Ohio State honors seven at spring 2007 commencement
COLUMBUS – Seven individuals will be honored at Ohio State University's spring 2007 commencement for their contributions to society and academics, and their dedication to the university. Ceremonies begin at 1 p.m. Sunday (6/10), in Ohio Stadium.
Honorary doctorates will be presented to Dr. Gerald D. Buckberg, medical researcher and cardiac surgeon; Jean-Pierre G. Changeux, a pioneer in the field of modern neurobiology; former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who will deliver the commencement address; Karen A. Holbrook, retiring president of The Ohio State University; and Gilberto Gil Moreira, a Grammy award-winning world musician and Brazil's Minister of Culture.
Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to James F. Patterson, former university trustee and fifth generation fruit farmer in Geauga County, and Paul E. Young, Jr., professor emeritus of architecture at The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture.
Gerald D. Buckberg, Doctor of Science
Gerald D. Buckberg is a Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic
Surgery, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University in 1957, Dr. Buckberg earned his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati. He interned and did his early general surgical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, received his complete
general surgical and cardiothoracic training at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his research training at the Cardiovascular Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.
His research interests have centered on the area of myocardial protection and have led to the introduction of blood cardioplegia, which is currently used by 80 percent of surgeons in the United States, and increasingly in Europe and Asia, to intentionally stop the heart during adult and pediatric heart operations. He has also developed techniques to simply, safely, and rapidly deliver cardioplegia solutions to allow their distribution to all segments of the heart in order to ensure the solutions' protective effects.
Recent investigative studies by his team have led to a new approach to treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Specialized techniques have been developed to salvage and restore early function to heart muscle in heart attack patients after time intervals previously thought to cause irreversible damage. Additional methods have been developed by his team to increase the safety of operating on patients in shock after acute heart attacks.
In 1998, Dr. Buckberg organized the RESTORE team, an international group of surgeons and cardiologists from the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America, to treat congestive heart failure by altering ventricular geometry, a surgical approach that could revolutionize thinking about cardiac structure and function. He has been appointed as a faculty associate at the California Institute of Technology to collaborate on helical heart basic studies that completely rethink how the heart is formed and functions.
He has published more than 400 papers and has been a sought-after speaker at numerous medical and scientific forums throughout the world.
He is the recipient of the 2007 American Association for Thoracic Surgery Scientific Achievement Award, recognizing him for his seminal contributions in the field of myocardial preservation and for explaining the anatomy and pathophysiology of heart failure.
Jean-Pierre G. Changeux, Doctor of Science
A pioneer in the field of modern neurobiology, Jean-Pierre G. Changeux is professor at the
Pasteur Institute and at the Collége de France in Paris. He served as director of the Unit of Molecular Neurobiology at the Pasteur Institute from 1972 to 2006.
Changeux received a doctorate in natural sciences in 1964 under the tutelage of Nobel laureate Jacques Monod of the Pasteur Institute and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons before returning to the Pasteur Institute.
As a graduate student, Changeux began to conduct studies in receptors to explain the mode of communication among neurons in the brain. As his career progressed, he and his research team were the first to succeed in identifying and isolating a protein receptor as a neurotransmitter—the nicotinic receptor of acetylcholine—and understanding its function. Subsequently, they showed that other nicotinic receptors in certain areas of the brain are necessary for the transmission of impulses among neurons, making them indispensable for higher brain functions such as memory, learning processes, emotions, reward mechanisms, and consciousness.
Every current textbook in biological and pharmacological sciences includes his seminal work on the nicotinic receptor ion channel, and his innovative studies have provided a better understanding of the nature of nicotinic addiction, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and neuromuscular diseases.
Changeux has written or co-written several books on neuroscience for general audiences, including Neuronal Man; Conversations on Mind, Matter and Mathematics; What Makes Us Think: A Neuroscientist and a Philosopher Argue About Ethics, Human Nature and the Brain; and The Physiology of Truth: Neuroscience and Human Knowledge.
