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The Ohio State University: Ohio State’s economic engine
Posted on | February 16, 2011 | 2,497 views | 2 Comments
By E. Gordon Gee, Ohio State University President
Universities are large and complex — ours more so than any other. Trying to describe all that we do in one sentence seems a daunting task. But having had the great good fortune to twice lead this university and having had the opportunity to see the impact of Ohio State in every county across Ohio, I have come to understand the simple truth of this university. When you take the sum of what happens in Ohio State classrooms, in Ohio State laboratories, in Ohio State collaborations with public and private partners, in Ohio State extension efforts and everything else we do, it becomes perfectly plain to see: Ohio State is in the progress business.
I say that knowing full well that we have been in this line of work for a very long time. But I would submit to you that what we do has never been more vital.
The race is not to the swift, we know. Today, it is clearly to the smart. We are living in a world of ideas. Creativity and imagination are the currency of the modern economy. As we stake our claim to a future of new products, new industries, new hope and new growth, it is both our blessing and our profound responsibility that what the state of Ohio most needs is precisely that which Ohio State best provides.
Our researchers are developing green-energy solutions that will help efficiently power every sector of our economy. Our scientists are pursuing revolutionary medical advances that will be sought the world over. Our agriculture and food experts are in the field helping increase the yield of Ohio’s biggest industry.
Turn the page on this special section and you will see some of the names and faces that tell the story. Ohio State is Ohio’s ladder. We touch the lives and raise the standard of living of every Ohioan, regardless of whether they have ever set foot on campus.
My intent is not to boast. However, the future offers no spoils for false modesty. Those of us who have devoted our lives to this university should tell its story, and tell it with genuine pride. As the legendary pitcher and bullpen philosopher Dizzy Dean said, “It’s not bragging if you can do it.” And we can. Indeed, we do, every day.
At Ohio State we are second in the nation in industry-sponsored research. Our 64,000 students represent such a deep pool of talent that The Wall Street Journal reports we are among the top 12 destinations for corporations recruiting new employees.
Education — uniquely among all human endeavors — exists to strengthen lives and form the building blocks of our future. Each day we bear witness to the unrivaled power of a union between 21st-century knowledge-seeking and the timeless founding principles of a land-grant university dedicated to serving its communities. Our focus is clear, our commitment is unyielding, and our mission is nothing less than to serve as Ohio’s incubator of human aspiration.
Special onCampus section on Ohio State’s economic impact on the state of Ohio
Ohio State program hard at work keeping Ohio at work
The Ohio State University: Ohio’s economic engine
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Comments
2 Responses to “The Ohio State University: Ohio State’s economic engine”
February 18th, 2011 @ 9:37 am
OSU could make considerably more progress if much of the non-value added bureaucracy were eliminated. Faculty and staff expend considerable energy dealing with issues that would never exist in a well-run organization. This energy could be re-directed to craetive efforts that would add real value. OSU could be a real powewrhouse if this were the case.
February 28th, 2011 @ 10:48 am
@Jim, OSU is a powerhouse already. While many bureaucracies could use a little slimming-down (including many private sector bureaucracies), there is a difference between making uninformed, wholesale cuts to staffing levels without actually understanding how an institution functions, and making rational decisions. To simply assume that OSU’s size somehow automatically equates to a large, ineffective bureaucracy is to accept faulty logic/political groupthink.