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After Fred

October 7, 2009

Ann Fisher has her own course to chart on  WOSU 820 AM

By Adam King

Ann Fisher is not Fred Andrle, and she has no aspirations to be. Though Fisher was hired to follow in the well-regarded footsteps of Andrle and his 20-year career on WOSU 820 AM, she isn’t willing to bequeath who she is to try and mimic a local legend. Continue reading ‘After Fred’

She’s got the touch

October 7, 2009

Mobile therapist takes massage and message to Ohio State departments

By Julia Harris

When Stephanie Schleappi tells you she feels your pain, she’s not just trying to be nice. More likely, she’s got her fingers right where it hurts and is working hard to loosen things up.

As a licensed massage therapist, Schleappi knows pain. And since a good part of her job with the University Health Connection, Ohio State’s onsite health care clinic for faculty and staff, entails giving chair massages to employees all over campus, she knows better than anyone the pain that plagues this university. Continue reading ‘She’s got the touch’

OUAB gives Colette Masterson access to stars, student ingenuity

October 7, 2009

Colette Masterson knew she picked the right career because all she has to do is describe what she does to elicit a smile.

“My job is to give Jimmy Fallon his paycheck,” said Masterson, who is assistant director of the Ohio Union and Student Activities and acts as staff advisor for the student-run Ohio Union Activities Board.

OUAB brings speakers, programs and entertainers to campus using students’ $25 quarterly Student Activity Fee (up from $15 last academic year), which amounts to $1.2 million annually. Students get in free to all OUAB events, which run the gamut from thought-provoking social issue panels to well-known speakers, comedians, bands and unusual acts.

The perk for Masterson is she gets to meet all the people OUAB brings in — whether it’s Saturday Night Live’s Fallon; producer, director and actor Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma) or the band Third Eye Blind — while helping its student members create a well-rounded campus experience.

“It’s always awesome when talent is as nice as you expect them to be,” Masterson said. “When they’re the most normal, down-to-earth people and are sincerely interested in engaging the students and excited to be on campus, that’s the fun part.”

It’s also fun for Masterson to watch students brainstorm ideas on filling out the calendar. There are 160 OUAB volunteer student members and 12 student executive board members who head the various committees (lectures, concerts, visual and fine arts, special events, etc.). Their job is to contact the talent or their agents, negotiate a fee and do the entire event planning and hosting.

Masterson is kind of the sounding board for the group. Since it’s a student-run organization, she’s loath to say no to any idea OUAB comes up with and she doesn’t inject act ideas that might appeal to her. But Masterson does provide suggestions on what kinds of programs or acts might work when an idea doesn’t make sense for mass appeal, such as one where a student suggested having a Fight Night.

“Advisers like Colette Masterson give us the tools to be successful programmers, but they allow OUAB to be a student-run organization,” said Kayln Eyer, OUAB president. “We learn and grow the most when we are allowed room for error. The OUAB advisors empower us to be better in all facets of our lives through challenge and encouragement.”

But even some of the best ideas are just out of OUAB’s financial realm, such as comedian Dane Cook and The Dave Matthews Band.

“It depends on the talent and how much they want to come to a college show,” Masterson said. “It’s interesting that talent is typically more expensive to bring to a university than say Promo West Pavilion. Our events are free, so artists aren’t making a certain amount plus ticket sales. So we’re competing with those agencies. Plus, groups like The Dave Matthews Band can sell out a stadium.

“There comes a point where we know what our threshold is and sometimes it means standing firm and letting a talent pass and sometimes it means we get a deal and it works out great for everyone.”

One big-name comedian’s agency flat-out told OUAB it couldn’t afford to bring him in.

“The buying power of the money we have is just not to the level of the entertainment industry, and their inflation is at a much greater rate,” Masterson said. “But hopefully with this new fee increase, we can do more of these kinds of shows.”

The Schottenstein Center staff also help OUAB negotiate fees because the center tends to be in tune with what actual going rates are for talent.

During the 2008-09 academic year, OUAB put on 116 events that drew 71,000 people, and planning for current events is completed halfway through the prior quarter.

“Really the exciting thing about this job is seeing an oddball idea actually come to fruition,” Masterson said. “But it’s also seeing how students affect the campus community. They get a lot of excitement out of people reacting to the events they helped dream up.”

Eyer said the students take their roles very seriously.

“OUAB is a large organization designed to represent the opinions and ideas of the largest and most diverse campus in the nation, and that is not easy,” she said. “OUAB means connecting students on campus and providing them with new experiences, and occasionally that means pushing the envelope. OUAB is about making Ohio State the best campus in the nation and it’s about developing the best leaders in the world.”