He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Paris Acadèmie des Sciences and is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Richard Lounsbery Prize, the Wolf Prize, the Balzan Prize, the American Philosophical Society's Karl Spencer Lashley Award in Neuroscience, the National Academy of Science's Award in Neuroscience, and the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science.
William J. Clinton, Doctor of Public Service
William Jefferson Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. Clinton graduated from Georgetown University and in 1968 won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. He received a law degree from Yale University in 1973, and shortly thereafter entered politics in Arkansas.
He was defeated in his campaign for Congress in Arkansas's Third District in 1974. The next year he married Hillary Rodham, a graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School. In 1980, Chelsea, their only child, was born. Clinton was elected Arkansas Attorney General in 1976, and won the governorship in 1978. After losing a bid for a second term, he regained the office four years later, and served until his 1992 bid for the Presidency of the United States.
Elected President of the United States in 1992, and again in 1996, President Clinton was the first Democratic president to be awarded a second term in six decades. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed the strongest economy in a generation and the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. President Clinton's core values of building community, creating opportunity, and demanding responsibility resulted in unprecedented progress for America, including moving the nation from record deficits to record surpluses; the creation of over 22 million jobs—more than any other administration; low levels of unemployment, poverty and crime; and the highest homeownership and college enrollment rates in history.
President Clinton's accomplishments in the White House include increasing investment in education, providing tax relief for working families, helping millions of Americans move from welfare to work, expanding access to technology, encouraging investment in underserved communities, protecting the environment, countering the threat of terrorism and promoting peace and strengthening democracy around the world. His administration's economic policies fostered the largest peacetime economic expansion in history. President Clinton previously served as the Governor of Arkansas, chairman of the National Governors' Association and Attorney General of Arkansas. As former chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, he is one of the original architects and leading advocates of the Third Way movement.
Since 2001, President Clinton has dedicated himself to philanthropy and continued public service through the William J. Clinton Foundation. The Foundation is focused on pressing challenges at home and abroad, and is committed to practical and measurable solutions to address them. Its initiatives focus on four critical areas: health security, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS; economic empowerment; leadership development and citizen service; and racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation.
Following the 2002 Barcelona AIDS Conference, President Clinton began the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) to assist countries in implementing large-scale, integrated, care, treatment and prevention programs that will turn the tide on the epidemic. CHAI has brought AIDS care and treatment to more than 750,000 people living with AIDS in more than 65 countries around the world. Foundation staff partner work on the ground in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia to develop operational business plans to scale-up care and treatment.
President Clinton and the American Heart Association partnered in May 2005 to create a new generation of healthy Americans by addressing the leading public health threat of childhood obesity. The Alliance's overall effort targets four key areas to spark change and encourage healthier lifestyles for young people: industry, schools, healthcare professionals and kids. The Alliance's Healthy Schools Program is providing hands-on technical assistance to 230 schools across 13 states. In 2006, the Alliance reached voluntary agreements with major beverage and snack food companies to sell more nutritious products in schools. In the United States, President Clinton also works through the Clinton Foundation Urban Enterprise Initiative to help small businesses acquire the tools they need to compete in the ever-changing urban marketplace.
In September 2005, President Clinton hosted the inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). CGI is a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. At an annual meeting each September, CGI members are asked to sign a written agreement, detailing their commitment to take action in one of four focus areas. The meeting is designed to stimulate practical ideas that result in direct and immediate action. Attendees who do not make or keep their commitment are not invited to attend future meetings. Hundreds of commitments are currently taking place helping improve the lives of people on 6 continents.
In the summer of 2006, President Clinton and the Clinton Foundation partnered with philanthropist Tom Hunter and the Hunter Foundation to launch the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI). Originally a commitment made by Sir Tom Hunter at the CGI 2005 annual meeting, CHDI is investing $100 million over 10 years in Africa to work with national governments in developing holistic frameworks to support economic development through food security, clean water, sanitation and quality health care. CHDI is currently at work in Rwanda and Malawi, at the invitation of the countries' governments, to increase the productivity of the countries' agriculture sectors, remove barriers to cost-effective trade, expand access to clean water and sanitation, and strengthen rural hospitals.
