· Students set national speed record
· An academic record breaker, too
· AAAS honors 15 OSU faculty with rank of Fellow
· 'State of University' address available online
· Noted researcher named to Ohio Hall of Fame
· Admissions process adjusted to ensure diversity
· Provost search now in full swing
· OSU listed among nation's 100 top hospitals
· OSU faculty teach students serving in Kuwait
· Public safety reports good result on game days
· Vice president for development comes on board
· Event marks start of Gateway construction
· OSU implants first digital pacemaker in the U.S.
· Alumni Association offers new travel benefit

Students set national speed record Ohio State's Buckeye Bullet electric car broke the record for the fastest speed by an electric vehicle, with a speed of 257 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah last month. The former national record was 251.3 mph. The vehicle, which was designed, built and managed by a team of engineering students at the university's Center for Automotive Research-Intelligent Transportation (CAR-IT) traveled to Bonneville to attempt to break the record for the fastest speed achieved by an electric car. The team includes 12 graduate and undergraduate students with majors in a variety of engineering disciplines. READ MORE >

An academic record breaker, too

University efforts to attract and retain academically talented students continue to show progress. The freshman class of 2003 is the best academically prepared incoming class at Ohio State for the ninth year in a row. The number of first-quarter freshmen attending the Columbus campus is 6,258, representing a 6.3 percent increase above the previous year (5,888). Fifty percent scored between 23 and 28 on their ACTs, improving the entering class ACT average to a record 25.4, compared with 25.2 the past two years. The 2003 national ACT average is 20.8. In addition, approximately 33 percent of Ohio State's first-year students graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class and 69 percent ranked in the top 25 percent.

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AAAS honors 15 OSU faculty with rank of Fellow

More Ohio State faculty members have earned the rank of Fellow from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) than any other single institution this year. With 15 faculty members ranking among the new 2003-04 AAAS Fellows, Ohio State now boasts 76 Fellows. AAAS represents the world's largest federation of scientists and works to advance science for human well being through its projects, programs and publications. It conducts programs in the areas of science policy, science education and international scientific cooperation. AAAS members are elevated to the rank of Fellow for their efforts in advancing science or fostering applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. READ MORE>

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'State of University' address available online

A video and the complete text of President Holbrook's annual "State of the University Address" — a reflection on the university's accomplishments and look at her vision for the its future — is now available online. In her remarks last month, the president identified the steps the university has taken to continue its implementation of the Academic Plan and highlighted three overarching goals for the coming year that focus specifically on strategies of the Academic Plan. They are to pursue cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research for short- and long-term societal benefits; provide distinctive educational experiences and opportunities for undergraduates; and develop a 21st century model of outreach and engagement. READ MORE>

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Noted researcher named to Ohio Hall of Fame

Ellen Mosley-Thompson, an internationally respected Ohio State researcher and expert on global climate change, has been inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame. Mosley-Thompson was one of 11 Ohioans named for this honor by Gov. Bob Taft last month. For more than a quarter-century, Mosley-Thompson and her colleagues have journeyed to remote ice fields to drill and retrieve ice cores which contain a history of the world's climate extending back more than 100,000 years. Analyses of these cores provided proof of the extent of recent climate change on the planet and the connection between major recurring weather systems. READ MORE >

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Admissions process adjusted to ensure diversity

Ohio State is well positioned to continue to attract a diverse student body in the wake of Supreme Court decisions earlier this summer indicating race still can be a factor in college admissions, university administrators say. Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, said some adjustments have been made in the admissions process to bring it into compliance with new rulings. The new undergraduate admissions application includes four short essay questions that will allow the students to convey their special attributes and experiences in an effort to individualize the process. READ MORE >

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Provost search now in full swing

Advertisements regarding Ohio State's search for its new Executive Vice President and Provost are now appearing in national higher education newspapers — including the Chronicle of Higher Education and Black Issues in Higher Education. Details about the position and a listing of Provost Search Committee members are available online. The search committee invites letters of nomination, applications or expressions of interest to be submitted by January 5. The committee hopes to forward its list of top candidates to President Holbrook by February in order for the office to be filled by July 1. READ MORE >

