TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS ON STC, STUDENT ISSUES, AFFILIATED ENTITIES

   COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees on Friday (5/7) heard an update on the Science and Technology Campus and reports on student-centered learning, student research activity and proposed changes in the Greek system. The board also approved a contract renewal for student insurance and was updated on university governance of affiliated entities.

Science and Technology Campus update

   Science and Technology Campus development is progressing with construction and renovations, the dedication of the site for Science Village and the continuing pursuit of tenant companies, Ora E. Smith, president of the Science and Technology Campus (STC) Corp., told trustees Friday.

   After the dedication of the Science Village site Friday (5/7), bids are due to go out in June and construction should begin in September for the first 40,000-square-foot segment of the multibuilding, multistage village at the corner of Kinnear and North Star roads. Phase 1 is due to be occupied beginning in July 2000 by between two and 10 companies, featuring a mix of technologies. Phase 2 is expected to be completed by January 2001, Smith said. Science Village is designed to attract companies that have undergone initial growth and need higher- quality facilities, divisional or regional offices of national technology companies, and joint industry/university research and development efforts.

   Work at the Business Technology Center has just been finished on the renovation of approximately 13,000 square feet of old warehouse space, and current plans call for the doubling of the existing incubator space by early next year.

   The STC at Ohio State, approved by university trustees in December 1997, promotes on-campus research alliances between business and the university and will provide facilities to house companies that collaborate with Ohio State researchers -- including spin-off enterprises.

   "We expect that many, perhaps all, tenants of the campus will have close working relationships with Ohio State," Smith said. "In some cases, we believe university and industrial researchers will be working side-by-side in our facilities."

   Smith reported that the STC currently houses 26 tenant companies that employ at least 74 Ohio State students and 69 alumni. Almost 180 cooperative research projects are under way, and funding of sponsored research exceeds $6 million. Tenants responding to an STC survey reported overwhelming satisfaction with the STC as well as plans to expand their businesses.

   Smith outlined several STC goals, including:
-- By the third year after Science Village occupancy, $1 million in research funding should be funneled to The Ohio State University Research Foundation, $250,000 annually should be produced in licensing royalty, and 45 new cooperative research activities should begin.
-- By June 30, 2000, 30 percent of tenant employees should be Ohio State students.

   Trustees on Friday appointed an ad hoc Committee on Capital Formation for Emerging Businesses to advise the Science and Technology Campus Board of Directors and Ohio State officials on policies involving the formation of capital for emerging businesses in Ohio. The committee also will provide recommendations and advice on strategies and initiatives for financing ongoing construction projects. Trustees George A. Skestos, Zuheir Sofia and Daniel M. Slane were appointed to the committee.

Student-centered learning initiative presentation

   Trustees heard a report on the new the Student-Centered Learning Initiative (SCLI), a method of teaching that creates a more cooperative relationship between the professor and student, taking the teacher from "sage on the stage" to "guide at the side." Bobby Moser, vice president and dean, and L.H. Newcomb, executive associate dean for academic affairs, both from the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, led the presentation.

   Newcomb said the SCLI project is part of the college's Project Reinvent and is funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Provost. Some 50 faculty from the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Technical Institute and regional campuses at Lima, Mansfield and Marion are participating in the project.

   "It is a five-year project that helps professors help students become more responsible for their own learning, to have classes more student-centered instead of professor-dominated," Newcomb said. "Instead of lecturing, professors allow students more hands-on learning opportunities by participating in group projects with outside resources."

   Jeff Fastinger, a graduating senior from Oak Harbor, took part in the SCLI project in his animal sciences class. He said the class allowed him to learn through real experience how to solve problems in the field. "I learned the most out of the class that way. I was a better person after my quarter in that class," he said.

   Amanda Stout, a graduating senior from Kirkersville, said her experiences with SCLI in her economics classes were very beneficial. "I learned to communicate better with other people and learned how to solve real problems in economics instead of simply listening to my professor tell me how," Stout said. "Not only did I retain the information longer; I feel more free to communicate with my professor on issues from this class and on other topics."

   SCLI efforts include the development and use of student portfolios; expanded use of the Internet; computer-based course assignments; and student involvement in course planning, development of assignments, negotiation of grading criteria and peer teaching and assessment.

Research enhances academic experience for students

   Being involved in research as an undergraduate, graduate or professional student can be an enriching educational experience for students at Ohio State and other research institutions, William A. Baeslack III, interim vice president for research, and Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, told trustees Friday.