Building on his long-term commitment to preserving the environment, President Clinton launched the Clinton Climate Initiative in August 2006, with the mission of applying the Foundation's business-oriented approach to the fight against climate change in practical, measurable, and significant ways. In its first phase, CCI is working with the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group – a network of 40 of the largest cities in the world – to accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
President Clinton has dedicated himself to several humanitarian efforts outside of his Foundation's activities. Following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, President Clinton and former President Bush led a nationwide fundraising effort and established the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to assist survivors in the rebuilding effort. This campaign was the second collaboration for the former presidents, the first being their work on relief and recovery following the Indian Ocean tsunami. President Clinton also served as the United Nations Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery for two years following the 2004 tsunami.
Gilberto Gil Moreira, Doctor of Music
Gilberto Gil Moreira, a Grammy award-winning world musician, was named Brazil's Minister of Culture in 2002.
Born in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, he began playing accordion at an early age, forming his first group, Os Desafinados, at the age of 18. He was greatly influenced by the explosion of Bossa Nova in the 1960s, taking up the guitar, composing in a more personal style, and recording his first songs in 1962. During this time, he was also studying at the University of Bahia, earning his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1964.
Gil began a partnership with fellow musician Caetano Veloso, and in 1968 founded Tropicalismo, an artistic movement that greatly contributed to the internationalization of Brazilian music and culture. He has long served as a role model for Afro-Brazilians and Brazilians in general. As Minister of Culture, he has developed pioneering cultural programs that have allocated funds, including digital technology, to low-income communities to promote their culture and art. He has produced more than 40 recordings and has received a number of awards for his music, including the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 1998 and 2001 and the Best Contemporary World Music Album in 2005. He received the Latin Grammy Award in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Through his music and his activism, Gil denounced prejudice and racism in Brazil, calling for a fairer and more egalitarian society. In 1989, he founded Onda Azul (Blue Wave), a foundation that has as its main objective the promotion of the sustained use and preservation of Brazilian waters and their related ecosystems. His long involvement in Brazilian social, environmental, and cultural affairs culminated with his appointment as Minister of Culture.
As Minister of Culture, he has taken a proactive approach in validating humanitarian,
social, and ecological endeavors as an integral part of Brazilian society and its cultural and economic development. He works to empower individuals and groups, particularly those in deprived rural and urban areas, previously excluded from politics.
Gil has been recognized with several international awards, including UNESCO's Artist for Peace in 1999 and the French government's Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2003. In 2005 he received the title of Grand Officier de l'Ordre National de la Lègion d'Honneur, the highest distinction ever granted to someone by the French government.
Karen A. Holbrook, Doctor of Education
Karen A. Holbrook became the 13th president of The Ohio State University on October 1, 2002. She earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in biological structure from the University of Washington, School of Medicine, where she pursued postdoctoral training in the Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology.
Holbrook came to Columbus from The University of Georgia, where she served as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, as well as professor of cell biology and adjunct professor of anatomy and cell biology and medicine at the Medical College of Georgia. Before that, she served at the University of Florida-Gainesville as vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, as well as professor of anatomy and cell biology and medicine.
Under Holbrook's direction, Ohio State has made substantial and measurable progress toward fulfilling the goals of its Academic Plan and to realizing its vision as a top-ranked research and teaching university of this nation. Since taking office, she has made cutting-edge research a priority and an integral part of the educational process at all levels of the university. As a result, Ohio State's sponsored research funding has topped $652 million, an all-time high. Ohio State now ranks 8th among public universities in research expenditures.
As a champion of expanding the undergraduate research experience, Holbrook has led the effort to offer freshmen seminars and provide research opportunities for undergraduates in every college of the university and has overseen the establishment of the Office of Undergraduate Research and the doubling of participation in the prestigious Denman Undergraduate Research Forum.
