Ohio State honors five at spring 2011 commencement

COLUMBUS – Five individuals will be honored at The Ohio State University’s spring 2011 commencement for their contributions to society and academics, and their dedication to the university. Ceremonies begin at noon on Sunday (6/12), at Ohio Stadium.

Honorary doctorates will be presented to commencement speaker John Boehner, the 53rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; J. Lyle Bootman, one of the foremost experts in pharmacoeconomics; and Ohio State alumnus Carter G. Phillips, among the most dynamic and successful Supreme Court litigators in U.S. history.

Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to Barbara Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University who earlier had a long and distinguished career at her alma mater, Ohio State, and Joel Weaver, emeritus professor in The Ohio State University College of Dentistry who founded the first master's degree residency in anesthesiology for dentists in the U.S. and became one of the preeminent leaders in the field of dental anesthesiology

John A. Boehner, Doctor of Public Service

John A. Boehner is the 53rd Speaker of the United States House of Representa¬tives. When he took the gavel as the chamber’s presiding officer, Speaker Boehner became the first Ohioan to lead the House since 1931. His rise to the Speaker's Office in January 2011 capped a long rise that began in the private sector and in grass roots community service.

The second oldest of 12 brothers and sisters, Speaker Boehner has lived in southwest Ohio his entire life. He grew up mopping floors at his family’s business, Andy’s Café, and worked to pay his way through Xavier University, becoming the first member of his family to earn a college degree. He went on to run a successful small business in the plastics and packaging industry, where he created jobs, met a payroll, and saw firsthand how government policies impact the American private sector.

Now second in line of succession to the presidency after the vice president, Speaker Boehner's public service began when he was elected to his neighborhood homeown¬ers association. Following successful candidacies for township board of trustees and the Ohio General Assembly, in 1990 Mr. Boehner won the seat in the United States Congress that he continues to hold. As a junior member in the 435-member House of Representatives, Mr. Boehner first gained national attention for his leadership on the federal budget and reforms of House practices.

In 1994, Mr. Boehner helped his party win its first majority in the House in four decades. He continued his pursuit of a balanced budget, and was the author of the Freedom to Farm Act. During the next decade, Mr. Boehner took on major leadership roles, including House Republi-can Conference Chairman and chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he successfully worked for enactment of a number of major bipartisan reform laws.

On November 17, 2010, his 61st birthday, Mr. Boehner was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Speaker-designate; he was sworn in as Speaker of the House on January 5, 2011. Leading in a time when federal governance is split between both major parties, Speaker Boehner has won praise for his ability to maintain the priorities of his party while also working collaboratively across the political spectrum with dignity and civility.

J. Lyle Bootman, Doctor of Science

J. Lyle Bootman is a professor of pharmacy, medicine, and public health at the University of Arizona and has served as dean of the university’s College of Pharmacy since 1987. He is considered one of the foremost experts in pharmacoeco¬nomics, an analytical approach to assessing the costs and effectiveness of drug therapy for health care systems and society. His research in this area led to the creation of the University of Arizona Center for Health Outcomes and PharmacoEconomic (HOPE) Research and the nonprofit Healthcare Transformation Institute, of which he is founding director.

As a pioneer of pharmacoeconomics, Dr. Bootman has conducted seminal research leading to a greater understanding of health care systems and how to improve patient health care value, patient outcomes, and services. His studies in the mid-1990s on drug-related morbidity and mortality heavily influenced long-term changes in the field of pharmacy that reduced medication-related errors and increased the quality of care. Dr. Bootman has authored more than 285 research articles, books, and mono¬graphs, including the first textbook on the topic, Principles of Pharmacoeconomics. He also served as co-chair of an Institute of Medicine committee that produced a highly influential report on “Preventing Medication Errors.”

Dr. Bootman is considered to be one of the 50 most influential pharmacists in the United States by American Druggist. His list of awards spans more than 25 years, including the George Archambault Award, the highest honor given by the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; the Latiolais Honor Medal, the highest honor in managed health care by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association; and the Joseph P. Remington Honor Medal, the highest honor given by the profession of pharmacy to recognize distinguished service and lifetime contributions.

After earning a bachelor of pharmacy degree from the University of Arizona, Dr. Bootman completed a clinical pharmacy residency at the National Institutes of Health. He holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota, where he was honored with the alumni Outstanding Achievement Award.

Carter G. Phillips, Doctor of Public Service

Carter G. Phillips is the managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office of Sidley Austin LLP. Re¬nowned as a powerful advocate on behalf of his clients, Mr. Phillips is among the most dynamic and successful Supreme Court litigators in U.S. history. He has argued 71 cases before the Supreme Court, which is the most of any lawyer currently in private practice.

