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Ohio State professor donates $2 million to Department of Psychology

June 30, 2009

 Ohio State Professor Gifford Weary has donated $2 million from her family’s foundation to Ohio State’s Department of Psychology to create the endowed Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Chair in social psychology. 





 The No. 2 program of its kind in the country, as ranked by the U.S. News & World Report 2010 edition, social psychology at Ohio State is acclaimed for its contributions to the psychology of attitudes, persuasion, prejudice, self and identity, groups and social cognition. Its applications to everyday life are numerous and have led to advancements in approaches to mental health care, marketing research, government policy decision-making, social issue resolution, conflict management, and large-scale trauma recovery processes such as those developed to assist victims and families of the 9/11 tragedy.





 ”Psychology is one of the top departments on campus and is extremely well regarded nationally. The gift was an investment in the excellence that has characterized the department for so long,” said Weary. “Over the last 30 years I have grown up as a professional in the department and am completely committed to the program, which has continued to excel over the past 45 years.” 





Gifts on this scale by university professors are relatively rare. Weary hopes her gift will encourage other faculty and staff to invest in programs about which they are passionate. She gives credit to her parents for instilling in her the importance of philanthropy. “My parents valued higher education. Through their philanthropy, they put a number of people through college,” she said.  ”They gave to many institutions, both public and private.  But they always knew that public universities have the ability to reach more people.”  

           



 In 1973, Professor Weary received her B.A. in psychology with highest distinction from the University of Kansas. That same year, she began graduate study at Vanderbilt University in a unique social and clinical psychology program where professor and advisor John Harvey, cited by Weary as an inspiration and role model, helped lead Weary to the study of social psychology. 





 Harvey taught her the ropes and introduced her to people in the field. Four years later, upon receipt of her Ph.D., Weary undertook a yearlong clinical internship at Columbia Presbyterian Hospitals and in 1978 began her academic career at Ohio State. She was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 1983, and in 1989 was promoted to the rank of full professor. Weary served as chair of the Department of Psychology from 2002 to 2008. She currently holds an appointment as the interim dean of Social and Behavioral Science in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences. 




 In addition to her duties an interim dean, Weary currently advises four Ph.D. level graduate students. She considers advising students an important part of academic life. A major responsibility of the Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Chair holder will be to serve students in an advisory function. 





 Weary is involved in numerous studies in her field with research topics such as control motivated social cognition, the social information processing consequences of depression, person perception, and personality processes. She holds membership in numerous professional organizations and is an elected fellow in the American Psychological Association, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the American Psychological Society, the American Association for Applied Psychology and Prevention, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. In 1998, she was elected president of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the largest organization of social and personality psychologists in the world. 





 In 1984, Weary received the Distinguished Scholar Award from Ohio State in recognition of her research accomplishments, and in 2000 she was named the Ohio State Distinguished Lecturer.


 Contact:
Jane Carroll, Office of Development
Marketing Communications, at 
mailto:Carroll.296@osu.edu or
292-5220

Construction alert: Thousands expected to attend weekend events

June 24, 2009

Ohio State will be a very busy place this weekend as the 2009 Ohio Special Olympics Summer Games take place at several campus locations. Some 7,000-10,000 visitors are expected to attend the annual games, which kick off Friday afternoon (6/26) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Heavy pedestrian traffic throughout campus and particularly around RPAC and Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium is anticipated. Officers will be available to maintain vehicle and pedestrian traffic in these areas during the event.

 

The continuation of the State Route 315 construction project, in addition to the Special Olympics Summer Games, will generate heavy traffic along Kenny Road, Olentangy River Road, High Street as well as Lane Avenue and possibly Woody Hayes Drive. During this time, motorists should anticipate parking shortages and traffic delays and are encouraged to plan accordingly to reduce frustration.

 

During the SR 315 construction, southbound traffic for Ohio Special Olympics may use the Ackerman and Lane Avenue exits and Northbound traffic should use the Lane Avenue exit. Additionally, campus is accessible via I-71 from Hudson Street for southbound traffic, and from 11th Avenue for northbound traffic.

 

Traffic leaving the area going northbound will be directed to the Ackerman Road entrance ramp via Kenny and Olentangy River Road. Traffic going southbound will be directed to the Olentangy/Goodale entrance ramp via Kenny and Olentangy River Road. Options for alternate outbound traffic include I-71 via 11th Avenue or Fifth Avenue.

 

– > Read more:

SR 315 project: http://www.buckeyetraffic.org/315

Campus parking: http://tp.osu.edu/alerts/summerconstruction.shtml

Summer Games:

http://www.sooh.org/events.php?eventID=1918

Student Wetland Research Awards for 2009 announced

June 23, 2009

 

Adam Kautza, a graduate student in Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources and Sara McCarthy, an undergraduate honors student in SENR, shared the 2009 Sipp Wetland Research Award. Students doing research on wetlands and rivers compete annually for this award that is administered by the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park.

