TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS ON OSU ACCOMPLISHMENTS, COLLEGE MASTER PLAN, MOUNT LEADERSHIP SOCIETY, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

   COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University's contributions to 20th century society and expectations for its future were highlighted in a report to the university's Board of Trustees on Friday (12/3). The board also heard reports on a master plan for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the new Mount Leadership Society and the growth in international programs at Ohio State.

Examining Ohio State in the 20th and 21st centuries

   Since 1899, Ohio State has grown from an institution focused on agriculture, humanities, sciences and law enrolling 1,252 students to one of the nation's largest and most-respected comprehensive public research and teaching universities. In a report examining the university's past and future, President William E. Kirwan noted some of the university's hundreds of notable contributions to society during the 20th century. His presentation covered events ranging from Ohio State's role in saving Lake Erie and developing five new apple varieties to its performance in September of the first robotic heart surgery in North America using the da Vinci Computer-Enhanced Surgical System.

   Kirwan also noted alumni in the arts, such as James Thurber and Roy Lichtenstein, sports legends Jesse Owens and Archie Griffin, and business leaders Les Wexner and Max Fisher. Ohio State's eclectic history includes launching the first ROTC program and building the nation's first student union. It also currently boasts Nobel laureate Kenneth G. Wilson on its physics faculty and Sean Tedjarati, a chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology, who is a member of the Doctors Without Borders organization receiving the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

   "Yes, this is a university with a proud history of achievement and service," Kirwan said. "The names and events have changed over the years, but the commitment to excellence -- and to helping humankind -- has never wavered, and it continues to this day."

   Exploring the likely existence of virtual vs. actual universities in the 21st century, Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray suggested the need for human interaction, advanced generalized education and a large-scale research community affirms Ohio State's place as an actual university in the future.

   "The actual and virtual future for Ohio State depends directly on the success of the university in achieving its goal to be well-placed among the top 10 public teaching and research universities in the country," Ray said. "The Ohio State University has the basic attributes and the strategic focus to be a leader among actual universities in the next century."

   Three distinguished Ohio State faculty members were asked to participate in the presentation, outlining their fields' contributions and predicting what Ohio State may be noted for in the 21st century.

   Distinguished University Professor of Physics Bunny Clark traced the history of two major ways science has had an impact on society: the invention of the transistor and its eventual contribution to the Information Age, and the discovery of X-rays and its impact on medicine. Specifically, she noted, Ohio State is poised to become a world leader in the area of magnetic resonance imaging.

   "Physics has the advantage of looking at all scales, from the smallest bit of matter to the beginning of time. It is inherently interdisciplinary, it speaks with the language of mathematics and it enjoys a world view by the nature of the discipline," Clark said. "It seems difficult to imagine what the next 100 years will bring. However, I do know that the scientists of the 21st century will reach greater heights because of the work of the scientists of the 20th century. That is the only prediction I can make with any certainty."

   Pascal Goldschmidt, director of the Heart and Lung Institute, noted major findings in medicine, such as the small pox and polio vaccines as well as the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, which opened the doors to molecular and genomic sciences. A 1955 Ohio State report of gastrinoma tumors associated with multiple and recurrent ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract was one of the most instructive discoveries in the field of tumors and endocrinology, said Goldschmidt, also professor of internal medicine and chief of the division of cardiology at Ohio State.

   "The most difficult illness to pin down turns out to be a chronic malfunction like cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease and diabetes. We have come to realize that although seldom are these problems truly inherited, they all have a genetic basis," he said. "Without trying to be prophetic, we can anticipate that by the year 2050, every woman and every man will know the structure of their own genome. ... This information will help predict diseases and develop novel strategies to prevent and cure illnesses with an efficacy never reached before.

   "We certainly expect that, at The Ohio State University," he added, "with our goal to become one of the top 10 universities in the U.S., we will contribute substantially to the discovery that will be required along the way."

   David Citino, professor of English, put his words into a poetic form written especially for the occasion. His poem, A Brief History of the Future: The Ohio State University at the turn of the millennium, asserted: "Any millennium, any university/ worth its salt must be obsessed/ with the distance from its past/ to the freshman class of centuries/ from now. Here, the lowly Olentangy,/ these sundials spinning like/ child's play, belong to those/ we'll come to call Our students, our teachers."

College master planning update

   The College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is pursuing a master plan that would assess current buildings and land use and outline what kind of renovation and new construction would be required for the college to enhance its academic programs.

   College and architectural officials updated trustees on the search for a consultant to develop the master plan, which would be completed in about one year.

