years of effort to acquire the vacant property from Chevron that was home to a former Gulf Oil refinery from 1890 to 1987. Gulf Oil spent $19 million on remediation of the site, successfully completing the State of Ohio’s Voluntary Action Program.

The port authority purchased the  property for $3.4 million in 2008, making it the largest land mass seaport on the Great Lakes.

The port authority formed a private-public partnership with Midwest Terminals through a long-term lease for the property.

“This public-private partnership is possible not only due to the vast amounts of grant funding but specifically to our private partners, Midwest Terminals, who will invest $5 million into the development of this property. Without this strong partnership, we would not be able to create this new development opportunity,” Toth said at the dedication.

“The federal, state and local partnership feels good. Industrial growth is the challenge of our country in the global economy. Multi-modal is our future in Northwest Ohio,” Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur said at the dedication.

State Representative Matt Szollosi said, “I see this corridor in East Toledo becoming a world-class development.” He cited Alex Johnson, president of Midwest Terminals, and its partnership with the port authority as a catalyst.

“I see a railroad line and water. I see jobs in our history. We think Ironville is where our future will bring to life the fruits of many people’s labors,” Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken said.

The plans for the Ironville site include three phases of development for the waterfront property.

Phase one of the Ironville project, involving installation of a rail loop, is underway. Approximately 7,200 linear feet of rail and eight switches will be installed when Phase one is complete later this year. The port authority owns rail line connections with the nearby Norfolk Southern railroad.

“It gives us access to another class one railroad with Norfolk Southern, second to CSX, and enables us to service new and existing customers that we haven’t been able to access in the past,” said Jason Lowery, business development director for Midwest Terminals.

Phase two will involve improvements to the river channel and shoreline to prepare a deep marine dock to accommodate barges, lake and ocean vessels and associated site work.

Phase three will focus on the installation of bulk material handling and conveyor infrastructure for the multi-modal delivery system.

The port authority and the private-public partnership have sought funding for the redevelopment of Ironville since 2008.

Dr. James Otting returned to his hometown area to open and manage the new Aspen Grove Center for Pain Management in Lambertville.

The physicians and staff of The Comprehensive Centers for Pain Management (CCPM) of Toledo have scheduled a public open house at the new Lambertville facility on Aug. 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. All area providers and caregivers and Bedford Township officials and businesses are welcome to attend.

“I am very excited to return to my hometown and join such a well-respected group as CCPM. I am hopeful my skills in physical medicine and rehabilitation will strengthen our goal to treat pain in a fully comprehensive manner,” Otting said.

Otting’s association with CCPM coincides with the continued expansion of CCPM’s scope and facilities in the region with the opening of its third location in Lambertville. It will serve as the primary location for Otting’s practice.

“We’re very pleased to have Dr. Otting joining us, particularly with his training and skills in physical medicine and rehabilitation coupled with pain management. These will add a new dimension to our pain medicine practice’s capabilities,” said Dr. William James, medical director and founder of CCPM.

“The expansion of our services into Southeast Michigan will increase access to patients of that region as we have with our Oregon location, the Bayside Center for Pain Management,” he said.

Otting will also utilize the ambulatory surgical facilities at the West Central Surgical Center at CCPM’s main practice on West Central Avenue.

“We use a multi-disciplinary approach to treating pain. Our goal is to treat pain so [patients] can increase their activity and lead a normal life. We offer interventional treatment for treating the source and not the symptoms,” Otting said.

He said there is a need for this type of medicine for to treat patients in southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio who may otherwise seek treatment in Detroit, Cleveland or Toledo.

Patients from Lambertville and Temperance, and neighboring communities such as Dundee, Monroe, Blissfield, Adrian and Tecumseh, will have a convenient source of advanced pain management treatment at CCPM.

“We offer the total package for patients in this area,” Otting said.

The total package could include the use of medications, injections, physical therapy, pain psychology and complex procedures such as spinal cord stimulation or minimally invasive lumbar decompression.

The new practice has some of the latest equipment in the General Electric Fluoroscopy system for taking X-rays by rotating for different angles.

It’s safer for patients because it’s done in real time and concentrates on smaller areas of the body such as the spinal cord. The results are displayed on two computer monitors for comparison to get the proper treatment for patients, Otting said.

