July 9, 1999

This and every University Communications news release is available at http://www.osu.edu

INAUGURATION OF NEW ORNAMENTAL PLANT CENTER--July 11. The new Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center at Ohio State will save plant genetic material so it can be used to improve the beauty, disease resistance and growth habits of ornamental plants and be available for other studies, including medicinal and pharmaceuticals needs. The cooperative partners -- Ohio State, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Florist’s Association, and the floriculture and landscape industries -- will mark the inauguration of the center at 1:30 p.m. Sunday (7/11) at the Howlett Hall Greenhouses and Biocontainment Facility, 680 Tharp St. This seed bank at Ohio State is the first horticultural plant center in the USDA’s National Plant Germplasm System.
CONTACT: Susan Mantey, Communications & Technology, 292-4912; or Suzanne Steel, director of communications for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, 292-9637.

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS MEETS--July 13-16. The College of Education’s National Academy for Superintendents holds its annual conference Tuesday through Friday (7/13-16) at the Holiday Inn on the Lane, 328 W. Lane Ave. In addition to sessions on youth violence, school safety, school reform and school climate, the group will hear from a number of speakers on public support for public schools. Gail Schwartz, director of the U.S. Department of Education’s New American High Schools initiative and a graduate of Ohio State, will co-present A Look at the New American High Schools: Strategies in Practice at 9:15 a.m. Friday (7/16). The group will also hear Daryl Siedentop, interim dean of the College of Education, on Strengthening Public Support: The Role of Higher Education at 10:45 a.m. Friday (7/16). William Banach, host of “America’s Learning” on NPR, will discuss Strengthening Public Support: Changing Roles in the Educational Marketplace at 8 a.m. Thursday (7/15). The College of Education established the Academy for Superintendents in 1983. Now the National Academy for Superintendents, it is directed by Franklin Walter, a visiting professor of education at Ohio State and former Ohio superintendent of public instruction.
CONTACT: Franklin Walter, National Academy for Superintendents, 292-5249.

SCHOOL VIOLENCE IS TOPIC OF FORUM--July 14. Angry and Armed: Issues Surrounding School Violence is the title of a panel discussion hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Club on Wednesday (7/14). In response to recent shootings in America’s schools, lawmakers are proposing bills to put more police officers and counselors into schools, and require all public school districts to establish early-warning signs for “potentially troubled youth.” Panelists include Maurice Blake, director of Pupil Services, Columbus Public Schools; John Grossman, president, Columbus Education Association; and Antoinette Errante, assistant professor of education at Ohio State. Errante has researched the community violence and socialization in the United States, South Africa and Mozambique, and worked with Columbus schools in implementing school violence prevention programs.
CONTACT: Megan Melby, Columbus Metropolitan Club, 464-3220.

The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. Feel free to call on our news services staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State news stories--Amy Murray, 292-8385; Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; and Emily Caldwell, 292-8309.
**Compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications, (Murray- Goedde.1@osu.edu).