Trustees meet, approve university matters (4/2012)

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University Board of Trustees approved a variety of personnel, fiscal and construction-related matters at its meeting Friday (4/6).

Two-year residential experience program approved
The board approved the programmatic goals of the Second Year Experience Conceptual Programming Model, which has been developed to offer an innovative and transformational campus residential experience.
The goals reflect Ohio State’s commitment to enhancing student access to faculty and academic resources; a focus on student development as part of a larger community, emphasizing leadership and service; and many aspects of individual development.
President Gee has articulated a vision for a two-year on-campus residency requirement, and multiple studies have shown that on-campus residency leads to more positive living and learning outcomes for undergraduates.
Officials will present additional details on how the programmatic goals link to physical planning later this year.

New university affiliate authorized
The board authorized the university to establish Ohio State Innovation Foundation (OSIF) as an affiliated entity in order to expand the revenue potential from intellectual property created at Ohio State. The primary goal of OSIF is to create a commercial platform that can support the commercialization efforts of Ohio State’s Technology and Commercialization Office. The new entity will allow the university to accept equity as compensation for licensing its technology, to actively develop start-up companies to commercialize its technology, and to make follow-on investments in the most promising licensees of its technology, all while honoring conventional commercial confidentiality practices.

Environmental covenant approved
The board approved an environmental covenant that supports the City of Columbus project to remove the 5th Ave. low-head dam and restore a section of the Olentangy River from 5th Ave. north to Lane Ave. to a functional, riparian corridor. Benefits of the dam removal and river restoration include improved water quality, habitat, aesthetics, recreational and research opportunities. The purpose of the covenant is to assure that the restored river corridor and its environmental function are not impaired by land owner activities in the corridor. The covenant language is currently being negotiated to achieve an appropriate balance of river protection and flexibility for Ohio State and holders of existing easements.

University Foundation Report accepted
The board accepted the University Foundation Report as of Feb. 29, 2012, which includes the establishment of The Leslie H. and Abigail S. Wexner Dean’s Chair in Medicine, The Abercrombie & Fitch Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, The Bertha Bouroncle M.D. and Andrew Pereny Chair of Medicine, The Stanley D. and Joan H. Ross Chair in Neuromodulation, the Alfred W. Reader Endowed Professorship in Endodontics, and the Thomas H. Patrick Free Enterprise Designated Professorship; and the establishment of nineteen (19) named endowed funds providing $12.2 million in private gifts to the university.

Naming procedures revised
The board approved revisions to the procedures for the naming of entities, buildings, and facilities for corporations or other organizations.

Fitting room named
The board approved the naming of a fitting room in Hope’s Boutique, in the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, as the Susan T. London Fitting Room. Hope’s Boutique is a specialty store catering to cancer patients and survivors. The naming recognizes the contributions of Kathy and Jay Worly to The Wexner Medical Center for The Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center. The room is named to honor the memory of Kathy Worly’s sister, Susan T. London, who lost her battle with breast cancer.

Construction contract increased
The board authorized the university to increase the construction contract for the following project:
*Sullivant Hall and Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. The project scope has increased by $4.7 million to include completion of a performance space and the south wing, Art Education and collaborative space for Arts & Sciences, windows on the west and south elevations; sprung wood floor; and suspended tension grid system for the performance space. Estimated project cost is now $30.6 million with the additional cost to be covered with private development support.

Degree programs established
Trustees approved the establishment of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program in African American and African Studies in the Department of African American and African Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program will have three areas of concentration: African American Studies, African Studies, and Comparative African Diaspora Studies. The doctoral program will be one of only ten nationally and the only one in Ohio.

Trustees also approved the establishment of a PhD degree in Italian Studies in the Department of French and Italian in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program integrates the most recent developments in the fields of interdisciplinary area studies including linguistics, language pedagogy, history, film studies, and literary and cultural studies, with other academic programs at Ohio State. It will enhance the department’s ability to attract and retain the best research and teaching faculty in Italian Studies, and also retain students to do advanced graduate work but must go outside of Ohio because currently no university in Ohio offers a PhD in Italian.

Trustees also approved the establishment of Master of Arts (MA) and PhD degree programs in Portuguese in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese in the College of Arts and Sciences. Portuguese is the seventh-most common language spoken in the world and the second-most common Romance language. Given Brazil’s rising international standing, there is a need for expertise gained through graduate education in Portuguese and the language and literatures of the Portuguese-speaking world. The new programs will complement the university’s undergraduate offerings in Portuguese, and also help enhance the university’s growing internationalization efforts. The program will be the first of its kind in Ohio.