Most patients coming to CCPM for treatment are referred by primary care or specialty physicians who recognize that the physicians and licensed professionals at CCPM are among the most advanced in the field of pain management, according to the firm.

Otting, originally from Toledo,  graduated from Central Catholic High School and earned his undergraduate degree in bioengineering and chemistry at the University of Toledo. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical University of Ohio (now UTMC) in 2006.

CCPM opened in Toledo in 2003 and now operates three locations in Toledo, Oregon and Lambertville.

Amy Radecki, 23, and her mother Lynne Carroll, of Toledo, are extremely grateful to Dr. Bernardo Martinez and others at St. Luke’s Hospital for their help during Amy’s recent medical emergency.

After school ended in May, Radecki and a group of her friends embarked on a cross-country road trip that took them to the Northwest, down to California, through Texas to Florida and home.

Upon arriving home in late June, Radecki was experiencing pain in her neck and shoulder. Her mother noticed her left arm was swollen.

Thinking her daughter may have been bitten by a spider, Carroll took her to see their family doctor, Dr. Rex Figy at St. Luke’s.

“Dr. Figy took one look at Amy’s arm and ran out of the room, ordered a Doppler and found blood clots in her left arm,” Carroll said. “Amy was admitted to ICU on blood-thinning medication.”

There, staff determined the cause of the problem was an extra rib pinching her main artery underneath the clavicle. She needed a top-notch surgeon who specialized in endovascular surgery.

Dr. M. Farooq Afridi, a vascular surgeon at St. Luke’s, referred them to Martinez, who designed the operation using robotics for thoracic outlet patients. Martinez performed the endovascular surgery on Radecki’s left arm at The Toledo Hospital in early July.

“If I had waited another day, my daughter would not be here today. He saved my daughter’s life,” Carroll said.

Martinez told Radecki and Carroll that there was a 70 to 80 percent chance she would need the same surgery on her right side.

Radecki had a veinogram performed on her right arm Aug. 11 at Bay Park Hospital. Martinez then determined that she needed the endovascular surgery on that side and scheduled it for Aug. 22 at The Toledo Hospital.

At first, Radecki was upset about needing the additional surgery as she was scheduled to start school at Owens Community College this week. She said she needs to complete one more class to earn an associate degree in fine arts.

“My daughter is an artist and very active, so when we were told that activity had to halt, I cried because she is always on the go,” Carroll said.

Radecki said it is easier going into the second surgery after having had the first. It will require a hospital stay of three to four days and recovery time of two to three weeks without lifting before she gets feeling back in her arm, Martinez said.

“I trusted him right away the first time,” Radecki said about Martinez. “He explained it to me and made me feel comfortable with him and the surgery. I trust his surgical skills since he developed the robotics and surgery.”

“We didn’t discover the wheel but made the surgery safer for patients,” said Martinez about the use of the daVinci robotics equipment that allows more freedom of movement for the surgeon.

“The robot becomes an extension of the surgeon’s hands,” he said.

Martinez reported that he has performed 200 surgeries with the daVinci equipment since 2003 with no fatalities, nerve damage or recalls.

Martinez came to the U.S. in 1970 with his medical degree from the National University of Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina.

Martinez said he became a student of noninvasive surgery while practicing at The Cleveland Clinic. He wanted to know more about the noninvasive surgery so he continued to study it after coming to Toledo in 1978.

“The technology for robotics blossomed from 1985 to 1995,” Martinez said.

At age 52, he went to Stanford University in 1997 to study the use of robotics for noninvasive surgeries. He began using robotics in surgery during his one year of study there.

He came back to Toledo to serve as director of minimal invasive surgery at Mercy St. Vincent Hospital from 1998 to 2008. He said they created a unique center for robotic surgery after bring robotics there in November 2002.

“My idea or design was to use a Circon micro video camera with the endoscope for the endovascular surgery which I’ve used on 60 patients during the first two years,” he said.

Martinez made a presentation about the endovascular surgery with robotics to the residents and staff at the Arbors at Sylvania Subacute & Rehabilitation Center, where Carroll works, Aug. 17. He will perform the surgery on Radecki’s right arm Aug. 22 at The Toledo Hospital.

AAA Northwest Ohio introduced a new student membership and website Aug. 15 exclusively for students ages 17 to 23.

Students can take advantage of all that AAA memberships offer plus additional relevant benefits not offered with its other levels of membership. The student membership is available at a discounted price starting at $35.50 per year and guaranteed for four years.

