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Credit protection offered to 760,000 after breach

December 16, 2010

Ohio State University is notifying past and present students, faculty, staff and others that a university computer server was illegally accessed by unauthorized individuals. Because there is no evidence that any information was taken, the university does not believe that this incident will result in identity theft for any of the affected individuals. However, it is taking a cautious approach and choosing to offer free credit protection services.

In late October, the university discovered that unauthorized individuals logged into an Ohio State server that housed personal information for approximately 760,000 individuals including current and former faculty, staff, and students, as well as applicants and other individuals affiliated with the university such as consultants and contractors. That server includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and addresses. No OSU Medical Center patient records or student health records were involved.

The university immediately secured expertise from some of the nation’s best computer forensic consultants. In late November, they concluded that although access was confirmed, there was no evidence that any data were taken out of the system by unauthorized individuals. The experts did find evidence that the purpose of the unauthorized access was to launch cyber attacks.

“We are committed to maintaining the privacy of sensitive information and continually work to enhance our systems and practices to reduce the likelihood of such events occurring,” said Joseph A. Alutto, Ohio State provost.

“We regret that this has occurred and are exercising an abundance of caution in choosing to notify those affected. We also are working with a nationally recognized data security firm to further strengthen all of our systems,” Alutto added.

All individuals whose information was in the system have been offered 12 months of free credit protection to help safeguard against harm from misuse of personal information. For additional information, individuals should visit: http://www.osu.edu/creditsafety.

Safety message to the Ohio State University community

November 16, 2010

Ohio State University Police and local public safety officials are investigating bomb threats to four campus buildings. OSU police were alerted by the FBI at 8:19 a.m. that bomb threats were received for The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library, McPherson Chemical Lab, Smith Laboratory and Scott Laboratory.

Three streets are closed to vehicular traffic:

Neil Ave. north of 12th Ave.; 17th between Tuttle Park Place and College Rd.; and 18th and 19th between Neil Ave.and College Rd.

Occupants of all buildings were evacuated and were directed to areas of safety. OSU Public Safety issued a Buckeye Alert at 8:41 a.m. to the campus community asking everyone to stay clear of those buildings. Text messages were sent to nearly 32,000 Buckeye Alert subscribers.

University public safety officials and university police continue to investigate along with the FBI and the Columbus Fire Department bomb squad. The affected buildings remain closed until further notice.

For more information, call 614-247-7777 or continue to monitor www.osu.edu

President Gee’s statement regarding tornado damage to OARDC-Wooster

September 17, 2010

Dear Colleagues:

As you may know, a tornado struck the University’s campus in Wooster yesterday evening. We are deeply fortunate that no one on campus was
seriously injured.

Teams are currently assessing the damage, and I am headed to the campus this afternoon. At this moment, my understanding is that certain
academic, research, and administrative facilities have sustained a significant amount of damage.

I am grateful for the ways in which our University family is pulling together at this moment to respond to immediate needs and begin planning
for the future. Together, we move forward as One University. For that, I am thankful.

Sincerely,

E. Gordon Gee
President

Register now for Take a Child to Work Day

April 20, 2010

There is still time to register for Ohio State’s Take a Child to Work Day events, which take place April 22.

Sign-ups will continue through April 21 online at hr.osu.edu/special/childtowork.aspx. The event opens with an 8:30 a.m. kickoff at the US Bank Conference Theater at the Ohio Union, where Sarah Blouch, a mother of one and OSU’s Parking and Transportation director, will give the keynote speech, “How to End Up in the Perfect Career.” Attendees can receive a lunch tour of the union in addition to all their other activities but must sign up at the Web site, where the schedule of morning and afternoon workshops to choose from also can be found.

For more information, contact mbondurant@hr.osu.edu

Staff conversation with President Gee on April 22

April 20, 2010

Join USAC for the Spring Staff Conversation with President Gee on April 22nd, 12-1 pm, at the Drake Performance & Event Center.

Jeff Kaplan, Senior Vice President for Administration & Planning and Special Assistant to the President, will join the President to discuss the long-term planning for our physical campus including ideas about the academic core and Olentangy River corridor.

The PAD will feature a lunch special of any slice of pizza, side salad and a fountain beverage for $4.50 between 11:00am and 2:00pm. Campus Loop (North and South) buses run every 8 minutes from the Drake.

Contact Amy Ehrlich for more information.

