Ed Jennings Takes The Reins As Interim President

Edward H. Jennings took the reins on July 1 as Ohio State’s interim president. His appointment will run until the university’s presidential search committee finds a successor to outgoing president William E. Kirwan. Jennings previously served the university as its 10th president from 1981 to 1990 and more recently as professor of finance in the Fisher College of Business. During Jennings’ first tenure as Ohio State president, the university launched its first major fund-raising campaign, which surpassed its $350 million goal by more than $100 million in private gifts and pledges. Several campus landmarks were constructed during that period, including the Wexner Center for the Arts, the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and the Hale Black Cultural Center. READ MORE >

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Sara Wheeler is one of the hundreds of graduates who is answering President Bush's call to serve their community and country. The social work graduate, at commencement with Dean Tony Tripodi, earned her degree on Friday, June 14, and started work in her new profession the next Monday. Nearly 70 percent of Ohio State's graduating class has participated in some form of service — from Habitat for Humanity, to Big Brothers and Big Sisters, to OhioReads.

President Bush Urges Grads To Serve Their Country

Ohio State awarded 6,206 degrees and certificates at spring commencement on June 14. Four students shared the highest grade point average among graduating seniors, a 4.0 by Bryan Cairns in entomology; Karoline Gilbert in physics and astronomy; Megan Snider in psychology; and Leigh Mowrer in economics. As designated by their colleges, 132 graduated summa cum laude, 432 magna cum laude, and 529 cum laude. President George W. Bush, who received an honorary Doctor of Public Administration, gave the commencement address and urged graduates to participate in some form of national and community service. As he announced the USA Freedom Corps Network, Bush said, "Service is important in your own life, in your own character. No one can tell you how to live or what cause to serve. But everyone needs some cause larger than his or her own profit. Apathy has no adventures. Cynicism leaves no monuments. And a person who is not responsible for others is a person who is truly alone." Video of the president’s remarks and photographs of the day’s events are available online. READ MORE >

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New Institute At OSU Will Unite Math, Life Sciences

A new $10 million institute at Ohio State will connect research in mathematics, statistics, and computing with the biological and medical sciences. The National Science Foundation (NSF) will fund the nation’s first-ever Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) -- an interdisciplinary center designed to develop mathematical and statistical models and theories to answer the life sciences’ ever-growing need for data analysis. "From the completion of the human genome project to the fight against diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, we’ve harvested incredible amounts of data that must be managed in new and better ways," said Avner Friedman, director of the MBI and professor of mathematics. "Society is eager to see basic research and technological advances translated into better diagnostic and remedial tools for health problems." READ MORE >

Mathematical Biosciences Institute website >

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Honoring OSU Family Members Called To Duty

In recognition of the Fourth of July holiday, the entire Ohio State community would like to recognize those faculty and staff who are currently serving our country. Since Sept. 11, at least 75 faculty and staff from Ohio State have been called to duty in various roles. Hundreds of students and alumni have also answered the call. READ MORE >

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Saif, Thompson Receive Highest Faculty Honor

The university has bestowed its highest faculty honor, designation as a Distinguished University Professor, upon two researchers who have earned international acclaim for their scholarship. The 2002 honorees are Linda J. Saif, a professor in the Food Animal Health Research Program and veterinary preventive medicine at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, and Lonnie G. Thompson, professor of geological sciences and a researcher in the Byrd Polar Research Center. Provost Ray granted each recipient the title and an annual budget of $10,000 for three years to support their academic work. They also automatically become members of the President’s and Provost’s Advisory Council. Up to three faculty may be given the title of Distinguished University Professor each year and, counting this year’s recipients, only 26 professors have received the title since it was first awarded in 1987. READ MORE >

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New OSU Institute Will Be Named For Kirwan

In a special tribute to outgoing President Kirwan for his visionary leadership and commitment to academic excellence, the university’s Board of Trustees has named the university’s Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the Americas in his honor. The institute, established this year as one of four core priorities in the university’s Academic Plan, will heretofore be known as the William E. Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the Americas. The board action recognizes not only Kirwan’s vision and leadership in developing and implementing the Academic Plan but also his commitment to advancing the cause of diversity while at Ohio State. The Kirwan Institute will encourage top-notch scholarship and stimulate international research in the important interdisciplinary field of race and ethnicity, and will greatly enhance the university’s mission of outreach on a local, national, and global scale.

