University celebrates its Academic Champions

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University is celebrating an unprecedented year of significant recognition for faculty and student achievement from some of the nation’s most prestigious academic associations and foundations.

Among the faculty honors are a new member admitted to the National Academy of Sciences, three fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a record 15 faculty named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, more than any other university this year. Other faculty awards include the Stockholm Water Prize, considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for water scientists; 12 prestigious Fulbright Scholarships, three Guggenheim fellowships, six National Science Foundation Early Career Development Awards and one Sloan fellowship.

In addition to faculty honors, numerous outstanding students have been named Fulbright Scholars, Goldwater Scholars, Mellon Fellows and National Science Foundation Fellows.

The university is celebrating these outstanding achievements by placing a full-page ads in Thursday (6/3) editions of The Columbus Dispatch, The Lantern, and onCampus, Ohio State's faculty and staff newspaper, and in a Monday (6/7) special insert in the Plain Dealer. While not possible to list every one of the respected awards that have come to Ohio State this year, the 71 faculty and 36 students listed in the ad represent the most prominent organizations and foundations.

“We are very proud of the scholarship of our faculty and students who have earned these prestigious honors,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara Snyder. “Ohio State’s impressive number of new fellows and award-winners shows that the high-quality work of our faculty is having an impact nationally. Our student award winners have benefited from our commitment to a higher level of teaching and increasing research opportunities. Ohio State has helped these students lay a strong foundation for future success.”

One measure of academic excellence in higher education is the number of faculty who are elected to prestigious academies based on their scholarship. With the recognitions this year, nineteen Ohio State faculty now hold membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, or the National Academy of Engineering.

Research is a key component of Ohio State’s Academic Plan, the University\'s strategy to enhance academic quality, diversity, and stature as a world-class research university. Interim Vice President for Research Tom Rosol said the high numbers of awards this year are proof that Ohio State is investing resources in areas that are relevant and significant. The recognitions also document Ohio State’s success in recruiting and retaining world-class faculty, another component of the Academic Plan.

“This is a strong validation of the current level of faculty excellence at Ohio State,” Rosol said. “The awards emphasize the dramatic advances the university is making in creative and scholarly research and the rapid progress in achieving the goals of the Academic Plan.”

The honors recognize a variety of successes. Some faculty are being recognized for a career of distinction and accomplishment; others are being honored for significant and ongoing achievements in original research; while other others are elevated for efforts in advancing science or fostering applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.

The awards also recognize Ohio State’s efforts to become a national leader in biomedical and life sciences research. A number of the honorees are associated with the OSU Medical Center and the College of Medicine and Public Health.

“There is no doubt that we have world-class faculty at the OSU Medical Center and the numerous national recognitions they have received is confirmation of that fact. Whether it is recognition for research, education, or clinical care, our efforts are focused on creating the future of medicine to improve people\'s lives and that is getting noticed across the country,” said Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president and executive dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health and CEO for OSU Medical Center.

The high numbers of upperclass and graduating students earning prestigious scholarships and fellowships show that the university is succeeding in efforts to recruit and enhance the quality of the student body – another key strategy of the Academic Plan. Many graduating students have been accepted into top-ranked graduate and professional schools, thanks in part to the research they conducted as undergraduates with award-winning faculty.

A complete list of academic national champions can be found at:
http://www.osu.edu/dosomethinggreat/national_awards04/