Have ‘Dinner for a Difference’ to help Operation Feed

April 20, 2010

By Adam King

Ending hunger in central Ohio is not a one-shot deal. It takes constant effort to ensure there is enough food available for those who desperately need it.

To that end, the Multicultural Center’s Social Justice Cohort is giving the campus community another way to support the Mid-Ohio Foodbank at the same time Ohio State launches its annual Operation Feed campaign.

The SJC’s “Dinner for a Difference: Are You Hungry for Change?” is in Ohio Union’s Great Hall Meeting Rooms 1 and 2 at 6:30 p.m. April 22 and is open to students, faculty and staff.

A canned good is required for admission to the “hunger banquet,” where diners will draw cards to determine what “income level” meal they will be served.

Based on global incomes, 15 percent of the diners will be placed in the high-income group, 30 percent in the middle-income group and 55 percent in the lower-income group. The meals served will represent what those groups generally could afford to eat.

“It shows how real the disparities are among the groups and how skewed the poverty level is in the world,” said Rachel Gibson, a graduate administrative associate at the Multicultural Center who worked closely with SJC to plan the dinner.

Once the banquet is finished, Gibson said nobody will be left hungry and other edible options will be available.

Also, attendees will be asked to donate $5 to the Foodbank via text donation. As both the dinner planners and Operation Feed note, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank can turn $5 into $40 worth of food, so its purchasing power goes further than the general public.

This is a critical year for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, which is aiming to raise 6 million meals.

“Why do we in America who have so many resources still have pockets of hunger?” asked Rebecca Nelson, director of the Multicultural Center. “It’s not some separate, removed issue in our society. Some individuals might not be starving, but they don’t have the money to do all their grocery shopping needs for the month. Other families are living one paycheck away from this.”

The SJC is hoping to attract 150 people to the dinner, and because it knows not everyone attending will be able to donate money, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank will have representatives there to talk about how people can donate their time to support the cause.

Operation Feed, meanwhile, is hoping to be a big help in driving the Foodbank to its goal. The campaign took in 106,355 meals in 2009, a 17 percent increase over the previous year. OSU’s Operation Feed Campaign Manager Michele Bondurant is setting a reachable yet aggressive goal of 125,000 meals this year. “It has been apparent year to year that Ohio State faculty and staff have the desire to give back to the community in meaningful ways and at record levels, so it’s not a stretch to be bold with our 2010 goal,” she said.

And giving is even easier now with an online option. In fact, any department may contact Bondurant at mbondurant@hr.osu.edu to have a Web URL set up solely to collect virtual gifts from its employees. With more than 40,000 people in central Ohio going to a food pantry, soup kitchen or shelter each week for emergency food assistance, no amount of giving is too small.

Every OSU unit or department has an Operation Feed coordinator available to answer questions or take donations, or visit midohiofoodbank.org. For more information about “Dinner for a Difference,” contact Gibson at rgibson@studentlife.osu.edu or 688-8449.

Hunger by the numbers

• More than 248,000 people every year in central and eastern Ohio seek out emergency food assistance.

• The Mid-Ohio Foodbank distributed nearly 34 million pounds of food in 2009.

Innovation centers, groups selected for funding

October 13, 2009

The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and the Office of Research (OR) have announced the establishment of two Centers for Innovation and three Innovation Groups. The Centers for Innovation and Innovation Group programs were created by the university to encourage trans-institutional and interdisciplinary scholarship across campus.  Many outstanding proposals were submitted for this competition, addressing issues and problems of global dimension that affect the quality of the human condition.  The following proposals have been selected for funding:

Centers for Innovation:

OSU International Poverty Solutions Collaborative

Principal Investigators: Howard Goldstein, College of Education and Human Ecology; Jay Barney, Fisher College of Business

(More than 60 faculty members from 14 colleges)

Efforts to eradicate poverty have been limited by disciplinary, unidimensional approaches.  The International Poverty Solutions Collaborative recognizes the multidisciplinary nature of poverty and will work to develop and evaluate comprehensive, culturally-sensitive solutions that allow individuals, families, and communities to thrive.  The center will clarify the interrelations among economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and political factors that combine to create poverty conditions.  Four research teams will focus on promoting health and well-being, designing physical environments, developing business and economic opportunities, and building families, schools, and communities.  These teams will interact with four community laboratories, spanning urban, rural, and international settings.

