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Vol. 38, No. 18 |
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1-9-2008 A worthy pursuitOSU’s last Rhodes Scholar says the university should continue to go after that top academic award
He’d like more OSU students to have such a timeless reflection, and he said it is important the university push students to pursue these top academic awards. His award erased a 56-year gap without a Buckeye Rhodes representative, and Jessica Hanzlik’s December selection as the university’s fifth Rhodes Scholar ended a 21-year gap. “We should do whatever we can to provide top-tier scholarship opportunities for our kids,” said Lanese, a former Ohio State wide receiver who lives in Grove City and is CEO of ClearSaleing Inc., an advertising technology company. “That’s why talented high school seniors should want to choose Ohio State — to be able to compete for the best opportunities. Ohio State is able to provide high-profile, post-undergrad opportunities in athletics. There’s no reason we shouldn’t do it in academics.” It can be argued that nothing is more prestigious than the Rhodes Scholarship. Only 32 Americans among 85 students worldwide are chosen each year and are given full tuition, room and board for two years of graduate studies at the University of Oxford. The award’s goal is to find the best in human character: Someone with drive, passion, leadership, compassion, integrity, academic achievement and high morals — someone who can affect the world. If not for the prompting of his professors Wick Murray, Herb Asher and David Frantz, Lanese would not have pursued his Rhodes experience. “He was a very good student, very dedicated, very insightful and very disciplined,” said Asher, an emeritus professor of political science and current special assistant to President Gordon Gee. “He was a very bright, mature and aware person — the kind of person you anticipate in interview situations would do a very good job. He was a great representative for the university.” The fact other schools have more Rhodes Scholars is likely because they took a more proactive approach to identifying and coaching potential candidates on the submission process, Lanese said. “OSU started to do that five years ago with the Honors Collegium, and with Jessica’s selection, it looks like we’re starting to see the results now,” said Lanese, who is a member of the Collegium’s advisory board. Asher said he’s confident the university is making those strides, contacting students as freshmen and nurturing them through the process. “It’s frustrating our Rhodes Scholars have been few and far between,” said Asher, who added faculty should be proactive in identifying qualified students. “We have outstanding students, and I anticipate our next Rhodes Scholar will not have that time gap.” Lanese, who was an invited speaker to undergraduates in the Department of Political Science a couple years ago, has sat in on several Rhodes interviews since his selection. He said he’s always amazed at the level of talent applying through OSU. “Their activities and research projects are light years ahead of where we were 20 years ago,” he said. “So the dry spell is not for a lack of really smart, deserving kids.” As a Rhodes, Lanese planned to eventually enter politics. But instead of following a straight line, Lanese’s life has zigzagged. He joined the Navy as an officer for four years after leaving Oxford then went into business. He twice made his own job, co-founding companies including his current one, an e-marketing company (clearsaleing.com). He was also a securities trader as well as a marketing executive at National City Bank. “I read my Rhodes essay a few years ago and I was surprised at two things: How truly awful it was and how much I’ve strayed from the ‘master plan’ I laid out,” Lanese said. “As it turned out, the path I’ve chosen has been more challenging and interesting than the one I imagined 20 years ago.” Yet he still hasn’t answered his overriding question: Is he worthy? As a Rhodes, he is in lofty company with such notable figures as former U.S. President Bill Clinton; astronomer Edwin Hubble; Supreme Court associate justices Byron White, John Marshall and David Souter; and a host of other academics, researchers, politicians, writers, lawyers, business leaders and activists. “The scholarship isn’t really about rewarding past accomplishments as much as it is about making an investment in young people who have the potential to advance the ball in terms of the Rhodes imperative,” Lanese said. “And the question of whether a Rhodes exemplifies the ideals of the award is a lot like asking whether he or she is able to generate a significant return on investment, paid in the currency of big ideas. “As for whether my return will measure up, we’ll have to stay tuned. It’s a long-term investment. But as always, I’m bullish.”
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