“The Student Membership offers peace of mind for parents and students, no matter where they are,” April Cochran, marketing operations manager for AAA Northwest Ohio based in Toledo, stated in a press release.

Cochran said that AAA has students covered with bike assistance, safe ride and safe tow features to address the many uncertainties of life.

With safe ride, AAA will reimburse the cost of a cab ride as an alternative option to one of its service calls if student members finds themselves stranded or otherwise unable to get home.

As part of roadside assistance, the safe tow option will help the student member if they are unable to drive home safely medical treatment, physical injury or even consumption of alcohol.

Bicycle assistance is another addition to the benefits of AAA student membership. If a rider experiences a flat tire, broken chain or worse, AAA will transport the member and his or her bicycle to a point of safety within 25 miles.

These new benefits are exclusive to the AAA Student Membership, Cochran reported.

Student members can also take advantage of all other member discounts in addition to exclusive e-coupons. That includes discounts on insurance, travel, car maintenance and repair at any of the Car Care Plus facilities in the Toledo area.

AAA Northwest Ohio offered the student membership as a way to provide younger members with an additional value to their AAA membership.

Current AAA members who are eligible may switch to the student membership at their next renewal if they wish. Cochran reported that they already have had some students sign up for it.

“With AAA’s student membership, I can ride my bike to school and know I am covered.  And I don’t have to fight for a parking spot … bonus!” said Brandi Conners, a UT student and new AAA student member.

“And it covers you if I’m stuck at a party and can’t drive home,” said Kyle Ostrander, another student member from BGSU.

Cochran said AAA will promote the campaign at local colleges and universities during student events such as football games this fall.

“Students can plan their spring break trips knowing they are covered and receive member discounts,” Cochran stated in the release. “With member discounts, AAA Insurance and Car Care Plus can help keep more money in the parents’ and college students’ wallets.”

AAA also introduced AAACampus.com, a new customized website where students can select from a list of local schools and view interactive pages designed to emphasize all the benefits of AAA.

For more information about the student membership, visit any AAA branch office in Northwest Ohio, call (419) 843-1234 or visit www.AAACampus.com.

As North America’s largest motoring and travel organization, AAA provides travel, financial, insurance and automotive-related services to more than 50 million members in the U.S. The not-for-profit organization has served as an advocate for the safety and security of travelers since 1902.

With the college football season a little more than a month away, EA Sports has continued to solely represent the sport well with the release of its new title NCAA Football 12.

This year EA Sports pushed visual presentations as its main addition and in that right the game doesn’t disappoint. From watching Colorado run out with its live Buffalo mascot Ralphie to Clemson’s players touching Howard’s Rock, NCAA Football 12has taken a giant step forward to better create most team’s entrances.

The game also looks fantastic. The ESPN College Gameday TV presentation will remind every football fan of the display they are accustomed to each Saturday and the in-game replays look like the ones you would expect on TV. Even the grass in this year’s title has been revamped to look realistic when the camera zooms in on a cut scene.

NCAA Football 12

However, with most of the attention paid to presentation, fans of the franchise might wonder whether they were actually sold last year’s title with a few new bells and whistles. The gameplay is identical to last year and the rosters are sloppily put together. The franchise also failed to take advantage of the Playstation Move controller, which debuted almost a year ago.

The game’s most unique feature is undoubtedly the return of last year’s online Dynasty feature, which allows you to play a season against others around the world competing not only on the field but in recruiting.

The original Dynasty mode is fairly similar but does give users the option to play as the team’s head coach or start their coach’s career from the ground up controlling just one side of the ball as the offensive or defensive coordinator. Each coach also has certain goals they must complete according to their contract. Fail too many of them and you may have to look for another job. Dynasty mode also gives the user the ability to edit each conference’s teams and the division’s names after each season to keep up with the rapidly changing college landscape.

The Road to Glory feature received a big upgrade this year. Your athlete first begins in high school where you actually compete in the team’s full season. Although this can drag on a bit for those who wish to jump right into collegiate action, the ability to create your high school and download their actual opponents from NCAA Football 12’s TeamBuilder feature, which allows users to create or download teams online, is a fantastic addition. Your athlete also receives points this year for positive plays and loses them for negative plays. After you reach each amount of targeted points, you have the ability for bonuses, such as moving up the depth chart, flipping the coach’s play call and even audibling to one of a few other plays.

