Ohio State trustees meet, approve university matters - 04/01/05

COLUMBUS -- A new endowed professorship at The Ohio State University will support a nationally eminent physician/researcher in cardiovascular medicine in The Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. The John W. Wolfe Professorship in Cardiovascular Research was established Friday (4/1) by the university’s Board of Trustees with $1 million in gifts from The Robert F. Wolfe and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation in honor of the late John W. Wolfe, former chairman of the Dispatch Printing Company and a longtime advocate for healthcare in Central Ohio.

The board accepted a total of $3.99 million in endowed funds given to the university during February and $26.6 million in research grants and contracts awarded to The Ohio State University Research Foundation in February.

In other business, trustees approved a variety of fiscal, personnel and construction-related matters.

Named endowed funds
• Margaret Hall and Robert Randall Rinehart Chair Fund, $1,109,427, provided by gifts from the estates of Margaret Hall and Robert Randall Rinehart (B.S., 1937) and the Rinehart Family Trust to fund the Robert Randall Rinehart Chair in the School of Communication

• Jack Martin Balcer Fund, $188,000, provided by a gift from the estate of Jack Balcer to purchase books and materials in ancient history and archeology

• The Raymond D. and Margaret E. Hammond Cancer Research Endowment Fund, $141,902, provided by planned gifts from Raymond D. Hammond (B.S.Ch.E., 1949) of Jacksonville, Fla., to support priority needs in research and prevention of cancer at the Comprehensive Cancer Center – The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

• The Ben Stinner Endowment Fund for Healthy Agroecosystems and Sustainable Communities, $118,853, provided by gifts from friends and colleagues of Ben Stinner to continue Ben’s lifework in agroecology, promoting sustainable agriculture and sustainable communities

• The John and Carol Russell Athletic Scholarship Fund, $100,000, provided by a gift from Vision Insurance Group LLC in the names of John Russell (B.S., 1979) and his wife, Carol (B.S., 1982), of Brentwood, Tenn., to supplement the grant-in-aid scholarship costs of a student-athlete pursuing an undergraduate degree

• Moody Family Athletic Endowment Fund, $80,000, provided by a gift from Richard J. Moody (B.S.Bus.Adm., 1978) and family in honor of Paul H. Moody to supplement the grant-in-aid scholarship costs of a student-athlete pursuing an undergraduate degree who is a member of the varsity football team

• The Marvin L. Schrager Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, $39,911, provided by gifts from Marvin L. Schrager (B.S.Bus.Adm., 1960) of Austin, Texas, to supplement the grant-in-aid scholarship costs of a student-athlete pursuing a teaching career

• The Clarence J. and Annabel W. Strauch Endowment Fund, $35,035, provided by a gift from C. Randolph Strauch (B.C.E., 1967) in memory of his parents, Clarence J. and Annabel W. Strauch, in conjunction with his brother, Stephen Mark Strauch (B.S., 1969; Ph.D., 1975) to support the Department of Veterinary Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine

• The Michael R. Chrisman Fund for International Internships, $32,718, provided by gifts in memory of Ross F. Chrisman Sr. and Ross F. Chrisman Jr. from Michael R. Chrisman, Michael O’Keeffe, Gabriella Pearse-Danker, Fabrice Ligny, John Beardmore, Yinging Zhang, Christ George, Fiona Hargreaves, Grzegorz Lecki, Jiri Tvrdon and Vlasta Cerby as well as contributions from the Friends of the Ohio International Agricultural and Horticultural Intern Program to support international travel and fees for students approved for internships through the Ohio International Agricultural and Horticultural Intern Program

• The Barbara Young Sipp and Elizabeth Sipp Eastwood Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund, $31,237, provided by a gift from Barbara Young Sipp (B.S.Nurs., 1959) and James F. Sipp (B.S.Bus.Adm., 1959) of Columbus to provide merit- or financial need-based scholarships to benefit graduate students enrolled in the College of Nursing who are pursuing a master’s degree

• The James F. and Barbara Young Sipp Family Athletic Scholarship Fund, $30,375, provided by a gift from James F. Sipp and Barbara Young Sipp to supplement the student-athlete grant-in-aid scholarship costs of an undergraduate member of a varsity team

• The James F. , Robert S., and Paul F. Sipp and Steven P. Eastwood Dean’s Innovation Fund, $30,375, provided by gifts from James F. Sipp and Barbara Young Sipp to be used by the dean of the Max M. Fisher College of Business to promote initiatives by the faculty and staff designed to increase the quality of teaching, research and involvement with the business community

• The Paul F. and Rhonda H. Sipp Wetland Student Research Fund, $30,375, provided by a gift from James F. Sipp and Barbara Young Sipp to provide competitive grants for student research at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park

