Good day!
WELCOME TO OSUToday, the latest news and information for faculty and staff of The Ohio State University for Friday, Nov. 30. OSUToday is published daily Monday-Friday. The deadline for submissions is noon the prior business day.

Headline news

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF WINTER QUARTER

The Registrar’s Office confirms that classes for Winter Quarter 2008 will begin on Thursday, Jan. 3. Classes on Friday, Jan. 4, will follow the normal Monday schedule.

• Thursday, Jan. 3: WI’08 begins. Attend Thursday schedule of classes
• Friday, Jan. 4: Attend Monday schedule of classes, including evening classes. Friday classes will not be held
• Monday, Jan. 7: Resume regular class schedule

Since Winter Quarter is shorter than usual, this accommodation is being made to compensate for the Martin Luther King holiday.

• Offices that normally remain open on Monday evenings will have the option to do so Friday, Jan. 4
• The automated waitlist registration process will still end on the first Friday - Jan. 4
• The open add/drop process will still end on the first Friday - Jan. 4
• The 100 percent refund deadline will be extended to Monday, Jan. 7
  

Read more >

CENTRAL E-MAIL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE, OUTAGE SCHEDULED

As many of you are aware the university has been experiencing multiple e-mail outages over the past several weeks. To address this issue, OIT must bring down the central e-mail system for an extended period this weekend and again on Saturday (12/15) and Sunday (12/16). The plan is to begin the outage at 10 p.m. Saturday (12/1) and restore service by 8 a.m. on Sunday (12/2). If you access your e-mail through OSU's central system, which includes Webmail, OSU POP, and IMAP, those services will not be available during the maintenance. All e-mail that is received during the maintenance window will be queued and delivered after the system is restored. There will be no service interruption for those who forward their lastname.#@osu.edu e-mail to another service provider for reading prior to the outage. For assistance, e-mail 8help@osu.edu or call 688-HELP. Read more >

ARTS AND SCIENCES REVIEW COMMITTEE OPEN FORUMS SCHEDULED

The Colleges of the Arts and Sciences Review Committee is seeking the views/opinions of Arts and Sciences' faculty, staff and students, and as part of that process is holding two open forums in Scott Lab 4: from 4-5 p.m. Monday (12/3) and from 9-10 a.m. Friday (12/7). The charge to the committee and related documents can be viewed online. Questions or comments about the forums, or any aspect of the review process, may be directed to committee co-chairs Martha Garland, garland.1@osu.edu or W. Randy Smith, smith.70@osu.edu

OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT GRANTS, WORKSHOP AVAILABLE

Nearly $400,000 in grants that support faculty and staff collaborations with community partners will be available in 2008. Requests for proposals are available online at http://outreachgrants.osu.edu. The deadline is Friday (2/29). Learn about the grants and preparing proposals at a workshop, “Funding Your Partnership Project,” from noon-1 p.m. Thursday in 300 Younkin Success Center. Register online. Offered by University Outreach & Engagement, Continuing Education, Service-Learning Initiative, and OSU CARES/OSU Extension.

SYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION IN DISTANCE EDUCATION DEC. 6

TELR’s Community of Practice for Distance Education invites you to attend this quarter's meeting, from 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday (12/6) in 202 Parks Hall, and enjoy two case studies on synchronous communication in distance education. The first case study highlights the use of Elluminate - a Voice Over Internet Protocol virtual classroom - to conduct synchronous learning in pharmacy education. The second will cover the coupling of Carmen's LiveRoom with the VOIP of Skype to provide distance education at the Lima campus. A discussion will follow. RSVP to khurma.1@osu.edu or call 292-1464.

WOSU HOSTS SECOND MIMO CONCERT AT WOSU@COSI DEC. 2

WOSU Public Media will host the second of four Music in Mid-Ohio performances from the Battelle Studio at WOSU@COSI at 3 p.m. Sunday (12/2). Open to the public, the concert will feature the Chamber Music Connection. WOSU’s Christopher Purdy will provide commentary throughout the program. Reservations are encouraged but not necessary; call 292-9678. There is no charge to attend the performance or visit WOSU@COSI. There is an admission fee for COSI exhibits and films, in addition to a small parking fee. Read more >

OSU HEALTHCARE IT INNOVATIONS SYMPOSIUM DEC. 3

Chief information officers from around the nation, senior executives from IT industry, and scholars in grid and high performance computing will discuss the future of healthcare IT and innovations at the Healthcare IT Innovation Symposium on Monday (12/3) at the Biomedical Research Tower. The event is jointly hosted by OSU Center for IT Innovations in Healthcare and the OSU Center for Personalized Health Care. Professor Bill Felkey, a technology futurist, will discuss the exciting and animated “digital hospitals of the future." Read more >

OSU MARION SCIENCE CAFÉ TO EXPLORE EATING BEHAVIOR

Ohio State Marion invites the public to attend the second monthly installment of Science Café, a free community dialogue on science, at 7 p.m. Tuesday (12/4) at the Rise & Dine Restaurant, Legacy Crossing, 142 McMahon Boulevard, Marion. Tracy Tylka, professor of psychology at Ohio State Marion, will discuss “Eating Behavior in the U.S.” Tylka will share her views and research on the attitudes and practices of parents and caregivers and how attitudes help shape children's future eating behavior. Contact: (740) 725-6316 or rowe.31@osu.edu

EMPLOYEES ENCOURAGED TO SIGN UP FOR DIRECT DEPOSIT

Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for direct deposit. This is a safe, fast and simple way to have your pay instantly deposited into your bank account on payday. You can sign up for direct deposit online at http://hr.osu.edu/payroll/dd.aspx.