For Toledo fans looking to immerse themselves in Rocket football before the season gets underway, NCAA Football 12 will certainly be a disappointment. EA Sports made it clear that Toledo was a complete afterthought in this year’s title over and over again.

The game has yet to update to the school’s actual logo even though it is featured on the 50-yard line in the Glass Bowl. UT star wide receiver Eric Page, fresh off being named to the NCAA’s All-American team as a kick returner, has dreadlocks which cover this entire nameplate, despite the fact he has always had extremely short hair. He’s not the only one, including starting defensive linemen T.J. Fatinikun and Malcolm Riley. Terrance Owens, who will be competing to be UT’s starting quarterback in September after starting the last four games last season, throws with his right hand in the game instead of his left. Cornerback Desmond Marrow, one of the Rockets top defensive players, isn’t even included on the game’s roster.

With all the attention to detail in entrances this season, Toledo was left out by EA Sports. You won’t find the smoke UT emerges from during its entrance or the banner the players run under. In fact, Toledo enters through a tunnel emerging from the crowd, even though no tunnel actually exists in both reality and in the game’s stadium design. There’s even an inexcusable lack of Toledo’s cannon that fires after each score, despite the fact it’s been present in previous titles.

Overall, NCAA Football 12 is another solid game in the franchise. Although it is very similar to last year’s title, NCAA Football 12 continues to be a game with long-lasting appeal, especially throughout the football season.

4 out of 5 stars

Any Toledoan tempted by Lindsey Tucker’s maple-bacon cupcakes should head to the annual Cupcake Camp on Aug. 20.

The third-annual event, held at Comfort Inn’s South Ballroom, 2426 Oregon Rd. from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., features creations from six area bakers: Cherry Lane Cakes, Laurelea’s Pastries, Sinfully Sweet Creations, Sugar Shack Specialty Sweets, Cupcake Corner and The Doughnut Box. Tucker, the organizer of Toledo’s Cupcake Camp, also will donate several treats including her maple-bacon concoctions. “Everyone says it’s like breakfast,” she said.

Cupcake Camp, what Tucker called a “giant bake sale,” occurs at cities all over the country, but Tucker added her own spin to the event; all proceeds go to charities and any leftovers are given to shelters. Cupcake Camp officially became a nonprofit this year and Comfort Inn lets the Camp use its space for free. Cupcakes and other baked goods will be on sale for about $2.50 or less. The child-friendly event also features a face-painter and a cookie-decorating station.

Tucker, age 20, is a graduate of Start High School and said she may go to culinary school eventually. Now she devotes much of her time to charity, something she learned to value from her mother, Tina Hall.

Hall, who used to work for Toledo Children’s Services, serves as Tucker’s “chauffeur” and helps count proceeds. However, Hall said, “My philosophy is that it’s her thing.”

The recipients of the Camp’s earnings vary each year. “I just kinda look around and see who needs the help,” Tucker said. Tucker will donate this year’s money to Feeding America, Maumee Valley Save-a-Pet, Paws & Whiskers and the Toledo Seagate Food Bank. Last year, the Camp earned about $900 to give away.

The charities are the reason that Cindy Woodbury, owner of Cherry Lane Cakes in Rossford, is donating. “We just feel that it’s always important to give back to your community,” she said, adding that she liked that Cupcake Camp helps smaller organizations that don’t get as many contributions. Woodbury’s baked donations include lemon, Bailey’s and white-almond cupcakes.

Tucker chose two animal-centered charities because “she’s an animal lover,” her mother said. Both Maumee Valley Save-a-Pet and Paws and Whiskers also helped the family’s cats recently.

“My three loves are cupcakes, animals and shoes,” said Tucker, who starts work at Payless Shoes the week of Cupcake Camp. Although she said it takes about three days for her to recover from the Camp, Tucker’s friends also pitch in many hours.

“My buds are all up at dawn [during Camp Cupcake],” Tucker said. She begins planning the event in July and said she spends countless hours strategizing, baking, building the website and seeking donations. “My boyfriend tells me, ‘I know you’re dreaming about cupcakes,’” Tucker said.

Once the Camp is over, Tucker said she plans on organizing another event to help a local child with cancer. The event is still shaping up, but Tucker said she hopes it will be a child-friendly magic show that occurs before the end of 2011.