• The Barbara Young Sipp and Dr. J. Andrew Sipp Breast Cancer Research Endowment Fund, $30,375, provided by a gift from James F. Sipp and Barbara Young Sipp to support breast cancer research with preference given to breast cancer genetics research at the Comprehensive Cancer Center – The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

• The James F. and Barbara Young Sipp Endowed Scholarship Fund, $30,375, provided by a gift from James F. Sipp and Barbara Young Sipp to provide scholarship support and help underwrite enrichment programming for one John Glenn Fellow participating in the Washington Academic Internship Program through the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy

• The James F. and Barbara Young Sipp Mount Leadership Endowment Fund, $30,375, provided by a gift from James F. Sipp and Barbara Young Sipp to provide scholarships to benefit Mount Leadership Society Post Mount Scholars who have successfully fulfilled the requirements of the Mount Leadership Society Program

• University Retail Services Education Assistance Fund, $30,326, provided by gifts from numerous donors, to provide annual grants for training, education or professional development that will be used for expenses such as registration, tuition or lab fees, workshops, conferences and textbooks or other course-related materials

• The Julie D. Ellis-Driver Memorial Scholarship Fund, $25,904, provided by gifts from friends and family of Julie D. Ellis (B.S., 1994; B.S., 1998) to provide a scholarship to a caring and creative individual in his/her junior year in the Dental Hygiene Program

• The E. Denslow and Josephine A. Eversole Endowed Scholarship Fund, $25,290, provided by gifts from the family of E. Denslow and Josephine A. Eversole for scholarships in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

• David H. Griner Award Fund, $25,100, provided by proceeds from special events as well as gifts in memory of David H. Griner (B.S.Ed., 1969) to provide awards to undergraduate student employees in the Department of Recreational Sports

• Cameos of Caring Fund, $25,000, provided by proceeds from the Cameos of Caring 2004 event to provide scholarships for registered nurses pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree in the College of Nursing

• The Bob and Irwin Goodman Endowment Fund in Honor of Russ and Nancy Hellickson, $25,000, provided by gifts from Robert D. Goodman and Irwin A. Goodman of Madison, Wis., to supplement the costs of maintaining the National Champions Wall for varsity wrestling at the Steelwood Training Facility

• The Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize Fund, $25,000, provided by gifts from Ann W. Magnuson and Jane W. Wheeler in memory of their uncle, Charles W. Wheeler, a longtime professor of English at The Ohio State University, to fund the Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize, awarded annually to the winner of the OSU Press/The Journal competition

• Ross Goodwin Fund for Leukemia Research, $5,000 (grandfathered) provided by gifts from the estate of Gladys Goodwin to support leukemia research at The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute

Change from named designated professorship to named endowed professorship
• The Martin and Andrew Murrer Professorship in Finance, $750,000, provided by gifts from Martin Murrer (B.S.Bus.Adm., 1979) and Andrew Murrer (B.S.Bus.Adm., 1973) to provide salary and research support for a professorship in finance at the Max M. Fisher College of Business

Personnel appointments
• Christopher C. Kaeding has been named association professor-clinical and holder of The Judson D. Wilson Professorship in Orthopedic Surgery in the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• Nina A. Mayr has been named professor and holder of The Max Morehouse Chair in Cancer Research in the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective Oct. 1, 2004 through June 30, 2008. Prior to this appointment, she was vice chairperson of the Department of Radiology and director of the Division of Radiation Oncology at the University of Oklahoma.

• Kwami Osei has been named professor and holder of The Ralph W. Kurtz Chair in Hormonology in the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective April 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• Jacqueline J. Royster has been named executive dean of the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences and senior vice provost in the Office of Academic Affairs, effective April 1, 2005, through Sept. 30, 2010. She had been serving as interim executive dean of the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences.

• Eugene Smith has been named director of athletics in the Department of Athletics, effective April 15, 2005, through April 14, 2012. He is currently executive director of athletics at Arizona State University in Tempe.

• Robert R. Bahnson has been reappointed professor and holder of the Dave Longaberger Endowed Chair in Urology in the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• Michael A. Caligiuri has been reappointed professor and holder of The John L. Marakas Nationwide Insurance Enterprise Foundation Chair in Cancer Research in The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard D. Solove Research Institute, effective July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• E. Christopher Ellison has been reappointed professor and holder of The Robert M. Zollinger Chair of Surgery in the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• Jeffrey M. Fowler has been reappointed professor and holder of The John G. Boutselis, M.D., Chair in Gynecology in the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• Electra D. Paskett has been reappointed professor and holder of The Marion N. Rowley Designated Chair in Cancer Research in the College of Medicine and Public Health and The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, effective Jan. 1, 2005, through June 30, 2009.