Ohio Union opening has OUAB planning ahead
Certain areas of the Ohio Union, which will be completed in spring 2010, were created with the Ohio Union Activities Board in mind. So OUAB member students are already deliberating on what type of events can best be paired with the new facility.

Woody’s Pub, for instance, will have an area for a DJ, singers and dance parties. The west side of the union has the electrical infrastructure to project a concert onto the South Oval.

“We’re in the process of brainstorming how to use the unique and interesting spaces,” said Colette Masterson, advisor to OUAB and assistant director of the Ohio Union and Student Activities. “What are the opening events, in the first 30 days, that will pack a punch and say OUAB is home in this building and the Ohio Union is all about the students? Some of the early thoughts are bringing in Ohio celebrities or Ohio State alum celebrities. Perhaps a performance we’ve never brought before to use the amazing performance hall we’ll have. Maybe we can use the instructional kitchen or the cartoon room for an event.”

Students are given access to any event first, but if tickets remain (a rare occurrence, usually two events per year) they are released to faculty and staff on a first-come, first-serve basis.

These tickets have been free to employees with a Buck ID, but Masterson said leftover tickets to events in the new union might have a fee charged with them.

For complete details, visit ouab.osu.edu.

Lights! Camera! Knowledge!

September 23, 2009

Faculty have to go only as far as Bricker Hall to find an international pulpit

By Adam King

The room in the nondescript underbelly of Bricker Hall is akin to C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe link to Narnia. Once faculty enter, they — or at least their likenesses — are instantly transported to other places throughout Ohio, across the nation and around the world.

The Bricker basement has been rewired to create a state-of-the-art television broadcast studio and soundproof radio booth in the center of campus. It was part of an effort to give Ohio

State a level of exposure befitting the largest public university in America and make it easier for faculty to share their expertise with national network and cable news outlets.

“Often the barrier most faculty face in doing a TV interview is it takes time,” said Paul Beck, a political science professor who did more than 200 interviews during the 2008presidential election campaign. “They don’t like to give up those blocks of time for what ends up being a minute or two on the air. And if you have to go off campus to do it, which often was the case, it takes more time.”

With the Ohio State Broadcast Studio up and running, faculty can zip in and out for a live interview, either on television or radio. It’s certainly convenient for Beck, whose office is next door. And the new studio has come in handy for him even with the election cycle over; Beck has had 40 interviews this year discussing partisan politics and campaigning, some of them at Bricker.

“Our faculty have a lot of work they’re doing that speaks to people beyond academia, and I think it’s very important to get the word out about it,” Beck said. “Faculty don’t think of themselves as producers of sound bites and may not present it in a way the media can easily handle. But we teach what we know in the classroom and teach it effectively, and there are plenty of people out there interested in what we do and in learning more about the unique insights it gives us.”

Faculty who might be uncomfortable in front of a camera have an invaluable resource that goes hand in hand with the studio: Ohio State National Broadcast Director Joe Camoriano.

A long-time national anchor, video producer (Missouri and Kansas State) and former national broadcast director at the University of California-Irvine, Camoriano understands how to put faculty at ease and prepare them for live interviews. It also is Camoriano’s responsibility to keep an eye on stories in the news — or that might shortly enter the news cycle — where OSU faculty would be a good fit as experts and “pitch” them to the networks.

“We have 40 experts on our OSU YouTube channel who we brought in and interviewed for 15-20 minutes, and those interviews were edited down to 2-3 minutes. I use those clips to promote OSU faculty, linking the networks to them along with each faculty’s bio,” Camoriano said. “That’s been pretty effective. And the networks were surprised we could do everything in our studio, so now they’ve been asking us for a list of our experts.”

Since February when Camoriano arrived, about 25 national and international interviews have taken place in the Bricker studio and appeared on outlets such as CNN, CNN International, FOX News, FOX Business, MSNBC, Al-Jazeera (Middle East) and Al-Hurra (India) as well as NPR and BBC radio.

The studio also is being made available for internal audiences. The Department of Theatre and Buckeye TV will be producing weekly half-hour shows beginning this fall.

Camoriano said he is looking for faculty with something to say about their research. But he also wants faculty who might be unsure if their research is nationally newsworthy to contact him.

“You never know when there is an angle we can tie in,” Camoriano said. “And if they’re unsure about going national, we can promote them regionally so they can get their feet wet and see how easy it is. We’re here to serve the university and our faculty.”

