Story Ideas for Media 6/6/11
News
Ohio State will award diplomas to nearly 10,000 – June 12. Engineers, biologists, veterinarians, athletes, sociologists and pharmacists will be among a record 9,655 students who will earn degrees during Ohio State’s spring commencement on Sunday (6/12) in Ohio Stadium. The graduates, who are among the brightest in the university’s history, enter the stadium at noon. The ceremony celebrates the academic achievements and hard work that each student has put forth to earn his or her degree. Each graduate will receive their own diploma at the ceremony, a practice rarely attempted by a university the size of Ohio State.
John Boehner, the 53rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will deliver the commencement address. Also during the commencement ceremony, honorary doctorates will be presented to Boehner, J. Lyle Bootman, one of the foremost experts in pharmacoeco¬nomics; 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
Additional information is available at http://commencement.osu.edu/ CONTACT: Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.
Ohio State’s EcoCAR is in final competition – through June 16. The three-year EcoCAR competition ends this month as the Oho State team and car go through final exams in Michigan and then Washington D.C. Ohio State is one of 16 universities in North America participating in EcoCAR, where teams re-engineer a GM vehicle. Ohio State’s entry is a plug-in electric vehicle capable of traveling 40 miles before it burns any gas.
The teams and vehicles are in Michigan this week (6/5-12) at GM’s Milford Proving Ground to undergo test that mimic traditional testing for production. Following the tests, on June 13, the teams and cars go to Washington for judging on presentations and a congressional ride-and-drive. SEE: http://www.ecocarchallenge.org/docs/EcoCAR_Program_rev8.pdf
Research
What, me worry? Young adults get self-esteem boost from debt. Instead of feeling stressed by the money they owe, many young adults actually feel empowered by their credit card and education debts, according to a new nationwide study.
Researchers found that the more credit card and college loan debt held by young adults aged 18 to 27, the higher their self-esteem and the more they felt like they were in control of their lives. The effect was strongest among those in the lowest economic class.
Only the oldest of those studied - those aged 28 to 34 - began showing signs of stress about the money they owed.
“Debt can be a good thing for young people - it can help them achieve goals that they couldn't otherwise, like a college education,” said Rachel Dwyer, lead author of the study and assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University.
But the results offer some worrying signs about how many young people view debt, she added.
“Debt can be a positive resource for young adults, but it comes with some significant dangers,” Dwyer said. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu, SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/youngdebt.htm
Events
It’s Commencement Week at Ohio State – through June 12. Graduating seniors can mark their final days at Ohio State through a series of special events during Commencement Week, a week-long celebration leading up to spring commencement. Events (tours, etc.) are for graduates and not members of the general public. However, media are welcome to cover them. Among the events:
* Graduation Cap Decoration Night, 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday (6/8) in the Ohio Union lower level. Graduating seniors will individualize their caps so they stand out in the crowd at commencement.
*Time and Change Tailgate following commencement rehearsal – approximately 2:30 p.m. – on Friday (6/10) on the northwest lawn of the Recreational and Physical Activities Center. Even though it’s not football season yet, graduates can celebrate their final tailgate as a student.
*Commencement Eve Candlelight Ceremony, 9 p.m. on Saturday (6/11) on the Oval.
On the night before commencement, graduating students congregate in front of the Thompson Library on the Oval for a very special candlelight ceremony. Speakers will include campus celebrities and student speaker, James Greenebaum who was selected to deliver an address that reflects on their time at Ohio State and embodies the meaning of the student experience at Ohio State.
Graduates will receive a 2010 class pin, exclusively at the event, which will conclude with a candlelight rendition of “Carmen Ohio,” the Ohio State alma mater. SEE: commencementweek.osu.edu.
Ohio Union Art Board holds reception for Ohio State artists – June 9. The Ohio Union Art Board will hold a reception for artists whose work has been acquired this year as part of the Ohio Union’s permanent collection. The reception takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the East Art Lounge of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St.
Awarded artists include Master of Fine Art students at Ohio State as well as former Department of Art faculty member E.F. Hebner. CONTACT: Hans Voss, Ohio Union Art Board, Phone: (937) 681-9295 or hhvoss@gmail.com
The person listed as the CONTACT will have the most current information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276 or cook.17@osu.edu; Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748 or hoffman.511@osu.edu; Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or lynch.270@osu.edu; or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385 or murray-goedde.1@osu.edu
