Ohio State honors six at spring 2003 commencement

COLUMBUS – Six individuals will be honored at Ohio State University’s spring 2003 commencement for their contributions to society and academics, and their dedication to the university. Ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday (6/13), in Ohio Stadium.

Honorary doctorates will be presented to Robert D. Havener, a leader of the Green Revolution to end world hunger; Adrienne L. Kennedy, internationally recognized playwright, poet and adapter; William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland and former president of The Ohio State University; and Ted Turner, chair of the Turner Foundation, Inc. and former vice chair of AOL Time Warner.
Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to Gerald M. Reagan, professor emeritus in The Ohio State University School of Educational Policy and Leadership; and Micki Zartman, a strong advocate and volunteer on behalf of Ohio State and its College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Robert D. Havener, Doctor of Public Service

Robert D. Havener is director emeritus of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, president emeritus of Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, and founding member and former senior consultant to the World Food Prize Foundation.

The Noble County native received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in agriculture from The Ohio State University in 1952 and 1958, respectively, and a M.PA from the Kennedy School of Government from Harvard University in 1972. He worked as an extension agent in Ohio, as a meat merchandising manager in Chicago and Canton, and as a staff member at Michigan State University before joining the Ford Foundation in 1966, where he began his work with the Green Revolution through the foundation’s programs in Pakistan and the Middle East.

Havener holds the distinction of having served as director of five International Agricultural Research Centers, which have made tremendous progress in reducing famine and hunger globally. These positions include director of the Agricultural Development Program in Pakistan (1966-71); director of the Arid Lands Agricultural Development Programs in Beirut, Lebanon (1972-76); director general of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico (1978-85); interim director general of the Centro Internacional de Agriculture Tropical in Cali, Colombia (1994-95); and interim director general of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Philippines (1998-99).

As one of the Green Revolution’s leaders, Havener has used his administrative skills to make an impact on international policy and programs designed to fight hunger, helping to quadruple world agricultural production. His visionary leadership creates an atmosphere in which his colleagues are able to attain the highest levels of accomplishment in their fields.

Havener has also addressed the issue of integrating livestock with food crops—a key to improving nutrition at the household level in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.

His honors include fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the American Agricultural Editors’ Association Distinguished Service Award; The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences’ Distinguished Alumni Award; membership in Ohio State’s Animal Science Hall of Fame; and the National Agri-Marketing Association National Award for Agricultural Excellence.

Adrienne L. Kennedy, Doctor of Literature

An internationally recognized playwright, poet and adapter, Adrienne Kennedy is an alumna of The Ohio State University, receiving her bachelor's degree in education in 1953.

The Cleveland native's bittersweet memories of her college years—when her excitement at exploring literature was tempered by the racism she faced on campus, in the classroom, and in the community—are captured in her award-winning 1992 play, The Ohio State Murders, which was presented by Ohio State's Department of Theatre in 2001.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of her graduation, the theatre department presented her Sleep Deprivation Chamber, co-written with her son, Adam Kennedy, as part of its regular performance season in May. The play recounts her son's own brush with racism four decades after her own experiences in Columbus.

Her first produced play, Funnyhouse of a Negro, appeared off-Broadway in 1963 and created a sensation with its stream-of-consciousness examination of a young African American woman living in a world dominated by European ideals of culture at odds with her African heritage. Produced by Edward Albee, the play won an Obie Award for off-Broadway theatre and became a cult hit. Over the next four decades, her work has become intensely personal and experimental.

Her major plays include The Lennon Play: In His Own Write (adaptation with John Lennon and Victor Spinetti, 1968); A Lesson in Dead Language (1970); A Movie Star Has to Star in Black and White (1976); She Talks to Beethoven (1989); June and Jean in Concert (1995), and Motherhood 2000 (2000). She has also published fiction and essays, and her 1987 memoir, People Who Led My Plays, recounts her Cleveland childhood and the impact Ohio State has had on her writing career. Kennedy is the only woman and African American to have a season devoted to her work at New York Shakespeare Festival – Public Theatre Signature Series in 1995.