OSU listed among nation's 100 top hospitals

A national health care research firm, Solucient Institute, a business data collection firm, has included University Hospitals on its recently released list of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals. The list is the result of a study to recognize the nation's hospitals that have achieved benchmark status in several areas, including clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and overall financial performance. Solucient also named the heart care program at the University Medical Center among the nation's 100 top performing cardiovascular programs. READ MORE >

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OSU faculty teach students serving in Kuwait

Two Ohio State students are unable to attend classes in Columbus this quarter because they are serving in the U.S. Army in Kuwait. So Ohio State is bringing their classes to them, across the ocean and desert, thanks to the Internet and "distance learning" courses that are designed to be taken by students outside of Columbus. Brian Yeager and David Hatcher, members of the Army National Guard since high school, were forced to postpone their college education in mid-January when they volunteered to transfer together to a unit where they could support the U.S. war in Iraq. They are now assigned to Camp Virginia, Kuwait, as Unit Supply Specialists in the 371st Corps Support Group. In early September, the two learned they would remain in Kuwait until next April, and contacted academic advisor Wayne DeYoung about registering for classes via distance learning. READ MORE >

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Public safety reports good result on game days

The university's Office of Public Safety reports that efforts to clean up home football game days are having a positive effect. Assistant Vice President Vernon Baisden said assaults, vandalism and reports of fans being verbally or physically harassed are down significantly. The amount of trash left by fans also is down, he said. David Andrews, dean of human ecology and chair of the Task Force on Celebratory Riots, said that, until this season, football Saturdays had gradually eroded into days in which the normal rules of civility seemed to be suspended. This behavior sent a very clear but negative signal to students and other young people, who by their very nature are prone to be high risk-takers. READ MORE >

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Vice president for development comes on board

James C. Schroeder, chair of development at the Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minn., has been named vice president for development at Ohio State and president of The Ohio State University Foundation, effective Nov. 3. A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Schroeder earned his master's degree in political science and his Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Toledo. Before joining the Mayo Foundation in 2001, he worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and as executive director of external relations for Harvard University's Business School. READ MORE >

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Corner of Eleventh Ave. and High Street.

Event marks start of Gateway construction

Campus Partners has marked the beginning of construction of one of the nation's premier urban, mixed-use redevelopment projects, South Campus Gateway. A highlight of a celebration last month was a large-screen, digital preview of Gateway's architectural design. With construction beginning this fall, Gateway is scheduled to open in autumn 2005. READ MORE >

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OSU implants first digital pacemakers in the U.S.

Americans have digital clocks, cameras, even "personal digital assistants" or PDA's. Now two Central Ohio patients are the first in the United States to receive digital pacemakers. Charles Love, a cardiologist and director of arrhythmia device services at the Medical Center, was the first physician in the United States to implant the device. A Chillicothe man and a Columbus woman each received a digital pacemaker last month to replace an older analog-based device. One patient was released the same day as the procedure, and the other was released the next day. Both are recovering well, Love said. A digital pacemaker was implanted in a patient for the first time in the world last June in London, England. On Sept. 29 the FDA gave final approval for use in the United States. READ MORE >

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Alumni Association offers new travel benefit

The Ohio State University Alumni Association is offering a new membership benefit called the Personal Vacation Club. The club offers: excellent travel benefits; well-known, reputable travel companies; loads of destinations for personal vacations; and 100 percent secure and private transactions. Check it out and enter to win a trip for two to the Caribbean on Clipper Cruise Lines worth $4,000. Follow these three quick steps: Click onto this link: http://osuaa.virtuocard.com ; enter your Alumni Association ID number; Enter your last name as your temporary password. Questions about the Personal Vacation Club may be directed to Patti Cattey, director of alumni tours, at (614) 292-2372 or (800) 852-TOUR (8687), or via e-mail to mailto:cattey.2@osu.edu . Need to join the Association? Click here: http://www.ohiostatealumni.org .

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