New business institute director named
The Fifth Third Entrepreneurship Institute at Northern Kentucky University recently named Eileen Weisenbach Keller as the new director. Keller, who joined the institute in January, was a businesswoman for 14 years before beginning her teaching career, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. She is a marketing professor at NKU. The institute, defined on its website, offers graduate and undergraduate academic and outreach programs in entrepreneurship. The institute is a partnership between the Bank of Kentucky and NKU, which “acts as a bridge between the university and the region’s entrepreneurial community.”

Theatre and dance announces next season’s installments
The Northern Kentucky University Department of Theatre and Dance announced the lineup for the 2012-2013 season. “You Can’t Take It With You” (Sept. 27-Oct. 7) will start the season, followed by “Royal Gambit” (Oct. 25-Nov. 4). “110 In The Shade” (Nov. 29-Dec. 9) and a holiday show in December that has yet to be named will also hit the stage. Finally, the spring will include “Legally Blonde” (Feb. 14-24) and “The YES Festival” (April 11-21) to round out the season.

Outstanding teacher award presented to NKU alum
Lisa Lokesak, a Northern Kentucky University alumnus and third grade teacher at New Haven Elementary was awarded the 2012 Northern Kentucky Outstanding Teacher Award Feb. 7. “For me, the most important thing I can do to provide my students with a rich, innovative, fun and caring environment is to continue to grow as a learner myself,” Lokesak said. “I seek out the best mentors, align myself with the most enthusiastic colleagues and constantly search for effective methods of presenting information,” she said in an article on the College of Education and Human Services news webpage. The C3 Outstanding Teacher Awards are presented by NKU, the Cincinnatus Association and the University of Cincinnati.

NKU alum will put her comedic skills to the test
Northern Kentucky University alumnus Kelly Collette will be competing for the title of “CMT’s Next Big Comic.” Collette is one of 12 selected contestants to appear on the competition show on CMT. Four comics will be eliminated every week, until the final four are chosen. Those four will be flown to Birmingham, Ala. to perform live at the Stardome.