Trustees: Degrees, Development, Personnel

TRUSTEES APPROVE NEW MFA DEGREE, ACCEPT ENDOWED FUNDS, CONDUCT 
PERSONNEL BUSINESS

LIMA -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, meeting 
at the university's Lima campus on Friday (4/3), approved 
establishment of a new degree and changes to an existing degree 
program, accepted named endowed funds and conducted personnel 
business.

New degree, change to degree program

Trustees approved the establishment of a Master of Fine Arts 
in Industrial, Interior and Visual Communication Design to 
replace the majority of enrollment of the current Master of Arts 
degree.  The new degree responds to changes within the design 
disciplines, which now identify the MFA as the terminal degree, 
and reflects that employment opportunities for design graduates 
now most often require completion of an MFA.  No similar degree 
program is offered in Ohio.  The program, which also must be 
approved by the Ohio Board of Regents, will offer two 
specialization tracks: one in design practice and one in design 
research.

The board also approved revisions to the Master of Public 
Health degree program in the School of Public Health to offer a 
weekday track for "traditional" students in addition to the 
current weekend track for "nontraditional" students.  The 
traditional track will require general background and offer the 
potential for specialization in one of five different core areas 
of public health knowledge, and the nontraditional track will 
continue to offer a generalist degree.  The revisions will 
accommodate both a growing demand from students and changing 
program expectations created by shifts in accreditation.

Trustees accept named endowed funds

Trustees heard a report from Jerry May, vice president for 
development, on fund-raising efforts, including the permanent 
establishment of The Edward Orton, Jr., Chair in Ceramic 
Engineering.  Gifts of more than $1.5 million were received from 
The Edward Orton, Jr., Ceramic Foundation, the Transportation 
Research Center Inc., alumnus John M. Shepherd, and many other 
graduates, faculty and friends.  The chair was established as a 
designated chair program in 1990.  Annual income will be used by 
the Orton Chair to support research and teaching.  The person 
selected for the chair will have a strong international, academic 
and industrial reputation in ceramic engineering.  

The fund is a tribute to Orton, the son of Ohio State's 
first president.  The founder of ceramic engineering education in 
America, Orton led the effort to make Ohio State a leader in 
ceramic research and education beginning in 1894.  He died in 
1932, leaving his company to continue as the Edward Orton, Jr., 
Ceramic Foundation to benefit the ceramic arts and industries.

May also reported the establishment of six new named endowed
funds and one professorship with gifts totaling more than $2.3 
million:

-- The Marshall Cox Fund for the Center for Socio-Legal 
Studies, $50,431, to provide support for annual operating 
expenses at the College of Law center.

-- The Richard C. Hannon Ceramic Engineering Memorial Fund, 
$16,500, for enhancement of ceramic engineering programs.

-- The Vorman-Anderson Professorship of Nordic Languages and 
Literatures, $750,000, in the Department of Germanic Languages 
and Literatures in the College of Humanities.

-- The Margaret Miller Holloway and Harry Harrison Holloway, 
Jr., Scholarship Fund, $1.4 million, to provide merit-based 
scholarships for Ohio resident undergraduate students.

-- The Harold Brenner Pepinsky Research and Lectureship 
Fund, $51,688, to provide a lectureship and research award in the 
College of Medicine and Public Health.

-- The Jameson Crane MBA Fellowship, $50,000, for 
fellowships for MBA students in the Fisher College of Business.

-- The Hauck Family Scholarship Fund, $25,000, to provide 
scholarships to student-athletes on the baseball team.

Appointments

Trustees appointed Marilyn J. Blackwell, associate professor 
of Germanic languages and literatures, to the Vorman-Anderson 
Professorship of Nordic Languages and Literatures, effective July 
1.  Blackwell is director of Swedish/Scandinavian studies with 
specializations in 19th- and 20-century drama and prose, feminist 
criticism and film.  The professorship, established today (4/3) 
with gifts from the estate of alumna Helen Vorman-Anderson, 
supports a professor in the department who has primary 
responsibility for teaching Nordic languages, with a special 
emphasis on Swedish language and literature.    

The board also appointed Sheldon R. Simon of COLUMBUS 
(43209), professor of surgery, to the Frank J. Kloenne Chair in 
Orthopedic Surgery, effective April 1.  Simon, chief of the 
Division of Orthopedic Surgery, has served on the faculty since 
1986.  He specializes in foot and ankle and pediatric 
orthopedics.  The chair, established in February 1997 with gifts 
from Jacqueline Kloenne Klein in memory of her late husband, 
supports the advancement of medical knowledge in the field of 
orthopedic surgery and is to be held by a nationally eminent 
faculty member.

Raymond C. Wasielewski, assistant professor of surgery since 
1992, was appointed to the Judson D. Wilson Professorship in 
Orthopedic Surgery, effective April 1.  Wasielewski's specialty 
is joint replacement surgery.  The professorship, established in 
1977 with gifts from Wolfe Associates Inc., Preston W. Wolfe, 
John W. Wolfe, and friends and associates of Judson D. Wilson, 
provides salary and program support for the work of a 
distinguished orthopedic surgeon.

Trustees appointed Kori M. Pittman of HEATH as a student 
trustee to The Ohio State University-Newark Campus Board.  Her 
term began Jan. 1 and runs through June 30 to fill the unexpired 
student term of Katheryn Lloyd, who is studying abroad.  Pittman 
is a writing lab tutor at the Newark campus and participated in 
the AmeriCorps national service program from 1995-97, tutoring 
and counseling children with learning disabilities and behavioral 
problems.

Change in title

Trustees changed the title for David Williams II of GAHANNA 
to vice president for student and urban/community affairs, 
effective April 1.  His previous title was vice president for 
student affairs.

Emeritus titles granted

Trustees granted emeritus titles to:

-- Jacqueline Herkowitz of WORTHINGTON, professor emeritus 
of physical activity and educational services, retroactive to 
Jan. 1.

-- Linda J. Boyne of WORTHINGTON, assistant professor 
emeritus of allied medical professions, effective April 1.

Resolutions in memoriam

The board adopted resolutions in memoriam for:

-- Robert Cole, professor emeritus in the Ohio State 
University Extension, who died Feb. 25.

-- James R. C. Leitzel, professor emeritus of mathematics, 
who died Feb. 25.

-- William J. Taylor, professor emeritus of chemistry, who 
died Feb. 15.

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Contact: Emily Caldwell, University Communications, 
(614) 292-8309