• Nina A. Mayr has been appointed chairperson of the Department of Radiation Medicine, effective March 4, 2005, through June 30, 2008.

Change in title
• Harvey J. Graff is now The Ohio Eminent Scholar in Literacy Studies in the College of Humanities, effective April 1, 2005. Previously his title was The Ohio Eminent Scholar in Rhetoric and Composition.

Emeritus titles
• Ellen I. Hock, professor emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, effective April 1, 2005

• Douglas S. Way, professor emeritus in the Knowlton School of Architecture, effective April 1, 2005

• Yousef Marzeki, associate professor emeritus in the Knowlton School of Architecture , effective April 1, 2005

• Stephen L. Wilson, associate professor emeritus in the School of Allied Medical Professions, effective July 1, 2005

• Hisako Koizumi, associate professor-clinical emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry, effective April 1, 2005

• Philip D. Beckley, assistant professor emeritus in the School of Allied Medical Professions, effective July 1, 2005

Resolutions in memoriam
• Fred B. Bombach, clinical assistant professor emeritus in the College of Dentistry (Diagnostic Services), who died Feb. 16, 2005

• Henry S. Brinkers, associate professor emeritus in the Knowlton School of Architecture, who died Feb. 8, 2005

• Richard F. Firestone, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry, who died Feb. 16, 2005

• Torrence A. Makley, professor emeritus in the Department of Ophthalmology, who died Jan. 3, 2005

Construction projects
The board authorized the university to enter into design contracts for the following:

• Renovation of existing office and laboratory space at 1214 Kinnear Road to include a new wet lab, benches and improvements to the plumbing, electric and HVAC systems. Estimated project cost is $250,000 with funding provided by School of Public Health funds.

• Design services for the River of Trees from Neil Avenue to Cannon Drive as part of the 1999 Landscape Master Plan. Estimated project cost is $111,000 with funding provided by 2003 university bond proceeds.

The board authorized the university to enter into construction contracts for the following:
• Renovation of Graves Hall 3rd floor biomedical informatics area to accommodate faculty and research offices, administrative/support areas and conference rooms. Construction document cost is $512,303 with funding provided by Medical Center funds.

• Phase II repairs to the McCracken Power Plant coal boiler system. Construction document cost is $940,000 with funding provided by 2003 university bond proceeds.

• Phase II conversion of the North Hot Water Heating Loop to local heating hot water production in 21 buildings. Construction document cost is $2.5 million with funding provided by future university bond proceeds.

• Renovation of the parking lots north of St. John Arena and on the east and west sides of Converse Hall. Construction document cost is $1.66 million with funding provided by departmental funds.

• Upgrade of the electrical service in Stradley Hall. Construction document cost is $1 million with funding provided by 2005 university bond proceeds.

Easement renewal granted
The board authorized the university to renew an easement over a rectangular area of 125 square feet for a term of 25 years to Ohio Edison Company to provide electric utility service to the Marion Campus.

Atrium named
Trustees approved the naming of the atrium space in the soon-to-be constructed gateway building on the Mansfield Campus as The Boyd and Anne Epperson Grand Atrium in recognition of the couple’s generosity and commitment to education and the Mansfield Campus. The Eppersons are alumni of The Ohio State University, longtime volunteer leaders on the Mansfield Campus and served as co-chairs of the Galion/OSU Mansfield Scholarship Endowment Fund. Mrs. Epperson has served as a member of the Ohio State University Mansfield Board of Trustees since 1996.

Eminent Scholar title changed
Trustees approved changing the title of The Ohio Eminent Scholar in Rhetoric and Composition to The Ohio Eminent Scholar in Literacy Studies, effective immediately. The new title more closely reflects the scholarship and related activities being undertaken.

Security exemption approved
Trustees approved a resolution exempting The Ohio State University from the necessity of Facility Security conformity with the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual. The resolution states that the Board of Trustees and the university president “shall not require and shall not have access to top secret classified information in the custody of any university employee in connection with sponsored research projects awarded to The Ohio State University Research Foundation, and affiliated entity of the university, and performed at facilities not controlled by the university.”

Board briefed on Marion Campus road extension
University Architect Jill Morelli briefed trustees on the possible extension of State Route 529 through the Marion Campus, which will provide a second campus entrance from a proposed new road that will along the west side of campus. The Ohio Department of Transportation and the university have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding under which planning and negotiation will continue. Once planning and design work is all completed, the university will submit the needed easements for trustee approval.