In the future, Tucker said she might open her own bakery with Alicia Dye of Sinfully Sweet Temptations. Both women sell baked good from their homes. Tucker favors cupcakes while Dye prefers cake pops. “We kind of complete each other,” Tucker said. In the meantime, Tucker said she would continue to try out new recipes like macaroni and cheese cupcakes.

Cupcake Camp is still accepting donations. To inquire, contact Tucker at (419) 243-1431, cupcakecamptoledo@yahoo.com or check out www.wix.com/cupcakecamptoledo/cupcake.

Christine Kovacs can realize her dream of becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist without having to spend too much time away from her husband and three children thanks to the recent accreditation of the Master of Science in Nursing: Nurse Anesthesia Program (MSN: NAP) at Lourdes University.

Christine Kovacs

“It means I get to see my children every day,” Kovacs said. “It means I get to put them to bed at night, have dinner with them and tuck them in. It means I can still be part of the family while I take this challenge of going through this program.”

Kovacs’ time with her family will be limited since students put in 60-80 hours per week into the program.

“My mother is driving three hours every week to stay with us for three days to keep the homefront secure because my husband will be taking care of business,” she said. “We can’t work [while in the program], so it’s some additional stress. There will be a lot of sacrifice on everybody’s part in the family.”

Kovacs and 11 other students are starting the program Aug. 22. The financial sacrifice will be lessened as she is one of four students receiving a scholarship.

“When we got the phone call, I didn’t think it was real,” she said. “Just getting into the program is a tremendous honor. To have people seeking you out to help you is phenomenal. It’s going to make a huge difference.”

ProMedica Flower Hospital, through the McKesson Memorial Fund, is donating $1 million to Lourdes University during a 10-year period for the MSN: NAP.

“We could not do what we do without the support of the hospital systems here in Northwest Ohio, ProMedica being the main one,” said Robert Helmer, president of Lourdes University. “We place our students in clinical settings, they are trained by the nurses and doctors of ProMedica, and at the end of the program when they graduate with a Lourdes degree, they are prepared to enter the work force.”

Approximately 80 percent of the funding will go to students who demonstrate need and academic merit. The other 20 percent will go toward the creation of a lecture series, continuing education in the field of anesthesia, staff development and direct support for the training program.

“One of the things we felt strongly about in our partnership with Lourdes is we wanted to make sure we could help students, not just today but future students,” said Alan Sattler, president of Flower Hospital. “That’s why 80 percent of our gift is going to go to the endowed scholarship fund.”

Another student receiving the scholarship is Sheri Myers, who works at Blanchard Valley Hospital and has been a registered nurse for five years. Myers will commute from Carey, Ohio for the program.

“I’m very excited and honored to be in this program, let alone chosen as a scholarship recipient,” Myers said. “It is an immense help. It will be a very big financial struggle, so any type of assistance is greatly appreciated.”

Myers jumped at the opportunity to apply to a program so close to home. The MSN: NAP at Lourdes University is the only program of its kind in Northwest Ohio.

Lourdes University president Robert Helmer and Flower Hospital president Alan Sattler

“It’s a huge need in this community, because before this program was created by Lourdes, students had to leave this area to get their education,” Sattler said. “They came back here to get their clinical experience. Wherever the students go to school and are educated and trained, they are more likely to stay in that community over time.”

After a process lasting more than two years, Lourdes’ MSN: NAP was accredited this summer by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

“People have been asking for this in the community for a good 10 years,” said Janet Robinson, vice president for academic affairs at Lourdes University. “This program will attract people from all over the country.”

Lourdes University is scheduled to open its new dining facility before school resumes Aug. 22.

The $3.8 million project includes a 9,500-square-foot addition to McAlear Hall seating 175 in the dining hall, a full-service gourmet kitchen, a food court with various cuisines, a la carte stations, an outdoor dining patio and a lounge with a wide-screen television.

The facility will serve the 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students and 250 faculty and staff members on the campus in Sylvania.

The new Lourdes dining facility features a wood burning pizza oven.

“Our goal was to have a food service center to serve the needs of our growing number of students living in dorms, along with our other students, faculty and staff as the primary dining facility on campus,” said Mike Killian, vice president for finance and administration at Lourdes.