Among Kennedy's many honors are three Obie Awards; the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards; the Pierre Lecomte du Novy Award; awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and fellowships from the Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and Lila Wallace Readers Digest Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has twice been the Chancellor's Distinguished Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, and has been a distinguished visiting artist and teacher at Harvard, Yale and Stanford universities.

William E. Kirwan, Doctor of Education

William English “Brit” Kirwan became the third chancellor of the University System of Maryland in 2002. Prior to that, Kirwan served as president of The Ohio State University for nearly four years and as president of the University of Maryland, College Park, for nine years. Before becoming president, he was a member of the University of Maryland mathematics faculty for 34 years.

A native of Kentucky, Kirwan received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky and his master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Rutgers University. He joined Maryland’s faculty in 1964, achieving tenure is 1968 and full professorship in 1972. He is a member of several honorary and professional societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, the American Mathematical Society, and the Mathematical Association of America. A prolific scholar, he has written a number of articles in peer-reviewed professional journals.

As a leading figure in American higher education, Kirwan has served with distinction in positions of leadership in national associations of higher education. He is a member of the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the Business-Higher Education Forum, the National Visiting Committee for the National Science Digital Library and the Blue Ribbon Panel of the National Dialogue on Student Financial Aid. He was recently elected to join the 2002 class of fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he was appointed by President Bush to the Board of Advisers on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

His leadership roles include chair-elect of NASULGC’s Commission on International Affairs, chair of its Council of Presidents, and chair of the Commission on Human Resources and Social Change. Kirwan was appointed by President Clinton to serve as a member of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century and chaired the National Research Council’s Mathematical Sciences in the Year 2000 Committee.

His community service while in Columbus included membership of the board of directors of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the board of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Committed to the development of knowledge industries in Central Ohio, he served as chair of the board of the Columbus Science and Technology Corporation and on the board of the Columbus Technology Leadership Council.

R. E. “Ted” Turner, Doctor of Humane Letters

Ted Turner is chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc., as well as chairman of three philanthropic foundations—the Turner Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

The Cincinnati native attended Brown University, where he was vice president of the Debating Union and commodore of the Yacht Club. He is a member of Brown's board of directors.

He began his business career as an account executive for Turner Advertising Company (now Turner Broadcasting System), becoming president and chief operating officer in 1963, a position he held until the company's merger with Time Warner in 1996. In 1976, he originated the "superstation" concept, transmitting the TBS signal to cable systems nationwide via satellite. In 1980, he inaugurated CNN, the world's first, live, in-depth, ‘round-the-clock news television network. Launched in 1985, CNN International serves as the company's global news service, distributed in more than 210 countries.

One of the most influential philanthropists in the nation, Turner directs most of his charitable activities through his Turner Foundation, founded in 1991; the United Nations Foundation, created in 1997; and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, launched in 2001. The foundation supports environmental concerns, making hundreds of grants to conservation groups and environmental initiatives nationwide. His historic commitment of up to $1 billion to the United Nations Foundation supports four core priorities: women and population, children's health, the environment, and peace and security. The Nuclear Threat Initiative works to close the growing gap between the threat from weapons of mass destruction and the global response. In addition, Turner originated the Goodwill Games in 1985 as an international, world-class, quadrennial,multi-sport competition.

As the country's largest landowner, Mr. Turner is committed to managing his lands in an economically sustainable and ecologically sensitive manner while promoting the conservation of native species. He is returning his land to its original range conditions, reintroducing
endangered species and grazing buffalo, which do not require grain, instead of cattle. In 2002, he opened the first Ted's Montana Grill in Columbus, serving bison burgers along with traditional American “comfort” food, with plans for 40 more such restaurants in the future.

He is the recipient of numerous honors, including Time Magazine’s 1991 Man of the Year and Cable and Broadcasting's Man of the Century in 1999. A superior yachtsman, he successfully defended the 1977 America's Cup and holds the 1979 Fastnet Trophy as well as four
Yachtsman of the Year awards. As owner of the Atlanta Braves, he accepted the major league baseball team's first World Championship trophy in 1995 on behalf of the team.

