Ohio State Graduate Business Students Receive Study-Abroad Support Under New Initiative
COLUMBUS, Ohio – More graduate business students at The Ohio State University will receive financial support for study-abroad opportunities under a new program announced Saturday (5/4) in honor of Joseph A. Alutto, executive vice president and provost and a former dean of Fisher College of Business at Ohio State.
A $5 million fund has been created to launch the initiative, potentially as early as autumn semester 2013. With the creation of the Joseph A. Alutto Graduate Global Leadership Fund, graduate business students will have access to financial resources that are dedicated to international opportunities. Fisher enrolls approximately 1,000 graduate-level students each autumn.
“Provost Alutto has a love of the global community that really does translate into a deep commitment to expand the boundaries of learning,” said President E. Gordon Gee. “In recognition of his life’s work in university education and globalization, we are establishing a lasting legacy in his name to honor him and his work with a gift that will endure for generations to come.”
The Joseph A. Alutto Graduate Global Leadership Fund will also provide matching dollars to support the establishment of new endowed funds for scholarships, programs and other opportunities designed to provide global experiences for Ohio State graduate students in business.
“This fund will enhance the educational experience for tens of thousands of students over time who call The Ohio State University home, and will infuse that same passion that our provost has for globalization,” Gee said.
The program was announced during the Fisher Spring Graduation Ceremony at Mershon Auditorium, where Alutto served as keynote speaker. Joining Gee on stage to honor Alutto were Geoff Chatas, Ohio State’s chief financial officer and senior vice president of business and finance, and Robert Schottenstein, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees and a member of the Fisher College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.
The university is also creating an endowed faculty chair, the Joseph A. Alutto Chair in Leadership Effectiveness, at Fisher College of Business.
“Provost Alutto has embodied the ideal that all of the very best teachers and educators have at least one thing in common: They change the lives of their students for the better,” Schottenstein said. “Today, I am pleased to announce that Ohio State has found not one – but two ways – to ensure that future generations are enhanced by the powerful ripple effect of his legacy.”
Alutto will step down as provost on June 30, and will serve as a special adviser to Gee on such issues as distance learning and university advancement.
The outgoing provost is known for his philanthropy on the university’s behalf. He established an MBA scholarship upon his arrival as dean in 1991, began giving to the Fisher Building Fund in 1992 and created the Carol L. Newcomb-Alutto Executive Education Endowed Fund in 2012.
About The Ohio State University
Founded in 1870, The Ohio State University is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. With more than 63,000 students (including 56,000 in Columbus), the Wexner Medical Center, 14 colleges, 80 centers and 175 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.
About Fisher College of Business
In 1993, Ohio State’s College of Business received a gift from alumnus Max M. Fisher, a leading industrialist, philanthropist and public servant. Mr. Fisher’s desire to see his alma mater become one of the premier management institutions in the country spearheaded the construction of a state-of-the-art, six-building campus. In recognition of his commitment, the college, founded in 1916, was named the Max M. Fisher College of Business.