The number of students living on the university’s campus this fall will double from 100 to 200 with the opening of a new residence hall, Killian said.

Helmer was personally involved in the selection of two features — a wood-burning pizza oven and a soft-serve ice cream machine.

The dining center will be open for a la carte service from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus served during those hours.

Rudolph/Libbe of Walbridge served as the general contractor
for the construction for the dining facility.

Lourdes College will transition to Lourdes University on Aug. 19, three days prior to the beginning of the 2011 academic year. The change is  part of a seven-year plan that began in 2008 to improve the Lourdes experience.

“With graduate programs and athletics, when you think of a university you expect to see those things,” Lourdes President Robert Helmer said Aug. 17. “Since Lourdes has those I think it’s important that our name reflects accurately who we are. University is the right name for us.”

Among the additions Lourdes has developed to more precisely fit its university designation are graduate programs, athletics and residence halls.

Lourdes University will offer eight graduate programs including business, liberal arts and nurse anesthesia. The school has 300 students enrolled in 2011 to get master’s degrees and received seven federal grants totaling $2 million this summer for its nursing program.

Athletics

In athletics, Lourdes added men’s basketball along with women’s volleyball and golf last year. They brought in baseball, men’s volleyball and women’s basketball this year and are planning to add softball in 2012.

“We have brought in intercollegiate athletics to campus,” Helmer said. “Athletics just bring spirit and pride that is hard to replicate elsewhere.”

Lourdes University President Robert Helmer

Lourdes is also planning a new athletic facility which will break ground at some point in 2012. It will house the school’s basketball and volleyball teams and include a workout and training facility and athletic offices.

The first two residence halls appeared last year for students of Lourdes and more are following. The school now has five buildings housing about 200 residents from around the U.S., including Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Growth at Lourdes has led to record enrollment for the past seven years, which has helped plans to expand more quickly. In fact, the residence halls were originally scheduled to be built in 2012 but the process began last year with the school being “1-2 years ahead of schedule.”

Competing

Despite now being labeled as a university, Lourdes still differs greatly from its neighboring institutions in Toledo and Bowling Green.

“I think we compete very well,” Helmer said. “We each have a niche to play. A student who is going to thrive at UT might not do so well at Lourdes and a student who thrives at Lourdes might feel lost at UT.”

Among the differences is the student population where Lourdes has installed a self-imposed cap of 3,000 students enrolled at the university. There are no classrooms with occupancies greater than 40 on campus and lecture halls are nonexistent. This creates a more personal environment for students to learn.

“The student that is going to do really well at Lourdes University is the student that wants to belong to a caring community,” Helmer said. “If you want to be anonymous and be able to skip class and have your professor not notice then we are probably not the place for you. Here, the faculty member will notice and might call you at home and say ‘Is everything okay?’ That’s the niche we play.”

As for the self-imposed cap of 3,000 students, Helmer said that there are no plans to expand it “in the forseeable future.”

“As we have grown and become more comprehensive the one thing I have always heard from faculty and staff is that we can’t grow so big that we lose the personal touch,” Helmer said. “The niche that Lourdes has is that we are an incredibly caring environment where a student’s particular needs are met. We have said 3,000 is a good size and that’s our number.”

Helmer also prides Lourdes on its tuition, claiming the school’s average of around $16,000 a year is among “the bottom few in the state of Ohio.”

“That’s far below the state average,” Helmer said. “We have done our part to be affordable and I think that shows in the number of students that we are recruiting and attracting.”

Another recent addition at Lourdes is a new dining hall which features a ‘Grab and Go’ station as well as a dining room with a station for sandwiches, a salad bar, traditional American food, ethnic cuisine, a wood-burning pizza oven and ice cream.

Good neighbors

With the recent announcement by the Sylvania Schools Athletic Foundation that they are planning on raising $6.5 million for new athletic facilities, Lourdes is open to a future partnership that would provide the university with a home for its athletics. Helmer said both sides have a meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility.

“We are good neighbors with Sylvania Schools,” Helmer said. “We both have a commitment that if there are any opportunities we will partner. We are open to it as we both continue to grow.”

Among the sports Lourdes would have interest in playing at Sylvania’s facilities would include new sports soccer and possibly even football.

“If we were ever going to have football then Northview could use the stadium on Fridays and we could use the stadium on Saturdays,” Helmer said. “It would make sense.”