9-2-98

TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS ON AUTUMN ACTIVITIES, COLLEGE PLANNING

COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees on Wednesday (9/2) heard reports on autumn quarter activities and continuing work in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences to position itself for the 21st century.

Board hears report on fall quarter student activities

The board heard a report from David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs, and several students from the Office of Student Activities, on upcoming autumn quarter programming. The students highlighted several events, including Welcome, Homecoming and Michigan weeks, and National Make a Difference Day.

Williams said the activities and programs are designed to welcome new and returning students to Ohio State, as well as to create a first and lasting positive impression of Ohio State for students. This is important, Williams said, in continuing to improve the retention and graduation rates by helping to establish students’ connection to and sense of community within the university. Williams said Welcome Week will include more events as part of Student Affairs’ efforts to continue to improve and enhance the outside-the-classroom student experience at Ohio State.

Events planned for Welcome Week include residence halls move-in; the President’s Convocation at St. John Arena, where President William E. Kirwan, vice presidents, faculty members and student leaders will introduce Ohio State traditions to freshmen and new students; the President’s Picnic on the Oval; Community Commitment, a student service-learning project; a Scarlet Fever pep rally at St. John Arena; and a Street Fair on High Street.

Homecoming events will include a student shed construction project with Habitat for Humanity; Buckeye Blast pep rally; and the Homecoming Parade on Saturday morning (10/17) along High Street before the football game against Minnesota.

The Make a Difference Day project will involve some 100 students traveling to Evanston, Ill., to participate in service-learning community projects before the game against Northwestern.

Michigan Week will include a blood drive, pep rally, pancake breakfast and a spirit tunnel to cheer on the football team. College plans for the 21st century

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences is continuing the process of reinventing its approach to agricultural education for the 21st century.

Bobby D. Moser, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the college, discussed college initiatives and strategies Wednesday (9/2) with the Board of Trustees Agricultural Affairs Committee. The college is extending the more traditional approach to agricultural practices by adopting an integrated systems approach that recognizes issues of production efficiency, economic viability, environmental compatability and social acceptability.

The college also has established a “culture of experimentation,” shifting organizational power relationships by encouraging grass-roots generation of new ideas. Among the guiding principles of the changing culture is the assertion that purposeful experimentation can be more effective than predictive planning. “There are a lot of good people in our college with a lot of good ideas,” Moser said. “It’s like a cultural freedom has taken place in the college.”

Moser and L.H. Newcomb, associate dean and director of academic affairs in the college, also reported on a Student-Centered Learning Initiative. Almost 60 faculty are involved in a five-year experiment to alter their course material presentation and their approach to the learning process. Among the changes are challenging students to discover information rather than relying on lectures, and changing the faculty role to one of facilitator and guide.

Contact: David Williams II, (614) 292-9334

Bobby Moser, (614) 292-1889