97-11-07 Trustees: Program Changes, Reports on Student Life,Graduate School BOARD APPROVES CHANGES TO HUMAN ECOLOGY PROGRAMS, HEARS REPORTS ON STUDENT AFFAIRS, GRADUATE SCHOOL COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees on Friday (11/7) approved changes in College of Human Ecology programs and heard reports on the restructured Office of Student Life and on the Graduate School. Board changes human ecology programs Trustees approved the College of Human Ecology’s proposal to withdraw the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs in Home Economics Education, establish an M.Ed. degree and teacher certification program in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education, and phase out undergraduate degree programs in home economics education and home economics journalism. An M.S. degree area of concentration in Family and Consumer Sciences Education will continue to be offered. The changes stem from a previous restructuring of the college, during which the Department of Home Economics Education was merged with the Department of Family Relations and Human Development, forming the new Department of Human Development and Family Science. Cutting the undergraduate program in home economics education was proposed as a result of the decision to prepare FCS education teachers at the master’s degree level. Low enrollment prompted the elimination of the home economics journalism degree. Board hears report on new Student Life directors The board heard a report by David Williams, vice president for student affairs, on the hiring of four new directors in the restructured Office of Student Life. The office was divided last spring into three clusters and restructured to increase visibility, impact and collaboration among units; improve customer service; and retain programming, consultation and advocacy. The new directors are Janice Hoffman, director of Ethnic Student Services; Tracy Stuck, director of Student Activities; Willa Young, director of Student Gender and Sexuality Services; and Patrick Hall, director of Student Judicial Affairs. Hoffman said Ethnic Student Services has initiated “Meet, Greet and Eat,” a monthly forum to introduce the office to the campus community. The office also has raised some $6,000 for the Asian American Olympic games, an annual campus event designed to raise awareness of the Asian American culture. Hoffman said the office works with various campus departments and offices to be supportive, receptive and sensitive to meet the needs of its diverse student constituency. Don Stenta, acting coordinator of student organization services, sat in for Stuck, who was out of town on a site visit to prepare for 1998 Homecoming activities. Stenta said the Student Activities office acts as a complement to the academic experience and offers several programs, including leadership development classes; student organization advising; a student organization resource room; a student activities board; and “Tuesday Talk,” a focus group and assessment program that evaluates student response to services of the office. Young reported that Student Gender and Sexuality Services’ focus is on advocacy, consultation and programming. She said staff members advise student groups, and offer crisis intervention and problem solving, with a referral service for various programs offered at and around Ohio State. The office also offers a Speakers’ Bureau of trained volunteers who present programs on gender and sexuality issues. Young said the office works to identify and address obstacles to students’ academic pursuits and strives to cultivate positive relationships between students. Hall reported on efforts to revise the Student Code of Conduct into more understandable language and to make the process more fair to students. He also said he and his staff plan to implement procedural changes that will allow the office to be more proactive in addressing student concerns and issues. He said the office strives to promote and protect student conduct issues that are conducive to academic success by enforcing the rules and regulations of student conduct at Ohio State. Graduate dean reports students are crucial to mission A year-long study of graduate students’ experiences and needs will help attract and keep the brightest and best, Susan Huntington said during a report about the Graduate School. Huntington, dean of the Graduate School, told the Board of Trustees that a committee, called the G-QUE -- for the Graduate Quality of University Experience -- is examining several issues. Its spring quarter report will recommend ways to improve professional development and employment; governance, policies and student advocacy; and student services and campus life. “Graduate students are central to the teaching and research mission of Ohio State, since they assist in the undergraduate teaching effort and are crucial to the research endeavor,” Huntington said. Graduate studies prepare the next generation of society’s leaders in virtually all fields of human activity, she said. “It is crucial that Ohio State have a hospitable environment for graduate students,” Huntington said. “We must attract the best and brightest to our programs; we must provide them with the best possible experience while they are here; and we must help them find the best possible jobs when they graduate.” G-QUE is a joint project of the Graduate School and the Council of Graduate Students. Also speaking to the board were doctoral students Angela Linn and Robert Livingston. Linn is studying astrophysics with the help of a three-year Graduate School fellowship. Livingston has fellowships from the National Science Foundation and Graduate School to study psychology. Harris wins student recognition award Trustees honored Errin C. Harris of COLUMBUS with a student recognition award. A senior majoring in social work, Harris was honored for her work as a student member of the National Association of Black Social Workers, her involvement in the Summer Research Opportunities Program at Ohio State, and as an intern for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio in the Black Special Needs Adoption Program. She is a recipient of several scholarships, including the Ohio Mary C. Manning Scholarship and the Minority Scholars Program Prestigious Scholarship. # Contact: Susan Huntington, Graduate School, (614) 292-6031 Tracy Turner, University Communications, (614) 688-3682 Emily Caldwell, University Communications, (614) 292-8309 [Submitted by: Von Vargas (vargas.12@osu.edu) Fri, 7 Nov 1997 16:29:43 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.