COLUMBUS -- Poet, professor and distinguished alumnus David Citino will add a literary flair to The Ohio State University's winter 2000 commencement address on March 17. Citino will address approximately 1,400 graduates, who will receive degrees during the ceremony to be held in St. John Arena. Commencement begins at 9:30 a.m.

Citino received his Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University and his M.A. and Ph.D from Ohio State. He taught at Ohio State's Marion campus for 11 years before coming to the Columbus campus in 1985, where he currently teaches English and creative writing.

Citino is the author of 10 books of poetry, including the Book of Appassionata: Collected Poems, Broken Symmetry and The Weight of the Heart. He also has received a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the first annual poetry award from the Ohioana Library Association, a major fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council, the Dasher Award from the College English Association of Ohio, the Exemplary Faculty Award from the Ohio State College of Humanities and the Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award from Ohio State.

From 1986 to 1993, Citino was director of creative writing at Ohio State. He is currently a member of the board of trustees of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, poetry editor and member of the editorial board of Ohio State University Press, facilitator of the literature panel of the Ohio Arts Council, and member and past president of the board of trustees of Thurber House.