Gerald M. Reagan, Distinguished Service Award

Gerald Reagan is professor emeritus in The Ohio State University School of Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education. From 1992 to 2000, he served as secretary of the University Senate and secretary of the University Faculty, in which capacity he was involved with the administration and coordination of university-wide faculty governance activities.

Professor Reagan earned his B.A. degree in history from the University of Nebraska in 1957, his M.A. in history from Western Michigan University in 1959, and his Ph.D. in philosophy of education from Michigan State University in 1964. He joined Ohio State’s faculty in 1969 after holding faculty positions at Michigan State, the University of Tennessee, UCLA, and Syracuse University. He became a full professor in the College of Education in 1971, retiring as professor emeritus in 2001.

During his tenure at Ohio State, Reagan has guided some of the most important reform efforts the university has undertaken as it has focused its energies on academic excellence. From 1986 to 1990, he chaired the Special Committee for Undergraduate Curriculum Review, issuing what became known as the Reagan Report—a recommendation of a cohesive general education curriculum that has been implemented by the university. His service on other university committees has included the Advisory Council on Teaching Excellence, the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Student Recruitment, the university’s Fiscal Advisory Committee, the Faculty Compensation and Benefits Committee, and the Faculty Advisory Committee to the Board of Regents. As secretary of the University Senate, he brought selfless dedication and wise counsel as the university struggled with restructuring during the fiscal setbacks of the ‘90s.

Reagan has served as director of several projects, including the Lilly Foundation Teaching Fellows Program and the Zirkle Program for Innovative Teaching. A prolific scholar, he has authored numerous articles in professional journals and has been a presenter at conferences worldwide.

His teaching skills have been rewarded with a 1982 Ohio State Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award, and he is a charter member of the university’s Academy of Teaching. He was selected as the Ohio State commencement speaker for autumn quarter 1989. In 1995, he received a Council of Graduate Students’ Distinguished Service Award and, in 1998, a University Faculty Distinguished Service Award.

Micki Zartman, Distinguished Service Award

Micki Zartman has long been a strong advocate and volunteer on behalf of The Ohio State University and its College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

A native of New Mexico, Zartman attended New Mexico University before receiving her B.S. degree in human ecology from Ohio State in 1991. While still in New Mexico, she served as state director of the Parents’ Anonymous Child Abuse Prevention program, as a southern New Mexico state representative for UNICEF, in several leader-ship positions for the General Federated Women’s Club of America, and as co-founder of Friends of Foreign Students at New Mexico State University. Her work there earned her an Outstanding Junior Women and Outstanding Young Women of America awards.

Her primary allegiance since coming to Ohio has been the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. With endless energy, she has helped students from elementary school through college understand the role and importance of agriculture in the state of Ohio. Toward this end, she has recruited, trained, and coached dozens of undergraduate students annually as educators and tour guides on behalf of the college.

Zartman has developed a number of ongoing program efforts to promote the college’s mission. She reinstituted the Dairy Tours, which now provide more than 5,000 elementary students annually the opportunity to visit Ohio State’s dairy facilities. She created Scarlet and Gray Ag Day, recruiting 120 undergraduates to plan and execute the program, which brings young students to campus for a day of learning. Her Agricultural Research Program is a two-week program for inner-city high school students to help them become engaged with science through collaborative efforts with college faculty and staff. Scarlet and Gray Ag Biotechnology Days bring advanced placement science students to campus for immersion in cutting-edge science. Through her Service Learning Workshop, Zartman sponsors six Ohio State students to attend a workshop at Shelbourne Farms in Vermont.

For her extensive volunteer efforts, Mrs. Zartman has been named an honorary member of Saddle and Sirloin, receiving its “Aunt” Award, and of the Agricultural Education Society. She is the recipient of a Meritorious Service Award from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environment Sciences and the Distinguished Service Award from Ohio State’s Agricultural Education Society.