|
Vol. 38, No. 18
|
 |
2-17-2009
By: Top 3 on 2, 2/19/09
 Why did you choose to work at Ohio State?
I was fortunate to receive orders to Ohio State from the US Navy to serve as professor of naval science. I had planned on retiring from the Navy when the position at Ohio State was offered to me. I had fond memories of Ohio so I jumped at the opportunity to end my Navy career here. I was born in Mt. Vernon. Recently my tour here was extended one more year. I am happy to stay another year!
What do you like about your job?
In NROTC I have the distinct pleasure of working with great students who aspire to serve as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps. These are smart kids who would be successful in a variety of professions, but they choose to serve. They are top notch, work hard and I am proud to be associated with them. Also, working with the student leadership and other Council on Student Affairs faculty has been a rewarding experience. The students on the CSA are brilliant, great stewards of resources and very committed to “doing the right thing” for all students. They are truly insightful and dedicated to improving the OSU experience for all.
What advice would you give a new employee?
Get out of your office. Meet people, go to lectures and events, attend meetings, learn about all the great things going on at Ohio State. Ohio State is huge; isolating yourself in your work space puts you on the fast track to terminal misunderstanding and frustration. Hand out Snickers bars. Build relationships. You will find OSU is blessed with great faculty and staff who want to make good things happen.
If you weren’t working at Ohio State, what would you be doing?
This is a question I need to get a handle on as my retirement approaches, but right now, I am happy being at Ohio State.
What is your favorite activity outside of work?
My wife and I like dogs. We have a golden retriever and a Golden-Doodle — “the girls.” Since our kids have “flown the coop,” the girls have become our new kids. We have a great time with them. They say dogs like humans because we smell so much — the dogs seem to really like me and I appreciate their companionship. I also like to tinker with cars. I like to try to fix or tweak things, learn about how they work. Most often, I break cars, but there is a lot of learning in that, I tell myself. I also like going out into the woods — camping, hiking, etc. The girls like it too.
What are you going to do when you retire?
I hope to teach naval science at a high school and continue my automotive quest.
If you were the university president for a day, what would you do?
I would give the traffic/parking police a well-deserved day off and declare a “free parking” day to commence upon arrival in my “Reserved for the President” parking spot.
To nominate a staff member for an upcoming issue, e-mail oncampus@osu.edu.
Not quite two years old, the onCampus Bulletin Board, which offers faculty, staff and graduate students a safe avenue to interact electronically in a variety of venues, added its 1,000th member this month.
The steady growth of the Web site, oncampus.osu.edu/bulletinboard, has created a vibrant virtual community within the university, allowing people who might never have connected to do so, whether they work at opposite ends of campus or at the regionals.
“As a moderator of the onCampus Bulletin Board, it’s exciting to see how many people are using the free services daily,” said Jeff McCallister, onCampus editor. “And I believe it helps downsize the enormity of working at such a large institution.”
Much of the Web site’s action is centered around the classifieds, which gives employees who are looking to buy, wanting to sell or give away virtually anything a free way to peruse or create listings. Categories include homes, cars, electronics, tickets, animals, recreation items, vacation rentals and “other.”
“Buying or selling from an audience who works at the same place you do removes some of the unknowns that are present in such sites as eBay or Craigslist,” McCallister said. “The chances are a lot smaller that someone would cheat you when you know where to find them.”
A general topics area has a range of offerings, including a moonlighting/services directory; a place to list announcements, meetings, awards, notes of appreciation and upcoming meetings/workshops; and postings to solicit carpoolers and rec league members. There’s even a place to post lost and found items.
Only OSU employees and grad students are allowed to create a login, using their university user ID.
onCampus Home
|
