As UCI launches its destination marketing campaign and invites you to “Find Yourself in the Circle,” it is focused on what visitors experience when they arrive. You may have recently noticed two gentlemen in red vests carrying brooms, buckets, and bags along with visitor guides and maps. Meet the University Circle Ambassadors, a growing team assembled by UCI to keep University Circle a safe, clean, and attractive place.
Derrick and Scott are responsible for light street maintenance and hospitality services, and can be found most days (including weekends) on their route up and down the revamped Euclid Avenue and other key areas of the district, like Wade Oval. Laura Kleinman, director of shared services at UCI, said the goal of the ambassador program is “to create a well maintained and attractive front door to University Circle that benefits institutions and businesses and acts as a main entry point for visitors from nearby neighborhoods to communities throughout the region and beyond.”
People have noticed. Museum staff acknowledged the added presence and cordiality of Derrick and Scott. Disoriented visitors expressed the convenience of immediate and accessible directions. And a neighborhood resident, who is also a local real estate developer, was pleased to see the two ambassadors on Euclid at East 118th Street near his home. The ambassadors have begun a special project pressure-washing sidewalks and cleaning off graffiti under the murky bridge that has marked the east end of the district.
Now more than ever, you really can find yourself in the Circle with the help of University Circle’s official visitor representatives and maintenance crew. They have already proved a needed addition to the community with extra security, as their quick response to a recent car accident has shown. Both Scott and Derrick said they love being outside, which makes their job a perfect fit. As a former concierge at the Glidden House, Derrick is especially knowledgeable about University Circle and he’s excited to talk it up: “For me, it’s all about the interaction with the public.” Look for the duo on Euclid Avenue or at one of the WOW! Wade Oval Wednesdays concerts this summer, and don’t be shy to ask them a question or two. They’re ready to help.
Find Yourself in the Circle! 
Derrick and Scott are an additional human/personal touch of University Circle. With the Vistor Center being a stationary venue for all who find themselves in the Circle and want to gather information; These two hard working, good natured and helpful gentlemen, with their varied abilities and talents are a mobile smile and helping hand extension of all things UCI.