There’s no bismuth like show bismuth

September 23, 2009

Geoffrey Taber uses unique metal to earn onCampus recognition for his art

By Adam King

It was in a scrapyard where Geoffrey Taber became intrigued with bismuth, a metalloid that forms intriguing crystal formations as it cools. He found a hunk of it in the fall of 2003 while digging through the Research Alloys yard on Goodale Boulevard for metal he uses to make equipment for materials science researchers.

“It had some really cool little crystals and colors,” said Taber, a laboratory technician in OSU’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “Over the next several months I studied and experimented, trying to optimize the interesting features.”

In the view of the editorial staff at onCampus, Taber excelled in his artistic vision, honoring him with the first ever onCampus Editors’ Choice Ribbon for his entry “Hemisphere” in the Staff Arts and Crafts Exhibit at Bricker Hall.

The entire exhibit is on display through Oct. 2, but Taber’s piece, as well as the others in the exhibit honored by President Gordon Gee, the university’s vice presidents and the People’s Choice Award, will be moved to the Schottenstein Center for view by fans attending the Wisconsin home football game Oct. 10.

Taber was a medical imaging systems engineer until he walked into the Hoyt Sherman studio in Columbus in 1987 and fell in love with glassblowing, which he did for the next 10 years.

Taber was the first American student to attend the State School for Glass in Zelezny Brod, Czechoslovakia, in 1990, and he sold his creations locally at the Riley Hawk Gallery, the Columbus Museum of Art gift shop and the Ohio Designer Craftsmen “Show of Hands” retail stores.

Taber relishes developing his skills in both glass and metal casting techniques, and he said it’s the marketing and selling of his artwork that is the most “painful” part of his endeavor.

But he strongly believes in the science of art. After figuring out how to manipulate bismuth, Taber is trying to figure out how to turn practical applications into art aesthetics.

“I have been researching something called ‘monodispersed nanospheres,’ which all that really means is tiny balls, smaller than 1 micrometer, all within a narrow range of diameter,” he said. “After synthesizing such spheres, it is possible for them to stay suspended indefinitely in an ordered or structured solution, know as a colloid. This area is widely studied in search of functional optical devices, such as photonic crystals, but my intent is merely to exploit some of my favorite visually appealing features: Opalescence and iridescence.

18th Annual Staff Arts and Crafts Show

September 23, 2009

Top 3 on 2, 9/24/09

September 23, 2009

Why did you choose to work at Ohio State?
I actually stumbled upon a posting for a job at the Medical Center; applied for it, took the Civil Service test and about a month later was called in for an interview and was offered the position. I transferred to the Periop Department about a year later. I stayed there only a short while before transferring to the College of Social Work, where I’ve been since October 1998.

What do you like about your job?

I love the atmosphere of working here, but mostly I love what I do for the College of Social Work. The people here treat me with respect and appreciate the work that I do. I’ve done faculty support for about 11 years. Next month I begin a new position within this college as the executive assistant to the dean, a job I’m very excited about. It’s a great opportunity for me.

Who is your hero?

My parents are my heroes.They taught me the important things in life.

If you weren’t working at Ohio State, what would you be doing?

If I weren’t working here I’d be retired. No place else I’d rather work. Well … maybe working for the university from home would be nice.

Of what honor or recognition are you most proud?

I received the Dianna Barret Staff Member of the Year award in 2004. I value this award because it came from my co-workers. Being recognized by the people I work with and for meant a lot to me.

What advice would you give a new employee?
Be thankful for your job, work hard and the possibilities are endless.

What is your favorite activity outside of work?

Spending time with friends. Entertaining friends in my home for dinner or cookouts is always fun. I also enjoy working in my yard and doing small remodeling work on my home.

What would you improve at Ohio State?

I think OSU is a wonderful place to work. The opportunities for advancement and training are great. I would like to be able to take more classes but most classes aren’t really very accessible for working staff. I believe that more online classes would be beneficial for staff.

What are you going to do when you retire?

Retire?? I have no idea. More relaxing I’m sure.

If you were the university president for a day, what would you do?

I’d work on making academic programs — courses — more accessible for staff … lowering parking rates sounds like a good idea too.

To nominate a staff member for an upcoming issue, e-mail oncampus@osu.edu.

The Ohio State Board of Trustees approved the naming of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum in recognition of a $7 million gift from the Elizabeth Ireland Graves Foundation to support the renovation of Sullivant Hall. The project is estimated to cost $20.6 million and will be completed in 2013, at which time Sullivant Hall will house both the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum and the Department of Dance.