Read more: http://swamp.osu.edu/news/2009_SIPP_award.html

Top3on2, 6-18-09

June 23, 2009

Personal stories of triumph

Alexander Rayner, who works for the University Police Division, has been at Ohio State for 12 years

Why did you choose to work at Ohio State? I was born at University Hospitals and I am an alumnus from the class of 1996. I am currently enrolled in the master’s program in the School of PAES. My father worked at Ohio State for 36 years. My mother works as a volunteer for The University Women’s Club. It has been such a big part of my life for so long I guess you could say I was born into the family trade. Continue reading ‘Top3on2, 6-18-09′

John Glenn asks graduates to ask questions

June 18, 2009

 

By Adam King

Astronaut and former Sen. John Glenn, who delivered the Spring Commencement speech to a record 8,162 Ohio State graduates June 14 at Ohio Stadium, said he hopes the class of 2009 becomes the greatest “Why Not?” class of all time. Continue reading ‘John Glenn asks graduates to ask questions’

Projecting all the right images

June 18, 2009

By Julia Harris

Ever wonder what’s behind those big glass windows at the back of the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater?

Well, a lot. Continue reading ‘Projecting all the right images’

FOD making it easier to access its services

June 18, 2009

By Adam King

It’s never just one thing that goes wrong when it comes to building maintenance. Lights burn out. It’s too hot or too cold. Something’s broken or something’s leaking.

Just over a year ago, Mike Vanecko, the building coordinator for the Science and Engineering Library, would have had to call different service units at the university to get the problems fixed.

Those multiple connections are now a thing of the past as Facilities Operations and Development continues its march toward streamlining itself and its customer service. Continue reading ‘FOD making it easier to access its services’

Scientists use bed bugs’ own chemistry against them

June 18, 2009

By Emily Caldwell

Scientists here have determined that combining bed bugs’ own chemical signals with a common insect control agent makes that treatment more effective at killing the bugs. Continue reading ‘Scientists use bed bugs’ own chemistry against them’

Restructure now rolling, Leitzel heads back into retirement

June 18, 2009

By Jeff McCallister

Joan Leitzel knew the job facing her wouldn’t be easy; on the contrary, she was certain it would be among the most difficult challenges of her career.

But when President Gordon Gee came calling with a request that she begin the task of restructuring the arts and sciences at Ohio State, she knew it was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Continue reading ‘Restructure now rolling, Leitzel heads back into retirement’

Terry Gustafson

June 18, 2009

Terry Gustafson is the associate executive dean for interdisciplinary programs in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences. He is a professor of chemistry and an adviser for the SPHINX senior class honorary society.

What are your five favorite books and why?
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
This is my all-time favorite book. No book captures the human condition through fiction the way that Dostoevsky does. Each of the brothers presents the world view of Dostoevsky at various times in his life. And “The Grand Inquisitor” chapter is an amazing work of literature in its own right.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
No book has been simultaneously so entertaining and so frustrating to read. There were so many times when I wanted to slap Anna across the face and get her to make sensible choices.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I would read this book every Christmas break while I was in college. This book fine-tuned my cynical side and helped formulate my perspective on war and politics.

Perelandra by C. S. Lewis
I could have said any book by Lewis, but this book, the second of his space trilogy, helped me to understand the nature of free will. There are images from that book that still come to mind on a regular basis.

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The first time I read the series I did so in two weeks; I could not put them down. Tolkien’s ability with words to create an entire world and help his readers understand good and evil is remarkable.

Who is your favorite character in literature?
Yossarian from Catch-22 has always been my hero.

What is the last book you’ve bought?
Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr
This 1951 classic is still considered key to understanding faith and its interaction with culture.

What’s your “guilty pleasure” – a book you love but don’t often talk about because it’s not “serious” literature?

I confess that I have read most of Robert Ludlum’s books, mostly while I was in graduate school. They were a nice break from the reality of research.

What “important book” have you not read and why haven’t you read it?
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
The unabridged version is just too long! Justice, redemption and mercy require a lot of words to explain.

What classic novel was a disappointment to you?
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
After a while the repetitiveness was just too much to take and I never finished the book.

If you were to ban one book, what would it be and why?
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Actually, I see no good reason to ban any book, although I would discourage anyone from wasting their time on romance novels.

What genre of literature do you prefer to read (history, fiction, biography, etc.) and why?
Of the 50 or so books on my bedside table, they are all non-fiction with an equal distribution of history, philosophy and theology. When I look at the list of my “must-read” books, I realize that I need to focus on non-fiction for now. These are all books I never read while studying science.

What are some of your favorite Web sites?
Aside from news sites, I love to visit Northern Images Photography (northernimages.com).
The images from northern Minnesota, where I grew up, remind me of home — and why I moved south to Columbus for the warmer winters!

 

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