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WELCOME TO OSUToday, the latest news and information for faculty and staff of The Ohio State University for Monday, Dec. 3. OSUToday is published daily Monday-Friday. The deadline for submissions is noon the prior business day.

Headline news

RATNER APPOINTED TO UNIVERSITY’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Gov. Ted Strickland has appointed Ron Ratner to the Ohio State Board of Trustees. Ratner, who currently serves as an executive vice president and director of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., also is the president and CEO of Forest City Residential Group. Forest City, a national real estate developer, is known for its many urban adaptive reuse and preservation projects around the country. In 2005, the company finished a 22-year project for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, turning 27 acres of blighted Cambridge real estate into University Park, an office, retail and residential development centered on biotechnology companies. Ratner fills the board vacancy created by the resignation of Thekla Shackelford. 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. today (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 or W. Randy Smith

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BOWL TOUR PACKAGES ON SALE NOW

The Buckeyes are headed to New Orleans on Monday (1/7/08) to play in the Allstate BCS National Championship football game. Faculty, staff, students and parents may now purchase bowl tour packages from Student Affairs. A limited number of packages are available, and can be purchased online using a credit card, by phone at 247-BOWL or in person at the Ohio Union at Ohio Stadium (room 112B-meeting room 2 between gates 22 & 24). Individuals who previously purchased a Rose bowl package may convert to the new package or obtain a refund. Read more >

LENO TAKES THE WHEEL OF OHIO STATE CHALLENGE X VEHICLE

Ohio State engineering students, participating this week in the Challenge X Winter Workshop in Los Angeles, are seeing stars as they compete in the first session of the 2007-08 contest. The team joined other Challenge X teams from around the country on a tour of the famed garage of late-night talk show host and auto-enthusiast Jay Leno. When the OSU Challenge X team invited Leno to take their hybrid Chevy Equinox SUV for a spin, he immediately accepted the offer. The four-year competition challenges student teams to develop and explore advanced vehicle technologies that address important energy and environmental issues. Read more >

FEEDBACK SOUGHT DURING DESIGN OF NEW OSU.EDU WEB SITE

Ohio State is gearing up for a new osu.edu Web site and University Relations wants your opinions. The refreshening of osu.edu will incorporate new features while keeping the most popular components of the current site, including separate pages for different audiences and easy access to webmail, Buckeye Link, and the campus map. A redesign blog has been launched to share ideas and sketches with the university community. Visit the blog at http://osu.edu/redesign/ and share your opinions.

UNIVERSITY LINKS FOUND ON FACULTY/STAFF WEB PAGE

Learn about the many benefits of working at Ohio State, including the Homeownership Incentives Program and tuition assistance. View a list of educational and professional development opportunities. View the 2007-08 academic year calendar online. Download site licensed software. Click on the bus service link for CABS maps and schedules. Check out these and many other links on the Faculty/Staff Web page at www.osu.edu/facultystaff/

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 today (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 >

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.

USAC PROMOTES HIDDEN BENEFITS AT ANNUAL FAIR DEC. 5

USAC is encouraging university staff and faculty to attend its 13th Annual Hidden Benefits Fair from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday (12/5) at the French Field House. The free event showcases goods and services available to OSU employees. Hot dogs and soda are available at a discount. Register for door prizes. Flu vaccinations will be available through the Wellness Program beginning at 11 a.m. USAC also is partnering with the Columbus Division of Fire and Channel 4 to sponsor the Firefighters 4 Kids toy drive. Share your Buckeye holiday spirit with Central Ohio children this season by donating a new unwrapped toy at the donation table during the Fair.

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.