   "It's a way of thinking and learning that develops creativity and problem-solving skills," Baeslack said. "It allows students to play a more active role in their education, and they get to interact with leaders in the field."

   "Some members of the public say research institutions neglect their students and only care about research," Garland added. "We contend that if you give undergraduate students contact with research, it's a wonderful environment for them. They are finding knowledge themselves. Some very good things happen to students intellectually at Ohio State when they're in this kind of environment."

   Trustees also heard from two undergraduate students, a Ph.D. candidate and a recent graduate on their research experiences at the university.

   Mary Paster, a senior linguistics major, is conducting research on a phonic feature in the Ga language, a native language of Ghana, and was guided in her research by David Odden, associate professor of linguistics. Paster's paper was accepted for presentation at this year's National Council on Undergraduate Research meeting.

   "Research provides a way to focus on my work and to come to a deeper understanding of what I have been studying in the classroom," Paster said. "It gives me an idea of what it would be like to do the work in the field, and that's something you really can't get out of a lecture."

Greek Life Task Force activities updated

   Greek life at Ohio State is undergoing a new phase in growth and development, Director of Student Activities Tracy Stuck told trustees Friday. A strategic plan, outlining where the Greek Life Task Force would like to see sororities and fraternities in the next three to five years, should be finalized by the end of spring quarter, Stuck said.

   The initiative, put into motion at the beginning of the school year by David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs, is a proactive approach to strengthening the campus's ties with the Greek houses and improving the Greek experience, Stuck said.

   "It's really a long-term plan," she said. "It's not a Band- Aid. We don't expect the current system to change overnight, but we expect it will be better when it does."

   Over the past five months, the task force has formed focus groups consisting of Greek and non-Greek students, faculty, staff, alumni and representatives from the national organizations; researched recruitment numbers and grades over the last 10 to 15 years; and started drafting a plan that would put the proposed changes into place.

   Some of the proposed goals include implementing a minimum 2.25 grade point average for chapter members, requiring two advisers for each house -- one of which must be an Ohio State faculty or staff member, and requiring students to have earned at least 12 credit hours before joining a sorority or fraternity.

Board approves student health insurance plan

   The board approved a one-year renewal of a contract with Central Benefits Insurance Co. to provide student health insurance, effective autumn 1999. The contract reflects an increase in rates of roughly 5 percent. The insurance plan is funded by student premiums and offered on an optional basis to all registered students.

   Under the new plan, the quarterly premium for student-only coverage will increase by 5.9 percent (to $198). Student-and- spouse coverage will increase 5 percent (to $503), student-with- children coverage rises 4.8 percent (to $507), and for students with a spouse and children, the rate increases by 4.8 percent (to $681). Plan modifications this year include a reduction in the pre-existing condition period; removing the health risk appraisal benefit from the insurance plan and offering it as a standard service through the Student Wellness Program, netting some premium savings; and modest revisions to dental coverage.

Endowment report

   Trustees heard a report from James L. Nichols, university treasurer, who said the university's endowment stood at $1.04 billion as of April 30. Nichols also said the endowment has distributed close to $40 million to academic departments this fiscal year.

Affiliated entities annual report

   Board Vice Chair Michael Colley presented the annual report of the board's Affiliated Entities Committee. Formed a year ago to oversee the creation and governance of university-affiliated groups, the committee reviewed all entities but focused its attention on several of the more visible affiliates, such as the Science and Technology Campus Corp., MedOhio Health Inc. and the Transportation Research Center.

   Colley said trustees were favorably impressed with the variety of activities pursued and the quality of management. All of the affiliated entities are in sound financial condition and are having considerable success in meeting their goals, he said.

   During the coming year, the committee will continue to receive status reports from key affiliates and to refine the monitoring process by senior administrators. The committee also will look at faculty entrepreneurship and its relationship to technology licensing. Colley said he expects that increased commercial development of university research will involve the Science and Technology Campus and eventually will lead to formation of additional affiliated entities.

Contacts:
Ora E. Smith, STC, (614) 675-4100
L.H. Newcomb, Agricultural Administration, (614) 292-6891
Tracy Stuck, Student Activities, (614) 292-8763
Martha Garland, Academic Affairs, (614) 292-5881
William A. Baeslack III, Research, (614) 292-1582
Mary Daniels, Student Affairs, (614) 292-9334