Ohio State honors four at summer 2014 commencement

Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State University will honor four individuals during the summer commencement ceremony, where 1,721 graduates will receive diplomas. Commencement begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
The honorary doctor of higher education degree will be presented to commencement speaker Joseph A. Alutto, whose legacy of Ohio State University leadership dates back to 1991.
In addition, the university will present the Distinguished Service Award to two Ohio State graduates and a professor emeritus. 
William Lowrie, a 1966 graduate who has remained a dedicated supporter of his alma mater, particularly the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, which carries his name; Dan D. Sandman, 1973 graduate who devotes much time and energy to ensuring that the Moritz College of Law remains a premier law school; and Daniel B. Shapiro, professor emeritus of mathematics and director of the university’s Ross Mathematics Program. 
The commencement ceremony will be available via a live video stream. The stream begins at 2 p.m. Watch: http://commencement.osu.edu/video.html. In addition, excerpts from the ceremony will be broadcast on WOSU-TV, Channel 34, at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 11.

                                         Joseph A. Alutto, Doctor of Higher Education

One of the most influential administrators in Ohio State’s history, Joseph A. Alutto is the only leader to twice guide the university as interim president. Currently a Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior, Alutto completed his second term as interim president in June 2014. He previously served as interim president in 2007.
Arriving at Ohio State as dean of the business college in 1991, he presided over a remarkable transition at the Max M. Fisher College of Business during his 16 years at the helm, including the construction of a six-building business complex. He was named the John W. Berry, Sr. chair in Business in 1999. While serving as business dean, Alutto also served as executive dean for the professional colleges at Ohio State.
In 2007, Alutto was named the university’s executive vice president and provost. In this role, he was the chief officer for all academic functions of the university, including coordinating all budgeting expenditures as chair of the university's integrated financial Planning committee. To date, he is the second-longest serving provost in the history of the university. 
Prior to Ohio State, Alutto served as the Clarence S. Marsh Professor of Management at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he focused his research on Sino-U.S. joint ventures and the relationships between improvement processes and corporate performance. He also served as dean of the SUNY-Buffalo School of Management from 1976 to 1990. Alutto received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Manhattan College, a master’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Illinois and a doctorate in organizational behavior from Cornell University. 
Alutto is also a leading authority on managerial behavior, having coauthored a book on research methods in organizational research and more than 65 articles in academic journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology and Industrial and Labor Relations Review. He has lectured widely in china on management issues and pioneered the first Sino-U.S. jointly funded MBA program offered in the People’s Republic of China in 1984.

                                       William G. Lowrie, Distinguished Service Award

Born in Painesville, Ohio, William Lowrie of Sheldon, South Carolina, learned early in life the importance of hard work, dedication and loyalty. Those bedrock values served him well during a 33-year career that saw the 1966 Ohio State graduate rise from engineer to president of Amoco Corporation, one of the world’s largest petroleum companies.
Backed by a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Lowrie played a major role in increasing oil recovery and advancing drilling technology in the petroleum industry. Highly regarded for his innovative thinking, he was involved in the development of environmental fuels, managed international oil acquisitions and directed projects that were the basis for technology for producing methane from coal beds. He retired as deputy CEO of BP Amoco in 1999.
Since the early ’80s, he has performed key leadership roles as an alumnus volunteer at Ohio State. He served as a charter member of the Department of Chemical Engineering’s Advisory Committee, which he chaired 1990 – 98, and as chair of the National Committee for the new Koffolt Laboratories since 2004. He joined the university’s Foundation Board in 1996, serving as vice chair 1997–2001, then as chair until 2004, and is currently serving as chair again. He is also chair of the But for Ohio State campaign coordinating committee and serves on its steering committee. 
In 2009, Mr. Lowrie made a transformative financial commitment to support the construction of the new Koffolt Laboratories in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building, the creation of a professorship and an endowed chair and enhancement of education and research opportunities. In recognition of the significance of this gift, the chemical engineering department now bears his name. 
Lowrie’s service and achievements have been recognized previously by the Texnikoi Outstanding Alumnus Award, Distinguished Alumnus Award and Benjamin G. Lamme Meritorious Achievement Medal from the College of Engineering. He was the first individual in the history of the college to receive all three awards. He also received the 2004 Everett D. Reese Medal, the university’s highest honor that recognizes exceptional service in private philanthropy. In 2008 he was honored with the Alumni Association’s Medalist Award for career achievement.