Throughout her career, Holbrook has held leadership roles and has actively participated in professional and honorary societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, where she is a Fellow; the American Association of Universities; and the Association of American Medical Colleges. She currently is a member of the advisory board to the director of the National Institute of Health and serves on the board of directors of several national higher education organizations.
Her honors and awards include the Distinguished Contribution to Research Administration Award from the Society of Research Administrators International; the Women in Higher Education Award, National Panhellenic Conference Foundation, Inc.; 2006 YWCA Women of Achievement Award; and the President's Award for Leadership in Technology Development from TechColumbus, among others.
James F. Patterson, Distinguished Service Award
James F. Patterson is the fifth generation of his family to farm in Geauga County. The 116-acre Patterson Fruit Farm in Chesterland includes 45 acres of apple orchards and 12 acres of strawberries.
He was a Geauga County commissioner from 1969 to 1982 and president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation from 1985 to 1989.
Patterson was named to The Ohio State University Board of Trustees by Governor George Voinovich in 1994, serving as the board's chair from 2002 to 2003. During his tenure on the board, he served on the two Presidential Search Committees that brought Presidents William Kirwan and Karen Holbrook to Ohio State. As chair of the second committee, he worked diligently to include all members and interested parties in the process. He brought the same inclusive skills and work ethic to his chairing of the Board of Trustees. He remains involved in higher education policymaking through his current service on the Ohio Board of Regents.
A 1964 graduate of Ohio State's then College of Agriculture (now Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences) with a Bachelor of Science in horticulture, Mr. Patterson has remained actively involved with the college, its alumni association, and its extension and research programs. He has helped facilitate several generous gifts to the college that established the C. William Swank Endowed Chair, the Farm Income Enhancement Endowed Chair, and the Nationwide-Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. He has served as chair of the Ohio State Alumni Advisory Committee and on the support councils of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and OSU Extension. He continues to serve as a spokesperson for the changing role of a premier land-grant university that serves not only those in agriculture, but all Ohio citizens.
At the conclusion of his Ohio State trusteeship, his friends and colleagues honored him by establishing the James F. Patterson Endowment for an Annual Land-Grant Lectureship in 2003. That same year, he received The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Alumni Meritorious Service Award. He is also the recipient of the Alpha Gamma Rho Brother of the Century Award, the Celebration of Youth Ohio 4-H Award, the Ohio Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award, and The Ohio State University Alumni Association Mershon Award.
Paul E. Young, Jr., Distinguished Service Award
Paul E. Young, Jr. is professor emeritus of architecture at The Ohio State University Knowlton School of Architecture and a registered architect. He continues to serve as a consultant to Ohio State's Office of Facility Planning and Development.
Young holds a five-year Bachelor of Architecture from Ohio State and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois. After service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and teaching stints at the University of Illinois and Ohio University, he joined Ohio State's architecture faculty in 1969, serving as department chair from 1970 to 1978.
His unrivaled knowledge of the history of Ohio State's physical campus and his commitment to the role the campus plays in accomplishing the academic mission of the university and enhancing the quality of life in the academic community led to his serving as faculty coordinator for the revision of the campus Master Plan in 1995. That plan continues to guide planning decisions, affecting the architectural quality of more than 40 buildings constructed on campus over the past 15 years. The renovation of the William Oxley Thompson Library, now underway, bears his imprint in its strong connection to the Oval and restoration of historic interior spaces.
During his tenure at the university, Young served on numerous committees, advisory boards, and task forces, always putting the interests of the university and its academic mission foremost in decisions regarding the design and operations of the physical environment.
As president of The Ohio State University Faculty Club from 1994 to 1997, Professor Young worked to bring the club to fiscal health as well as physical integrity and attractiveness. He also served on the High Street Steering Committee that helped guide the development of the Gateway and fostered improved relationships between the campus and surrounding communities. He was instrumental in choosing the site for the new Fisher College of Business when it moved from the Oval.
As a specialist in architectural design and history, Young played a leading role in developing a new course, "The Ohio State University: Its History and Its World," for which he continues to lecture on key developments in the design of the campus over its 130-year history.