Before joining Sidley Austin, Mr. Phillips clerked for Judge Robert A. Sprecher on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and for Chief Justice Warren E. Burger of the United States Supreme Court. Beginning in 1981, he served for three years as assistant to the Solicitor General for the United States. In 1984, he joined Sidley Austin, becoming partner in 1986 and managing partner in 1995.

Mr. Phillips is the recipient of numerous honors, including being named one of the 45 top lawyers under 45 by The American Lawyer, one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal in 2006, “Best Lawyer in the Specialty of Appellate Law” in The Best Lawyers in America, 2007–2011, and the #1 rated lawyer in Washington, D.C., by Super Lawyers Magazine for each of the past three years. Numerous other recognitions include the Lewis F. Powell Award for Business Advocacy in 2007 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He has been listed among Legal Times’ “Champions, Visionaries, and Pioneers” in Washington’s legal community.

Mr. Phillips has been a great friend and supporter of his alma mater, The Ohio State University. As a guest lecturer in the Moritz College of Law, he has offered students a window into appellate practice before the Supreme Court. Mr. Phillips also regularly hosts Ohio State students and faculty in Washington to discuss their research and career plans. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Phillips earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State in 1973. He received his MA from Northwestern University in 1975, and his JD from Northwestern University School of Law in 1977.

Barbara R. Snyder, Distinguished Service Award

Barbara Snyder is president of Case Western Reserve University. She has served Ohio institutions of higher education for nearly 30 years, and is revered as both a legal scholar and academic leader. As president of Case Western Reserve since 2007, Ms. Snyder has guided the university to important milestones in its fiscal management, set new fund-raising records, and completed the university’s first strategic plan in more than a decade.

Prior to leading Case Western Reserve, Ms. Snyder had a long and distinguished career at her alma mater, The Ohio State University. She joined the faculty of the Moritz College of Law in 1988 as an associate professor, was promoted to professor in 1990, and secured a named professorship in 2000. That same year, she was appointed associate dean for Academic Affairs at Moritz Law, and took on a university-wide administration post in 2001. As a member of Ohio State’s senior leader¬ship team, she was then called upon to serve as vice provost for Academic Policy and Human Resources, interim vice president for University Relations, and, ultimately, executive vice president and provost.

In her four years as executive vice president and provost, Ms. Snyder dedicated herself to raising Ohio State’s academic stature and to bettering the quality of life for members of its community. Her most celebrated efforts included leadership of the Targeted Investments in Excellence initiative, which featured an unprecedented commitment to funding interdisciplinary partnerships. She also championed im¬proved employment benefits, including paid parental leave for graduate students, staff, and faculty.

For her unwavering commitment to Ohio State, Ms. Snyder received the College of Law Outstanding Professor Award, the Council of Graduate Students Distinguished Service Award, the University Distinguished Affirmative Action Award, and the Mary Ann Williams Women’s Leadership Award.

Prior to joining Ohio State, Ms. Snyder served as a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University and worked at a law firm in Chicago, Illinois. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Ohio State and her juris doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School, where she served as executive editor of the University of Chicago Law Review.

Joel M. Weaver II, Distinguished Service Award

Joel Weaver is emeritus professor in The Ohio State University College of Dentistry.
The Akron native earned his bachelor of science degree from the Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy in 1968 and his dental degree from The Ohio State University in 1972.

After completing a four-year National Institute of Dental Research-sponsored residency in anesthesiology, including a PhD in pharmacology, he joined the university’s faculty in 1976 as assistant professor. He maintained a dual appointment in the College of Dentistry and in the Department of Anesthesiology in the College of Medicine. He practiced as a dentist anesthesiologist in the dental clinic and in the hospital operating rooms for more than 30 years before his retirement in 2007.

During his distinguished career at Ohio State, Dr. Weaver founded the first master's degree residency in anesthesiology for dentists in the United States and became one of the preeminent leaders in the field of dental anesthesiology. While leading the way in changing practices to benefit patients, Dr. Weaver taught a generation of students who have gone on to practice dentistry in Ohio and worldwide. He was the first recipient of the Department of Anesthesiology’s senior resident teaching award in 1987, and in 2006 he received the College of Dentistry’s highest honor, the Postle Teaching Award.

Dr. Weaver is the national media spokesperson of the American Dental Association on the subject of anesthesia. He is past president of the three major organizations in his field: the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology, and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, book chapters, monographs, and editorials, and since 1996 has been the editor of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Anesthesia Progress.

Dr. Weaver received the Monheim Award from the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, the Heidbrink Award from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, and the Horace Wells Award from the International Federation of Dental Anesthesiology Societies. In retirement, he continues to teach and provide anesthesia services in the operating rooms at the OSU Medical Center.