                                      Dan D. Sandman, Distinguished Service Award

A two-time graduate of The Ohio State University, Dan Sandman of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been a tireless ambassador for the Moritz College of Law since earning his Bachelor of Arts in 1970 and Juris Doctor in 1973. He has demonstrated his longtime loyalty to his alma mater as a volunteer, donor, mentor and teacher.
Since 1994, he has served on Moritz’s National Council, helping to guide its decisions regarding new college programs. He also serves on the advisory board for Moritz’s Program on Law and Leadership, which integrates leadership education into the academic experience. As an adjunct professor at the college, he teaches in the Distinguished Practitioner in Residence in Business Law program, providing students with real-world insight into corporate governance.
Sandman has made significant contributions to the Robert K. Barton Memorial Fund, founded by Jack Nicklaus, which provides scholarships for law students committed to the game of golf. As one of the first recipients of this scholarship, he has made this fund a philanthropic priority for his family. In addition, he and his wife created the Dan D. and Bonnie A. Sandman Fund to support Moritz’s Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies. He is also a member of the college’s But for Ohio State Campaign Committee.
Also at Ohio State, Mr. Sandman served He played key roles in recruiting Archie Griffin as the association’s leader, and he served on the Athletic Council as both an undergraduate and an alumnus. A member of the American, Pennsylvania and Ohio Bar Associations, Mr. Sandman has had a prolific legal career at prominent corporations, including Marathon Oil Company, USX Corporation and United States Steel Corporation, from which he retired in 2007. That same year, he received the Ralph Davenport Mershon Award for exceptional service to Ohio State. Sandman currently serves on the boards of the Carnegie Science Center and the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission in Pittsburgh. He also serves on two Ohio-based commercial boards, Roppe Corporation and Marathon Pipe Line.

                                  Daniel B. Shapiro, Distinguished Service Award

Anchored by the potential of eager-to-learn mathematicians and a deep appreciation for numbers and formulas, Professor Emeritus Daniel Shapiro has spent his career improving the study of mathematics for students ranging from middle school to university age. Professor Shapiro joined the mathematics faculty at The Ohio State University as an assistant professor in 1974, and has shaped the teaching and learning of math through various roles at Ohio State for 40 years. Although he retired in 2013, he continues to lead a nationally recognized math program. 
Since 2000, Professor Shapiro has directed Ohio State’s Ross Mathematics Program, a six-week summer immersion in mathematics for talented high school students. His continued dedication to elevating this program stems partially from his own participation in the program as a high school student, which inspired him to pursue a career of mathematical teaching and research in quadratic forms. Since then, he has worked in multiple capacities to cement the program as a unique and valuable educational opportunity.
Professor Shapiro also created and led both the Ross Program for Teachers and Columbus Math Circle. These outreach initiatives further demonstrate his commitment to developing math skills in teachers and students alike. At the collegiate level, Professor Shapiro’s expertise as a teacher and administrator has touched countless components of Ohio State’s Department of Mathematics. He served as vice chair for lower division studies for 12 years, where he was responsible for academic and operational oversight of approximately 40 percent of all math credit hours. He was instrumental in implementing the online math placement process and spearheaded the department’s curriculum conversion to a semester schedule. He also served on several Ohio board of regents committees to help clarify state policies for articulation and transfer of math courses.
Professor Shapiro earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1970 and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1974.

About The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is a dynamic community of diverse resources, where opportunity thrives and where individuals transform themselves and the world. Founded in 1870, Ohio State 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 57,000 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.