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Library Restoration Is Top University Priority

Ohio State University Libraries have received $7 million, originating from Thomas E. and Patricia A. Duke Robinson of Troy, Ohio, to support the renovation of the William Oxley Thompson Memorial (Main) Library. The Robinsons’ gift of $5 million will be augmented by an additional $2 million from the Paul G. Duke Foundation, a supporting organization of The Columbus Foundation that was founded by Pat’s father. Renovation of the Main Library is a top priority of Ohio State’s Academic Plan. The university aims to raise $100 million for this project, $30 million of which will come from the private sector. Other gifts to support the renovation include $250,000 in pledges from the Friends of the Libraries and $100,000 from a sale of memorabilia by the Department of Athletics. The Robinsons are longtime friends of the university and avid Buckeye fans.

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French Government Honors Professor Curtis

Jerry Curtis, associate professor of French and Italian at Ohio State’s Newark campus, was recently awarded the Palmes académiques (Academic Palms), one of the oldest distinctions given by the French Government for his scholarly dedication to the life and works of Burgundian novelist, playwright, and poet Lucette Desvignes. Conferred by Monsieur Roland Celette, cultural attaché of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., Curtis was presented with a diploma issued by the minister of national education of the French Republic as decreed by the prime minister and named to the Order of the Academic Palms — a coveted fraternity of knights, officers and commanders recognized as "The Purple Legion."

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Alumnus Is In Eye Of Storm At The AMA

Surgeon Michael Maves is confident he can steer the American Medical Association through turbulent waters. Battered by internal dissension and sometimes criticized as hidebound and increasingly irrelevant, the AMA has lost more than a third of its membership since the early 1970s, when 72 percent of the nation's physicians were members. Maves, who earned his medical degree from Ohio State in 1973, is convinced he has the savvy to galvanize the membership. READ MORE>

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Record 366 Are Recognized As Scholar-Athletes

Ohio State and the Department of Athletics recognized a record-breaking 366 scholar-athletes this year. Of all Ohio State’s student athletes, 38 percent have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. 2001-02 was a banner year for Ohio State’s teams, student-athletes, and coaches. National championships were claimed in synchronized swimming, rifle, and pistol. Nineteen teams advanced to NCAA championship competition and 28 individuals earned First Team All-America honors. OSU also had six Big Ten Coaches of the Year and one national coach of the year. The spring season was one to remember as 10 teams advanced to NCAA competition and seven athletes earned First Team All-America honors. READ MORE >

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New Center To Enrich Lives Of Columbus Youth

A $2.5 million gift from alumna Betty Schoenbaum, president and trustee of the Schoenbaum Family Foundation Inc., will be used for a new early childhood development and education laboratory center in the Weinland Park neighborhood near the university. With a holistic focus on early childhood development that includes literacy and school readiness, the center — which will cost an estimated $11 million for building, programming, and fee subsidies — will serve as the focal point of Ohio State’s interdisciplinary efforts to support young children and their families. The center and its programs will play a significant role in educating students in Ohio State’s College of Human Ecology and College of Education to become exceptional teachers and researchers. The center’s broadest impact will come from the applied research and scholarship that will be conducted and disseminated to early childhood professionals worldwide.

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Bob Evans Farms Contributes To Ohio 4-H Center

A longtime 4-H supporter, Bob Evans Farms has added yet another means for supporting the important youth program in Ohio to its credit. This time, the company’s generosity takes the form of a $250,000 gift to the new Ohio 4-H Center. As 4-H begins a second century of building the foundation of America’s youth, Ohio’s 4-H organization kicked off its campaign for a new building in March on Ohio State’s campus. Through its donations, Bob Evans Farms wants to ensure that 4-H has a permanent home for continuing its work of helping to shape Ohio's youth for tomorrow and to encourage other companies and individuals to do the same.

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