Holbrook describes ‘State of the University’
COLUMBUS – Ohio State University continues on course to become one of the world’s top public research universities, according to President Karen Holbrook.
Delivering the 2004 State of the University address to the University Senate, Holbrook discussed the impact that Ohio State continues to make in the state, the nation and the world.
The University Senate is composed of faculty, administrators and student representatives. It is a legislative and policy-setting body and is the highest level of the university\'s internal governance system.
Holbrook told senators that the university is making advances in reaching the goals of the Leadership Agenda, which is the framework used to direct the university’s activities. Those areas of emphasis include: an excellent academic experience for students; world-class research that benefits society; and outreach and engagement for positive community impact.
“Our overarching goal is to be one of the world’s leading public research universities,” Holbrook said. “And we are on track.”
Holbrook announced that Ohio State was again ranked 22nd among public universities by the 2005 US News and World Report. Other rankings that she highlighted include:
· The National Science Foundation ranks universities by the total amount of research funding. Ohio State ranked 12th last year among public universities in all funding and 6th in corporate support.
· The Association of Research Libraries ranks our library as 12th among public universities in the country
· OSU ranks 10th in the nation among public universities in total private support. Our annual giving this year was a record $203M donated or pledged by a record number of 104,446 donors.
Holbrook also announced just a few of the recognitions awarded to faculty this year:
· Three were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
· Three faculty members earned Guggenheim fellowships
· Twelve faculty members were named Fulbright Scholars, fifteen were recognized as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences – the most of any university in the country
· 145 of our physicians from the College of Medicine and Public Health were identified among the best doctors in America.
Holbrook also highlighted the benefits of ongoing cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, and noted one outstanding accomplishment in the area of promoting distinctive educational experiences for undergraduate students. She announced the success this week of the Buckeye Bullet, a student project that broke a world speed record.
“The Ohio State University’s electric land speed vehicle, the Buckeye Bullet, was designed, built, and maintained by students at Ohio State using world-class engineering. Just yesterday at the Bonneville Salt Flats the Buckeye Bullett officially set the new international land speed record for electric cars, with an average speed of 272 miles per hour,” Holbrook said.
In addition, she described the impact that Ohio State is having through university outreach and engagement. She said the university will continue to embrace its role as a land grant institution. “Our goal is to establish Ohio State as a 21st century model for outreach and engagement and to use our 865 outreach activities to connect our academic and research programs with the public,” she said.
She also discussed measures in place that are designed to improve the quality of the student experience, including construction of a number of new buildings to support the student learning and research environment. Those include the renovation of and opening this year of Page and Hagerty halls, the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, the Adventure Recreation Center, and the Knowlton School of Architecture.
Holbrook added that the university is not without its challenges. Among those are a projected shortfall in the next state biennial budget that will undoubtedly affect Ohio State as well as other public universities in the state.
She said that Ohio State has an excellent record in controlling costs and that the university is taking a number of steps to keep the cost of an Ohio State education affordable for students. “We operate with an average of $828 less per student in resident undergraduate tuition than other public universities in Ohio with competitive admissions,” she said.
Holbrook concluded by reminding senators that Ohio State continues to meet the challenge of the Kellogg Commission, which offers direction on the future of state and land grant universities. “We are good enough to lead, strong enough to change, and competent enough to be trusted with the nation’s future,” she said.