Food Innovation Center:  Foods for Global Security, Safety, and Health Promotion

Principal Investigator:  Ken Lee, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

(More than 80 faculty members from 12 colleges)

Feeding the rapidly growing world population (a projected 8 billion by 2025) will require a 40% increase in the world food supply, at a time when we are wasting 40% of the current supply due to challenges in economics, safety, health, nutrition, security, technology, and food policy.  The Food Innovation Center brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to attack the food crisis by addressing four themes:  designing foods for health, ensuring food safety, advancing biomedical nutrition in disease prevention and health promotion, and global food strategy and policy.

Innovation Groups:

Complexity in Human, Natural, and Engineered Systems

Principal Investigator: David Woods, College of Engineering

(More than 20 faculty members from 8 colleges)

Complex systems are everywhere, from anthills to ecosystems, from small towns to metropolitan regions, and from distributed robotics to air traffic control networks.  This Innovation Group will bring theorists and empirical researchers from many disciplines together to evaluate the dynamics and output of a wide array of complex systems, and to create models that can predict the behavior of these systems. This group will work to position Ohio State as a leader in the rapidly emerging field of complexity science.

OSU Center for Ethics and Human Values

Principal Investigator:  Donald Hubin, Arts and Humanities, Colleges of the Arts and Sciences

(35 faculty members from 11 colleges)

Every problem confronting us, both individually and globally, has important ethical dimensions, which are critical considerations in any proposed solutions.  The OSU Center for Ethics and Human Values encompasses researchers from across the campus whose work involves foundational or applied ethics in a forum that will create a new capacity to address emerging ethical issues in all areas of life.  In addition, the group will facilitate ethics instruction at both undergraduate and graduate levels, promoting an “ethics across the curriculum” approach to ethics education.

Computational Modeling of Global Infectious Disease Threats and Policy

Principal Investigator:  Daniel Janies, College of Medicine

(14 faculty members from 7 colleges

The emergence, reemergence, and spread of infectious diseases among humans and animals represent a complex and critical global problem. Combating the spread of infectious disease requires the collaboration of researchers in public health, medicine, biology, public policy, and social science-as well as mathematics and statistics.  This group will develop cross-disciplinary means of discovering the biological, clinical, environmental, and social causes of the spread of infectious diseases via computational modeling of pathogens and hosts, and will engage present and future scientists and policy makers in a dialogue to enhance the control of infectious diseases.

Background

Center for Innovation proposals came directly from the faculty and were required to involve at least 30 faculty members drawn from a minimum of eight colleges. The two new Centers for Innovation will receive $750,000/year for a five-year period with the expectation that each center will become self-sufficient at the end of the funding period.

Innovation Group proposals also came directly from faculty and were required to involve at least 10 faculty members drawn from a minimum of three colleges.  The three new Innovation Groups will receive $20,000/year for a three-year period.  The Innovation Groups selected have the potential to grow into Centers of Innovation.

Symposium here sets cosmological agenda for next decade

October 12, 2009

World experts on the nature of the universe have come to campus this week (Oct. 12-14) for the inaugural symposium of the Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics. Attendees will set the research priorities to enable fundamental breakthroughs in the next 10 years. Among the questions they will discuss: What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy? And what are the origins of high-energy cosmic rays? A special public lecture by University of Wisconsin-Madison physicist Francis Halzen will reveal how researchers are using ice at the bottom of the world to capture some of the most energetic particles in the universe. The lecture will take place tonight, (Monday October 12) at 7:30 p.m. in rm. E0001 Scott Laboratory (201 W. 19th Ave.).

More information about the symposium: http://ccapp.osu.edu/workshops/Symposium/2009/workshop.html

More information about the public lecture:

http://ccapp.osu.edu/workshops/Symposium/2009/publiclecture.html

Contact: Michael Stamatikos, stamatikos.1@osu.edu or Michael.Stamatikos-1@nasa.gov

Preparations continue for potential pandemic

September 15, 2009

Text of an e-mail sent by Vice President for Human Resources Larry Lewellen to all faculty and staff:
(please click on http://flu.osu.edu for more Ohio State flu-related information).

To: All staff
Subject: Flu Pandemic Preparations
From: Larry Lewellen, Vice President, Human Resources

Autumn is a time of excitement on the Ohio State campus as students return to begin a new academic year, and anticipation builds as the kickoff of another Buckeyes’ football season approaches.

It’s also the beginning of flu season. This year we have to be prepared not only for seasonal flu but for the H1N1 flu as well. While health officials in the CDC and elsewhere have differing opinions on how the H1N1 flu will progress over the next 6 to 12 months, nearly all of them agree on the need to review and update plans for managing a possible pandemic. References to this flu also are changing. H1N1 mirrors the seasonal flu, and because health officials are no longer testing for this strain, we are now referring to it as Influenza-Like Illness (ILI).