   The college's Don Scott Field facilities in particular are targeted for renovation and/or relocation because of economic and airport development expected at the site, which could reduce space devoted to the college by up to 80 percent. The college, which has housed selected programs at Don Scott Field since the early 1970s, currently uses 527 acres and 24 buildings totaling more than 171,000 square feet primarily for animal sciences, natural resources, and horticultural and crop sciences programs.

   "Existing buildings are in very poor shape and need to be replaced," said Bobby Moser, vice president and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He was joined in the presentation by Melissa Krygier, assistant vice president for food, agricultural and environmental sciences, and Laura Shinn, campus planner in the Office of the University Architect and Physical Planning.

   Specifically, the college is considering relocating most of its Don Scott Field facilities. One portion of the relocation could include a new Integrated Instruction and Research Facility at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory along West Lane Avenue. The move would improve the quality of facilities, and placing a facility at the Waterman laboratory would increase student access to the college's educational sites by relocating closer to the main Columbus campus area. Some programs compatible with the airport operation, such as agronomic or other plant science programs, as well as some animal holding facilities could remain at Don Scott Field even if most programs are relocated.

   Though the Don Scott Field facilities are the highest- priority concern, the master plan will be a comprehensive document for all of the college's academic and agricultural facilities in Columbus, at regional campuses and at other Ohio sites. A consultant is expected to be hired in the next several weeks to begin the assessment and make recommendations for short- and long-term college facility development.

Trustees hear report on Mount Scholars

   This autumn, Ohio State welcomed 52 incoming freshmen into the newly established Mount Leadership Society, Mabel Freeman, director of the University Honors & Scholars Center, told trustees. These students were all in the top 20 percent of their high school classes and have demonstrated a commitment to leadership and public service.

   Since they arrived on campus, the scholars -- 48 of whom live in Halloran House and four who are commuter students -- have volunteered during Community Commitment and Walk Around the University District, and have taken special reserved sections of English 110 and a special University College survey course together, said Kathy Cleveland Bull, interim director of the Mount Leadership Society.

   The scholars also are working this year on a two-quarter service-learning project in which they explore a community issue and implement a group solution, Cleveland Bull said.

   "They are very much a community. They go to class together, live together and have really become friends," she said.

   "As a commuter student, being part of the Mount Leadership Society has really helped me to get involved with activities on campus, meet others who share some of my interests, and really feel like I belong," said Lisa Cory, a pre-occupational therapy student from Grove City.

   Chantelle Porter, a Mount Scholar and political science major from Hanover Park, Ill., said she also sees the program as a way to get students outside of the program involved on campus.

   "When I first got my room assignment and found out one roommate in my quad was not a Mount Scholar, I was worried she would feel left out," Porter said. "But we got her involved the first week and we continue to do so. I think she knows she's more than welcome to come join us in any activity."

   Next quarter, the Mount Scholars will take a statistics course together that focuses on cases dealing with social problems. They also will attend extensive leadership development seminars beginning in January, Cleveland Bull said. She also said she hopes to have Ohio State Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer speak with the students at a fireside chat this spring.

   The students will continue to take some classes together next year and will select and complete yearlong service-learning projects. During their junior and senior years, they will become mentors for incoming Mount Scholars.

   Next year, the university plans to welcome 100 freshmen into the society with the hopes of increasing the program to 300 students in each entering class over the next several years, Cleveland Bull said.

International programs discussed with board

   The number of students studying abroad and the number of overseas programs offered through the Office of International Education (OIE) have increased dramatically since 1992, John Greisberger, assistant vice president for student affairs and director of international education, told trustees. There are currently 100 programs in 40 countries, compared to the 20 programs in 12 countries available seven years ago, he said.

   The number of students studying abroad also has jumped from 267 to 882 in the same time period. In 1992, Ohio State was second to last among Big 10 institutions for the number of students studying abroad, and in 1998 was ranked second overall, Greisberger said.

   "Growth has occurred in both traditional sites throughout Western Europe as well as in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East," Greisberger said. "The increase is a direct result of faculty interest and the ability of staff in the Office of International Education to work with faculty members to develop and coordinate new programs."

   New programs are added every year, and OIE has plans to send students to Ghana in West Africa for the first time next year, he added.

   Greisberger also emphasized the contributions and importance of Ohio State's international student population -- 8 percent of the total student population.

   "Foreign students play a key role in the internationalizing of Ohio State," he said. "We have the largest foreign student population of any four-year research institution in the country with 3,884 students from 125 countries around the world.

   "Those students definitely contribute to the diversity of the university and essentially bring the world to Ohio State, enabling domestic students, who can't for one reason or another study abroad, to have an international experience right here on campus."

Contact:
Emily Caldwell, University Relations, (614) 292-8309
Melissa Krygier, Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, (614) 292-6891
Kathy Cleveland Bull, Mount Scholars, (614) 292-5927
John Greisberger, International Education, (614) 292-6101