BOARD ENDORSES USE OF TOBACCO FUNDS TO ADVANCE FIGHT AGAINST DISEASE

   COLUMBUS -- Stressing the need to find cures for the nation's most pervasive and deadly diseases, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees today (10/1) strongly endorsed the bi-partisan recommendations of the Ohio Tobacco Settlement Task Force that would direct $1.8 billion over 25 years for biomedical research and biotechnology.

   Dedicating new dollars to this research can ensure a "legacy of living" for the people of the state and the nation, the board said in a resolution it passed unanimously.

   "The Ohio State University and Ohio's other research institutions are poised with talented and successful researchers to utilize such funds to our citizens' full advantage," said Michael F. Colley, chair of the Board of Trustees.

   Colley also noted that the commitment to support biomedical research and biotechnology will enable Ohio to compete with other states already allocating early resources to these areas, including Maryland's decision to commit $50 million a year for each of the next 10 years and Michigan's commitment of $50 million a year for the next 20 years.

   He noted that the tobacco settlement funds will also allow state-based researchers to compete for expanded research funds from such sources as the National Institutes of Health and that every state dollar becomes a point of leverage to attach additional funds.

   "These funds are enormously important to the health and well-being of the people of Ohio and the nation," said William E. Kirwan, university president. "What our board and the university are saying is that there is no higher priority than making sure that the research and intellectual capabilities of the state's finest faculties be used to make our citizens' lives healthier. We commend the task force for its work and urge the governor and the General Assembly to implement the recommendations."

   David Schuller, director of The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, said: "These funds to support biomedical research will enable us to take advantage of this special window of opportunity to accelerate our research progress against tobacco-related diseases that will benefit both the economy and the citizens of Ohio and beyond."

Contact: Bill Napier, Office of the President, (614) 292-2424