Because the health and safety of faculty, staff, and students are the university’s highest priorities, we are putting a comprehensive plan in place to minimize the spread of disease and to care for the university community. A web site has been developed (http://flu.osu.edu) that will provide information about the plan and status updates, as well as up-to-date developments and detailed information, including prevention tips and guidance on when to seek medical care.

Meanwhile, you should know that health officials at Ohio State and the City of Columbus are closely monitoring the spread and mutations of the H1N1 flu. In all our planning, we will follow CDC guidelines and recommendations. In addition:

• Our biggest emphasis will be on prevention through education and vaccination.
• Ohio State will treat all cases of the flu as if they were H1N1.
• Students, faculty, and staff who are ill with influenza-like symptoms should stay home, self isolate and contact their primary health care provider if symptoms worsen.

Given the unique nature of our Medical Center’s work environment, additional information, specific to Medical Center faculty and staff, will be communicated on an ongoing basis from influenzaupdate@osumc.edu.

Staff play a crucial role in the day to day operations of the university, and some may be assigned individual tasks or responsibilities under the university’s comprehensive plan to minimize the spread of disease and to care for the university community. In addition, here are things every staff member should know:

• Child care will remain available to currently enrolled families unless the state/county department of health mandates closure. The Child Care Program may be able to accommodate children of essential personnel needing back-up care because of their own child care closures, however, if we are in a widespread health crisis authorities may advise against it. Families need to make several back-up plans, not count on just one.
• All faculty and staff should prepare themselves and their families by becoming familiar with Individuals and families planning page at Flu.gov and reviewingOhio State’s Work Life Guidance to Prepare for Pandemic Flu or Other Catastrophic Disaster.
• Be aware of your unit’s business continuity plans and the role you play in a recovery situation. Pay special attention to continuity strategies when a large number of staff are unavailable.
• Employees and supervisors should review the individual’s designation as essential, alternate, or standby, and what it means. Employees may have different designations for a pandemic, severe winter weather, significant power outage, etc.
• Employees and supervisors should make concrete plans to enable individuals to work from home in case of pandemic or other disaster and identify what specific work is appropriate if this becomes necessary.
• If the pandemic flu worsens and a university state of emergency is declared, university policies remain in force. Some key policies you should familiarize yourself with are:
  o Disaster Preparedness and University State of Emergency, Policy 6.17
  o Paid Leave Programs, Policy 6.27
  o Unpaid Leave, Policy 6.45
  o Family and Medical Leave, Policy 6.05

I sincerely appreciate your help in disseminating this crucial news.

Questions or concerns can be sent to emergencymanagement@dps.ohio-state.edu

USAC brings staff pep rally back as standalone event

September 4, 2009

By Adam King

The pageantry of Ohio State football returns to campus early with the revival of the University Staff Advisory Committee Pep Rally for all staff from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 11 on the Oval in front of Bricker Hall.

Last year the pep rally was folded into the Rally for Wellness at French Fieldhouse. But USAC was concerned it didn’t supply the punch needed to get staff excited for the upcoming season.

“The Rally for Wellness focus is on health and wellness, and it should stay that way,” said USAC Chair Amy Ehrlich. “The pep rally is outside, which gives it a whole other atmosphere. It should have its own energy and therefore remain its own entity.”

President Gordon Gee is scheduled to speak, and the band, cheerleaders and Brutus will be there to whip up the crowd’s enthusiasm for what could be another incredible year for the Buckeyes. Free popcorn and soda will be served too.

“It’s another way to show staff we appreciate what they do,” Ehrlich said. “I went to school at OSU, and remember just sitting on the Oval. It is an awesome place to hold the rally. And it’s a great excuse for people who maybe don’t always get to the central part of campus to come join us and experience a true bonding opportunity with their fellow employees.”

Staff are encouraged to wear their best OSU regalia, bond with Gee and shout O-H-I-O as loud as possible.

Of course, what would a rally be without some predictions. Ehrlich said the opener against Navy will be a win, “but we’ve got some growing pains to go through, so I think it will be 24-3.”

Overall she said it will be a one-loss season, but not to Southern Cal, which she predicts the Buckeyes will be beat at home. Winning on the road at Penn State is the tough assignment, Ehrlich said.

“I really hope the team can do it, though,” she said. “What kind of great year would we have then?”

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