Ohio State's Department of English is moving into the ranks of the nation's best, 
thanks, in part, to the university's Selective Investment Award in 2000. Whether 
it's first-year writing programs, graduate study, or new faculty hires, Selective 
Investment funding is propelling of one Ohio State's strongest and most vibrant 
departments.

These are exciting times for the department of English. It is our goal to become 
one of the top five public departments of English in the nation. We see ourselves 
as a place that embraces both tradition and innovation.

One area within the department, the Creative Writing Program, has seen a flurry of 
recent activity, hosting visiting authors, seeing student work published-or in one 
case-turned into a Hollywood motion picture.

One of our students, actually, who's just beginning his third year has already 
finished his first book of stories and it was already accepted by Harcourt Brace, 
that's Chris Coke. One of our other current students, Erica Beeney, won the 
Project Greenlight competition. We think of this English Department as a really 
good home for us. And, frankly, it would be hard for me to find a place to teach 
creative writing, even in a really good MFA program, where I would feel as 
comfortable in the English Department. It's a terrific department.


"Distance Education" took on a whole new meaning recently as Ohio State students 
in Professor Sabra Webber's class held a real-time discussion with students 
halfway around the world at the University of Tunis in Tunisia. With the help of 
technology, students shared their interpretations of a Lebanese film both classes 
had recently watched.

Any kind of an experience where I'm able to talk with the students who live there 
and even just, you know, kind of through osmosis kind of understand or see their 
way of life adds to my understanding of my studies

Do you have some friends, Arabic friends?

The biggest attraction for them and for us is that these are college students in 
both cases talking to each other. And it helps you to bring up issues that you 
might not, you might be embarrassed to bring up, you might think are touchy issues 
if you just were bringing them up outside the context of the film

Not just in terms of equipment, but in terms of faculty, like with Dr. Webber who 
came up with the idea and really really pushed for it. I think that driven faculty 
and  driven administration, driven people at the university, that really makes it 
happen. I'm not sure you're going to get that everywhere.