Department abolished
Trustees approved a proposal to abolish the Department of Aviation and delegate the authority for its academic programs to the Center for Aviation Studies (CAS) in the College of Engineering.
The department was established in 2005 and provides academic instruction and an undergraduate major, and also operates and manages the university’s flight education programs and The Ohio State University Airport. It has experienced a reduction in full-time department faculty. Rather than try to maintain independent department status by hiring additional faculty, the decision was made to reconfigure the department into the new CAS. The reorganization of the department into the CAS represents a rebirth of aviation education and research at Ohio State.
The center, established in June 2011, will continue to offer courses leading to an undergraduate degree. In addition, the university aviation education programs in the form of the CAS will come with renewed possibilities for interaction with the wider aviation industry.
Despite the elimination of the academic unit, no services currently available to the university will be lost as a result of the reorganization.
*All academic programs associated with the Department of Aviation will continue to be offered by the CAS. All courses and curricula will continue to be offered and will be taught by existing faculty and staff, as well as additional faculty and staff to be hired as needed.
*Faculty and staff office space will be concentrated at the airport, and sufficient transportation and communication infrastructure will be in place to facilitate access to all students, faculty and staff. Course classroom assignments will be unchanged.
*Flight education programs will continue to be offered to students for academic credit, and to the general public
*The CAS will continue to provide community outreach via academic seminars, research programs, public school events and other community events on campus as well at the airport.

Department names changed
The board approved changing the name of the Department of Greek and Latin to the
Department of Classics to better describe the academic unit as one where the study of ancient languages provides access to the broader area of Greco-Roman antiquity. The Department has had the name Greek and Latin since 1996, as was the case nationally, when the former Department of Classics merged with the Program in Modern Greek.

The board also approved changing the name of the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures to the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures to better reflect its new orientation. The department currently offers an undergraduate degree in Russian, minor degrees in two language areas and MA and PhD degrees that focus on various aspects within Eastern European studies. The change also includes related changes for the department’s undergraduate minor, MA and PhD academic programs.

Degree names changed
Trustees approved the changing of the names of the academic programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science (and related undergraduate minors), Master of Science, and PhD degrees from Geological Sciences to Earth Sciences, in the School of Earth Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. The School of Earth Sciences was established in 2006, but the academic programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy retained the name of the department from the which the school had emerged - Geological Sciences. This change aligns the name of the school’s degrees with the name of the school.

Trustees also approved changing the names of the MA and PhD degree programs from Labor and Human Resources to Human Resource Management in the Department of Management and Human Resources within The Max M. Fisher College of Business. The change aligns with a shift nationally to a program with a more contemporary title.

Personnel actions approved
The board approved the following personnel appointments and reappointments:
*Valerie B. Lee has been named Vice President of Outreach and Engagement in the Office of Academic Affairs effective March 8, 2012
*Richard M. Goldberg has been appointed professor and holder of The Klotz Chair in Cancer Research #3 in the College of Medicine, effective Feb. 1, 2012 through June 30, 2016
*Charles J. Lockwood has been named professor and holder of the Leslie H. and Abigail S. Wexner Dean’s Chair in Medicine in the College of Medicine, effective April 6, 2012, through August 31, 2016
*Julia R. White has been named professor and holder of The Klotz Chair in Cancer Research #3 in the College of Medicine, effective Feb. 6, 2012 through June 30, 2016
*Daniel A. Herms has been appointed interim chair of the Department of Entomology, effective January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2012.
*Waleed A. Muhanna has been named chair of the Department of Accounting and Management Information Systems, effective February 1, 2012, through August 31, 2015.
*Michael J. Oglesbee has been appointed chair of the Department of Veterinary Biosciences, effective December 1, 2011, through June 30, 2015.

Resolutions in memoriam adopted
The board adopted resolutions in memoriam for the following persons:
*Beatrice J. Cleveland, professor emeritus in the Ohio State University Extension, who died on February 14, 2012
*Rocco D. D’Angelo, professor emeritus in the College of Social Work, who died on November 28, 2011
*John B. Gabel, professor emeritus in the Department of English, who died on January 7, 2012
*Weldon A. Kefauver, director emeritus of The Ohio State University Press, who died on December 20, 2011
*Tony J. Peterle, professor emeritus in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, who died on November 15, 2011
•William R. Riley, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Physics, who died on December 28, 2011
*Susann Erwin Rimer, instructor emeritus in the Ohio State University Extension, who died on January 28, 2012
*Carolyn A. Romshe, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Pediatrics, who died on January 18, 2012
*Jeanette McCleery Zupancic, assistant professor emeritus in the College of Social Work, who died on December 17, 2011

Debt Policy amended
The board approved revisions regarding the use of external university debt, the use of internal loans, and capital and operating leases.

Faculty Rules amended
The board approved amendments to the Rules of the University Faculty regarding criteria for appointment, reappointment, and promotion and tenure of tenure-track faculty and absence from duty and to update a title.

Code of Student Conduct revised
Trustees approved several revisions to the Code of Student Conduct, including:
*Definition of terms
*Revisions to various prohibited conducts including academic misconduct, endangering health or safety, sexual misconduct, dangerous weapons or devices, dishonest conduct, theft or unauthorized use of property, drugs, student conduct system abuse, and violation of university rules or federal, state, and local laws
*Changes to rules on student conduct procedures
*Changes to rules on university sanctions
*Changes to rules on the appeal process

Amendments to Medical Staff bylaws approved
The board approved adoption of a series of amendments to the Bylaws of the Medical Staff of The Ohio State University Hospitals in order to comply with revisions and alignments in the bylaws of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and The Joint Commission.

Reappointments to the Self-Insurance Board approved
The board approved the following reappointments to the Self-Insurance Board for a term ending on April 30, 2014: Galen Barnes, E. Christopher Ellison, M.D., and Michael Papadakis.