Story Ideas for Media 9/22/09

News

Ohio State begins a new school year. The energy level at Ohio State increases exponentially this week as the campus welcomes new and returning students. Here are some top Welcome Week events for media to cover:

Wednesday, Sept. 23: Autumn quarter classes begin
Campus Locator service – An army of Campus Locators will be at five key locations in brightly colored tents to help students find their way on the first two days of classes.

Thursday, Sept. 25:Thompson Library dedication – 4 p.m.
The official reopening of the renovated library features President Gee and the Marching Band.

Friday, Sept. 25: Beat Illinois T-Shirt Rally – 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Wexner Center Plaza
Student Alumni Council passes out free “Beat Illinois” t-shirts

“Welcome Back Illy” Illibuck Tailgate – 4 - 6:30 p.m., south Oval. Illy is the wooden turtle that goes to the winner of the previous year’s OSU vs. Illinois football game. OSU won last year. Students learn about one of the oldest college football traditions in the country.

For a full list of events, see: http://welcomeweek.osu.edu/

Research

Know thy CEO: CEO’S home mortgage explains firm’s use of debt. If you want to know how much debt a corporation is willing to take on, take a look at the CEO’s personal finances.
A new study finds that corporations with higher levels of debt tend to have CEOs who also owe more on their own homes.
Firms whose CEOs have home mortgages have about 4 percentage points more debt than do firms whose CEOs do not take out a mortgage to finance their primary personal residences. The results suggest that the personal attitudes of CEOs toward debt have a strong effect on their firms’ financial decisions.
“It’s not just the characteristics of the firm or the industry that determine a company’s debt choices. Our findings suggest that you have to also look at the personal characteristics of the CEO to fully explain these financial decisions,” said Anil Makhija, co-author of the study and Rismiller Professor of Finance at Ohio State. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457. SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/ceodebt.htm

Events

Farm Science Review – Sept. 22-24. The 47th annual Farm Science Review takes place Tuesday (9/22)-Thursday (9/24) at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. Peruse the latest in agricultural equipment, services and products and take advantage of OSU agricultural research, education and expertise in agriculture, economics, health and nutrition, conservation and horticulture.
This year’s theme, “Your 2009 Bale Out,” (with a bit of word play) is intended to emphasize the resources available at the show to help farmers strengthen their business. Ohio’s premiere farm show attracts upwards of 140,000 visitors from across the country and Canada.
CONTACT: Candace Pollock, (614) 292-3799 or (740) 852-7822 (review site) SEE: http://fsr.osu.edu/

National Science Board to meet at Ohio State – Sept. 24. The federal panel charged with advising the President and Congress on national policy issues relating to science and engineering research and education will be meeting at Ohio State University this week.
The National Science Board meets five times annually with four of those meetings in Washington, D.C. and a fifth at a host institution each year. The NSB responded to an invitation from Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee.
While many of the NSB’s sessions are closed, a public meeting will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. on Thursday (9/24) at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive. That open meeting will include a discussion of NSB priorities for the next fiscal year, as well as reports from the NSB chairman and committees.
Kathy Sullivan, former NASA astronaut and director of the Battelle Center for Mathematics & Science Education Policy at Ohio State, is a current member of the NSB. CONTACT: Earle Holland, (614) 292-8384.

Campus gathers to wish good luck to solar decathlon team – Sept. 25. Ohio State is coming to Washington, and they're bringing a house with them. The house – designed and built by a team of 60 Ohio State students – is the university’s first solar house.
The campus community will gather for a “solar sendoff” to wish the team good luck before it departs for the national Solar Decathlon contest in Washington D.C.
The students hope to successfully represent Ohio State with their innovative and energy efficient house as it competes against solar houses from 20 universities, including two Big Ten schools.
The solar sendoff takes place at 2 p.m. on Friday (9/25) at the build site, 1960 Tuttle Park Place. The event includes a brass band, remarks by President Gee, team members and others. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

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, Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748, Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110, or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.