Story Ideas for Media 9-25-06

News

Ohio State's graduation rate is on the rise. The six-year graduation rate at The Ohio State University has climbed more than 20 percent over the last decade. Based on the graduation rate of students who entered Ohio State in 2000, 71 percent have graduated, up from a rate of 68 percent last year and 55 percent for students who entered in 1990.
President Karen A. Holbrook delivered the news recently to the university's board of trustees.
"This is an extraordinary leap for us, especially when one considers that the university only fully implemented competitive admission standards on the Columbus campus in 2003. Just five years ago, the graduation rate stood at 56 percent," said Holbrook.
The increase in graduation rate reflects the growing academic strength of the student body. For the 12th consecutive year, the incoming first-year class is the best prepared in history, with an average ACT score of 26.4. CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748.

Ohio State ranks high in business school survey. Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University moved up to the No. 2 position in The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive regional ranking category. Last year, Fisher was ranked third in the annual survey. In its ranking of academic disciplines, Fisher placed sixth overall for its operations management program.
The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive ranks business schools in three categories: national, international and regional based on a survey of 4,125 corporate recruiters who hire M.B.A. graduates. The publication said "Recruiters this year rated Ohio State students highest for their ability to work well in teams, personal ethics and integrity, and fit with the corporate culture." CONTACT: Patricia Allen, (614) 292-8937, allen.965@osu.edu SEE: http://fisher.osu.edu/newsroom/headlines/index.php?folder=65&news=461

Experts

Ohio State University offers election experts. A list of top sources for 2006 Ohio election coverage is now online. The Ohio State University has a number of faculty members who can provide you with analysis and insight on state political races and election law in Ohio. In addition, the list includes experts on topics including voting behavior, urban politics, the women's vote, economics, housing, immigration, and international issues. CONTACT: Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385. SEE: http://www.osu.edu/news/newsitem1447

Research

Girls go to college to get more knowledge…new study shows why women outpace men in college degrees. Girls have long gotten better grades than boys in all levels of school. But while at one time few women used those academic skills to get degrees, new research suggests that growing incentives are helping draw women to college in record numbers.
That helps explain why, since 1982, women have outpaced men in college graduation rates. In 2004, women received 58 percent of all bachelor's degrees in the United States, compared to only 35 percent in 1960.
"What has changed is that more women are now using their longstanding academic advantages and translating them into college degrees," said Claudia Buchmann, co-author of the studies and associate professor of sociology at Ohio State.
"In the 1960s and 70s, girls were getting better grades, but many young women were not going to college, or they were dropping out of college to get married. Now the benefits of a college education are growing faster for women than they are for men, and women are taking advantage."
CONTACT: Claudia Buchmann, (614) 247-8363; Buchmann.4@osu.edu, SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/womcolge.htm

Events

President Holbrook to help begin campaign against relationship abuse – Sept. 26. Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook and Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence President Karen S. Days will kick off a new campaign against relationship abuse in a news conference at 10 a.m. on Tuesday (9/26) in the Wexner Center lower lobby, 1871 N. High Street. It's Abuse is a campus-wide campaign to raise awareness and help stop relationship abuse. In addition, the two will provide results of Internet opinion survey of nearly 7,000 Ohio State students that helped shape the campaign, and be the first to sign their names to a 12 foot by 7 foot Traveling Wall which will move around campus and the city to events in support of It's Abuse. Media may park in the Ohio Union Garage, 1780 College Road. CONTACT: Lisa Griffin, (614) 341-6439 (office), or (614) 302-2135 (cell).

Conference to focus on helping Ohio cope with environmental policy – Sept. 26-27. Ohio faces significant challenges in several key areas of environmental policy - water quality, air quality, climate change and energy policy. The state, and its communities, already must react to federal initiatives and laws in these areas. But can the state emerge to become a leader by developing innovative policies that will enhance income generation and environmental quality?
Faculty from the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics and the John Glenn School of Public Affairs will host "Ohio Responses to Federal Environmental Regulation," Sept. 26-27, at Pfahl Hall, 283 West Woodruff Ave. The conference will provide the policy community with information on a wide range of options for helping the state cope with national regulations. Speakers include Joseph Koncelik, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Representatives of Ohio's two gubernatorial candidates will discuss each candidate's vision for Ohio's environmental strategy. CONTACT: Brent Sohngen, (614) 688-4640, Sohngen.1@osu.edu; or Andy Keeler, (614) 688-4325; keeler.29@osu.edu SEE: http://aede.osu.edu/ohenvconf06/index.html

John Glenn School of Public Affairs launches Food for Thought policy forums – Sept. 28. Beginning this week, the John Glenn School of Public Affairs will offer Food for Thought: a series of lunchtime policy forums. The forums begin on at noon on Thursday (9/28) with "Science and the News: What Everybody Needs to Know." Featured speakers include Anne Gudenkauf, head of NPR's Science Desk, and David Kestenbaum, science correspondent for NPR and a former WOSU-AM reporter. Future forums will offer views on the elections. All forums take place in Page Hall's Policy Forum, 1810 College Road. All events are free, but RSVP's are required to sep28@jgippm.ohio-state.edu CONTACT: Laura Sipe, (614) 247-6369.

Buckeye Bullet represents future of transportation at New York technology fair – Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The world's fastest electric car, Ohio State's Buckeye Bullet, will be on display in New York City at Wired Magazine's NextFest Technology Worlds Fair. The vehicle, which was designed and built by Ohio State students, will take center stage in the Future of Transportation Pavilion from Friday through Sunday (9/29-10/1). Student team members will accompany the Buckeye Bullet and talk about the car and their experiences where the vehicle traveled 314.958 mph in 2004 to claim the national land speed record. WIRED NextFest is a four-day festival of futuristic products and technologies. CONTACT: Gina Langen, (614) 688-4423.

WOSU@COSI holds opening celebration – Sept. 29. WOSU Public Media and COSI Columbus are hosting the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art digital media center, WOSU@COSI starting at 11 a.m. Friday (9/29). WOSU will offer free tours for the public of the nearly 12,000-square-foot space, located at 333 W. Broad Street. The opening celebration will last throughout the weekend, with entertainment from local arts organizations, a Share-A-Story event, the unveiling of two new exhibits and costume character visits from Curious George and Clifford. CONTACT: (614) 247-8700 ext. 49728. SEE: http://wosu.org/archive/wosuatcosi/index.php

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