Quarterly construction status report heard
The Fiscal Affairs Committee heard a quarterly report from William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance, on the status of 14 major construction projects. Four projects – the Hagerty Hall rehabilitation, the Neil Avenue Parking Garage, the Page Hall rehabilitation and the Ross Heart Hospital – have been completed and are occupied. Shkurti highlighted five projects still under construction.

• Biomedical Research Tower and Laboratory Animal Facilities – bidding and construction. Approved project budgets are $120.3 million and $15.7 million respectively.

• Larkins Hall replacement – under construction. Approved project budget is $139.8 million. Key stakeholders – the College of Education, Office of Student Affairs and the Department of Athletics – will identify $1.6 million needed to complete the project due to a 20 percent shortfall of state capital appropriations. Weather delays have pushed construction completion back by five months.

• Physical Sciences Research Building – under construction. Approved project budget is $52.9 million. Issues with leaks and the bankruptcy of the electrical contractor are being addressed.

• Peter L. and Clara M. Scott Laboratory (Mechanical Engineering Building replacement) – under construction. Approved project budget is $72.5 million. A development program or project cuts are needed to raise $3.3 million to make up for the 20 percent reduction in state capital appropriations for the project.

• Wexner Center building renovations – under construction. Approved project budget is $14.5 million. Timeline will be tight.

Shkurti said that, of the 46 construction projects with budgets of more than $4 million each, nine have been completed, 15 are in design, 20 are under construction and two are classified as “emerging.” Projects in the emerging and design categories have not yet been approved for construction by the board.

Trustees hear update on undergraduate admissions
Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, and Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions and First Year Experience, updated the trustees on undergraduate applications and admissions information for Autumn 2005. Freeman said the university received 17,939 freshmen applications, which is an 8 percent increase from last year, and are planning to admit 12,501. Freeman stressed that the number admitted does not indicate how many students will enroll in the university. She also said the average ACT of the students admitted is 26.19, up from 25.94 in 2004, and approximately 42 percent of freshman applicants are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes and nearly 80 percent are in the top 25 percent.

In addition, Freeman said the university has been working to increase enrollment of minority students. The numbers of African American, Hispanic, Asian American and Native Americans students who have applied and have been admitted to the university have increased.

Student Health Center highlighted
Ted W. Grace, director of Student Health Services, gave the Academic and Student Affairs Committee a report on changes in student health needs and an update on renovation of the Wilce Student Health Center. Grace said that about 50 percent of Ohio State students visit the health center each year, accounting for a daily average of 400 patient visits a day and about 100,000 per year. In the past, most college student health centers primarily provided acute care, such as treatments for respiratory infections and mild trauma. Today, advances in medical care and drug therapy have made it possible for people with chronic problems, such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease, as well as mental health problems, to attend college, and health centers are seeing more of these cases. Other changes involve greater emphasis on public health functions, and screening and interventions for health risk behaviors.

Grace also discussed the collaborative relationships the Student Health Service has with other university units, particularly the professional colleges in the health sciences. He concluded by describing the three-phase renovation of the 36-year-old building that is now in progress.

Faculty leadership initiatives heard
Trustees heard reports on the university’s faculty leadership initiatives from David Horn, chair of the University Senate Steering Committee; Jack Rall, chair of the Faculty Council, and Chris Zacher, chair of the Faculty Career Enhancement Committee. Horn said the Steering Committee is discussing such issues as graduate program funding, the undergraduate curriculum, hours needed to graduate and tenured faculty-to-student ratios. The Faculty Council, which has representatives from every college and regional campus, is focusing on faculty recruitment, retainment and development issues, said Rall, citing the Faculty Career Enhancement Program as one of the council’s main initiatives. Zacher said the program’s recommendations include better mentoring of faculty; creation of more varied forms of leave time for research and teaching improvement; development of more flexible career paths; more realistic policies affecting work life and family issues; greater awareness of the socializing as well as academic needs of minority faculty, female faculty and new faculty; more attention to the invigorating effects of interdisciplinary learning and research, and more opportunities for intellectual exchange among colleagues.

Student receives board recognition
Stacy L. Lewis, a senior from West Union majoring in English and Linguistics, received the board’s Student Recognition Award. Lewis, who will graduate with honors in June, was nominated by Dean John W. Roberts and the College of Humanities. Her scholarly interests are sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, language variation and change and language ideology. She is proficient in speaking French and in reading French, Sanskrit and Middle English. Outside the classroom, she is active in several campus organizations, holding memberships in the Undergraduate Linguistics Club, the English Undergraduate Organization, Phi Beta Kappa and Mirrors Class Honorary. She serves as a host for Honors Visits, Recruitment Days and High School Holiday Visits and serves as a test proctor for the Scholars Maximus competition.