“The Graves Foundation has made a critical investment to enhance the learning environment for students, faculty and visitors from around the world,” said President E. Gordon Gee. “The revitalized Sullivant Hall will be a fitting home to two university treasures — the top-ranked Department of Dance and the world-renowned Cartoon Library and Museum.

Naming the latter in Billy Ireland’s honor is a fitting tribute to a remarkable Ohioan.”

The Elizabeth Ireland Graves Foundation is managed by Billy Ireland’s granddaughter, Sayre Graves, and is based out of Bremo Bluff, Va.

The Columbus Dispatch hired Ireland, a native of Chillicothe, shortly after his high school graduation in 1898. A self-taught cartoonist, he worked for the Dispatch until his death in 1935.

Top 3on2, 8-13-09

August 13, 2009

An endless palette of color

Gary Wenneker, who works in the Food Industries Center Pilot Plants, is a 15-year OSU employee

Why did you choose to work at Ohio State?

A friend named Joe T., working here at OSU, recommended me for the job of director of the Food Industries Center. I also needed a job that offered benefits, plus the job description looked interesting and unique. In the dairy pilot plant we can separate and pasteurize fluid milk and juice products and make cheese, yogurt and ice cream products. In the food processing pilot plant we can make cheese puffs, cheese curls, cereals and snack foods and process sauces, salsa and fruit products.

What do you like about your job?

Working and interacting with students and student groups. Interacting and working with clients within the food industry. Working with great staff members within the department and college everyday. I also help host several process-oriented short courses and training sessions throughout the year.

What would you improve at Ohio State?

More parking garages and spaces. Staff/faculty relations.

If you weren’t working at Ohio State, what would you be doing?

I think I would like to be a teacher or own a restaurant.

What is your favorite activity outside of work?

I like to cook, spend time with family and friends and participate in church activities.

What advice would you give a new employee?

I would recommend diversification in investment and retirement planning.

Of what honor or recognition are you most proud?

Being nominated to be TopSpot in onCampus! I also have received a few “thank you” notes and a couple of “good job” comments over the past few years. I do have some honors and recognitions that hang on my office walls.

Who is your hero?

I do not have a hero. I work with a lot of hard-working staff members within the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences that have helped me do my job when I have asked for help. There are many who have gone out of their way and stopped what they were doing to assist me when needed.

What are you going to do when you retire?

Spend quality time with family and friends, do more volunteer work within the community and start that “honey do” list.

If you were the university president for a day, what would you do?

There would be too much to do in only one day. I would like to meet as many staff as possible to see what all they do to make the university work.

To nominate a staff member for an upcoming issue, e-mail oncampus@osu.edu.

Dentistry receives largest donation in its history

The College of Dentistry has received a gift of approximately $3 million to support scholarships for dentistry students. The largest single gift in the college’s history, the donation comes from the estate of the late Richard Veler and his wife, Betty Veler, both of whom were lifelong supporters of the university.

Veler, a 1946 College of Dentistry graduate whose practice was in Toledo, began his philanthropy to Ohio State with a gift of $10 in 1948. He and his wife later donated the funds that created the Richard C. Veler, DDS, and Betty G. Veler Scholarship endowment that provides financial support for dentistry students who demonstrate “merit, need and outstanding moral and ethical character.” The Velers’ recent estate gift of approximately $3 million will support and expand their existing scholarship endowment.

“Throughout their lives, the Velers were remarkably generous with the university,” said Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee.  “This latest gift from their estate provides additional resources that will enable future generations of talented young people to pursue their dreams and to earn their degrees at Ohio State. I can think of no more selfless action, and I am deeply grateful.”

Warning: Contents under pressure

August 12, 2009

McCracken Power Plant keeps the home fires burning

By Julia Harris

McCracken Power Plant is the rumbly, hissing heart of Ohio State, sending steam and chilled water through campus arteries 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its two big chimneys exhale clouds of heat into the air year round, though the spectacle is most notable on wintry days. Continue reading ‘Warning: Contents under pressure’

Job titles disappear at Staff Arts and Crafts Exhibit

August 12, 2009

by Adam King

When Andy Hudson gets lost in his work, he’s not talking about his role as an associate director of medical education in the College of Medicine. Instead it’s his time spent near a 2,000-degree furnace as he turns a ball of molten glass into a distinctive visual interpretation of his happiest emotions. Continue reading ‘Job titles disappear at Staff Arts and Crafts Exhibit’

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