OTR mural to celebrate UC alumni who are ‘Boldly Defining Next’

The University of Cincinnati Alumni Association (UCAA) will mark its annual Alumni Celebration during its upcoming Alumni Week, April 15-22, with a community art project commemorating the slate of alumni honorees receiving the organization’s top awards. The mural artwork will be unveiled during Alumni Week and remain on display through March 2024.

The group is headlined by William Howard Taft Medal recipient Todd C. DeGarmo, a 1982 graduate of UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. DeGarmo is Principal and CEO Emeritus of STUDIOS Architecture, based in Washington, D.C. A member of the Interior Design Hall of Fame and a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects, DeGarmo is renowned in the architecture world for his sustainable designs, his innovative problem-solving abilities that serve both practical and aesthetic needs, and his belief in the transformative power of design to lift the trajectories of individuals and communities alike. A member of the University of Cincinnati Foundation Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2020, he established the Todd DeGarmo Scholarship Fund in 2015 to support the education of students in his college’s School of Architecture and Interior Design.

The mural artwork will be unveiled during Alumni Week and remain on display through March 2024. UCAA commissioned Jenny Roesel Ustick, an associate professor of practice in the School of Art within UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, and a 2005 DAAP graduate, to design and illustrate the project, which will be painted on the side of a building at 1430 Vine Street in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

“UC is focused on ‘Next’ — preparing our students to meet future challenges as we pay tribute to our 332,000 alumni who are already doing so,” said Jennifer Heisey, UC’s Chief Alumni Officer. “Through their accomplishments, our 18 alumni honorees are ‘Boldly Defining Next.’ This amazing mural will serve as a focal point for our annual UC Alumni Celebration, bringing UC’s innovative spirit and alumni excellence to the forefront.”

Alumni are invited to participate in the series of events and experiences occurring throughout UC Alumni Week. In recognition of the 2023 honorees, alumni and friends are encouraged to make a gift during UC Day of Giving, the 24-hour campaign running from noon to noon, April 18-19, to support the UC programs and causes that matter most to them. Other Alumni Week events include Golden Bearcats Society festivities on April 21-22, featuring a celebration of the Class of 1973; the April 22 Brunch with Bearcats presented by the UC Young Professionals and Student Alumni Council; and Bearcats at the Ballpark on April 22, UCAA’s day with UC Baseball as the Bearcats host Tulane.

William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement
Todd C. DeGarmo, DAAP ’82

Robert E. Dobbs Distinguished Service Award
Laurence F. Jones III, Bus ’00

Marian A. Spencer Mosaic Award
Janice G. Hutchinson, MD, Med ’73

Jeffrey Hurwitz Young Outstanding Achievement Award
Christie Bryant Kuhns, A&S ’01, Law ’06

Outstanding Alumni Awards
Shakila T. Ahmad ’82 — College of Arts and Sciences
Jason N. Asic ’07 — College of Allied Health Sciences
John C. Drach, PhD Phar ’61, A&S ’63, ’66 — James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
Annette N. Echikunwoke, A&S ’18, Bus ’19 — UC Athletics
Clyde E. Henderson, MD ’77 — College of Medicine
Chelsie Hornsby ’03 — UC Clermont College
Joseph (Joe) King, Jr., PhD ’82 — College of Education, Criminal Justice, & Human Services
Doloris F. Learmonth, Esq., A&S '70, Law '78, Hon ’19 — College of Law
Madeleine (Mimi) T. Martin, EdD, Nur ’68, ’74, CECH ’82 — College of Nursing
James B. Semmelman ’76 — College-Conservatory of Music
Frederick (Fritz) R. Steiner, PhD ’72, 75 — College of Design, Architecture, Art, & Planning
Michael D. Valentine ’73 — College of Engineering and Applied Science
Diane M. White, UCBA ’96, Bus ’97 — UC Blue Ash College
Eku Williams ’00 — Carl H. Lindner College of Business