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WELCOME TO OSUToday, the latest news and information for faculty and staff of The Ohio State University for Monday, Dec. 17. OSUToday is published daily Monday-Friday. The deadline for submissions is noon the prior business day.

Headline news

FISHER COLLEGE RECEIVES $1 MILLION GIFT FROM NATIONWIDE INSURANCE

The Fisher College of Business has received a $1.08 million gift from Nationwide Insurance to create an enhanced risk management curriculum and to support finance research by naming Nationwide Fellows and Scholars. Offered through the college’s Department of Finance, the new risk management curriculum will help the college expand its course offerings in a field that is growing rapidly. Additional coursework in risk management will be introduced, complementing the pre-existing corporate and investments financial management majors currently available. The college and Nationwide executives will also present current issues in finance to Nationwide interns. Fisher finance professor Andrew Karolyi, who holds the Webb Professorship in Finance, is the first Nationwide Fellow. Contact: allen.965@osu.edu or 292-8937. Read more >

EARTH'S HEAT ADDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE TO MELT GREENLAND ICE

Scientists have discovered what they think may be another reason why Greenland 's ice is melting: a thin spot in Earth's crust is enabling underground magma to heat the ice. They have found at least one “hotspot” in the northeast corner of Greenland - just below a site where an ice stream was recently discovered. The researchers don't yet know how warm the hotspot is. But if it is warm enough to melt the ice above it even a little, it could be lubricating the base of the ice sheet and enabling the ice to slide more rapidly out to sea. “The behavior of the great ice sheets is an important barometer of global climate change,” said Ralph von Frese, leader of the project and a professor of earth sciences at Ohio State. Read more >

STUDY FINDS DEFICIENCIES IN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION SYSTEMS

With the 2008 presidential election quickly approaching, a recent analysis by Moritz College of Law researchers of the election administration systems of several key battleground states showed deficient systems that jeopardize voters’ access to the polls and the integrity and finality of election results. Researchers at Election Law @ Moritz conducted a comprehensive study of the election administration systems in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, focusing on how voters register, ballots are cast, and recounts are conducted. Ohio State law professors Steven Huefner, Daniel Tokaji, and Edward Foley along with Nathan Cemenska, an EL@M consultant, recently published the study, “From Registration to Recounts.” Read more >

CENTRAL E-MAIL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE DEC. 22-23

In a continuing effort to improve Ohio State's central e-mail system, OIT will be servicing the e-mail system next weekend and e-mail services will not be available from 7 a.m. Saturday (12/22)-7 a.m. Sunday (12/23). 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. Go to acctmgt.service.ohio-state.edu to change delivery. For assistance, e-mail 8help@osu.edu or call 688-HELP. Read more >

SERVICE-LEARNING GRANTS, WORKSHOP AVAILABLE

A Service-Learning Grants Workshop is scheduled for 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday (1/11/08) in 400 Stillman Hall. Register online. The Service-Learning Initiative grants support development or enhancement of service-learning courses and collaborative university/community projects that address community goals. Learn more about the grants at http://service-learning.osu.edu. The request for proposals is available online. The deadline is Friday (2/29/08).

CED INTRODUCES NEW NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATION

Continuing Education and FIRSTLINK are offering a new certification in Nonprofit Leadership. Together the organizations have identified courses and competencies that individuals who work in the nonprofit field need to be successful and have integrated them into the classes needed for completion of the certificate program. Created for busy adults, the curriculum is designed so that individuals can complete the requirements within one year or at their own pace. The first class, Nonprofit Survey 101, starts Thursday (1/10/08). For details or to register, visit www.ced.osu.edu or call 292-8571.

FEEDBACK SOUGHT DURING REDESIGN OF 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.

BUCKS FOR CHARITY STILL COLLECTING DONATIONS

It’s not too late to contribute to this year’s Bucks for Charity campaign. Donor pledge cards and information about participating federations and their respective member agencies are still available through unit coordinators or Human Resources. Individuals may support preferred charities through one-time contributions (cash or check) or through payroll deduction pledges. All contributions are tax deductible. Contact: 292-4341. Read more >

WEXNER CENTER HOSTS BLOOD DRIVE DEC. 19

The Wexner Center will host another blood drive from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday (12/19). To schedule an appointment, visit www.givelife.org (sponsor code: buckeyes) or call (800) GIVE-LIFE. Recent snow and ice storms across central Ohio forced many blood drives to be canceled, causing more than 230 vital blood donations to be lost. Donors of all types are needed to replenish the supply. Those who give blood in December may enter to win a travel package to the BCS Championship game to watch the Buckeyes take on LSU, or win a $2,000 AAA vacation giveaway.

VETERINARY COLLEGE HOSTS PUPPY CLASSES

The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine is offering puppy socialization classes for puppies age 8-16 weeks and their owners. Puppy Kindergarten serves to socialize new puppies so that they may learn to handle stress and new situations well as an adult and provides owner education in all aspects of canine development and behavior problem prevention and resolution. Weekly classes begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (1/3/08). OSU employees and students receive a $10 discount on the six-week course (regularly $100). Class size is limited, so please send your registration and fees to reserve a spot in class as soon as possible. Registration forms and details are available at vet.osu.edu/3377.htm.

W-2 STATEMENTS CAN BE RECEIVED ONLINE

Human Resources is reminding employees that they can register to receive an online, printable version of their W-2 Wage and Tax Statement. Once registered, the W-2 statement will be posted on a secure Web site in late January. The employee will receive an e-mail notification when the W-2 is available, along with instructions for retrieval. Employees may register to receive their W-2 online any time during the year. However, any consent made on or after Friday (1/11/08) will be regarded as consent for the next year (2009). Anyone who signs up for this online option will not receive a copy of the W-2 statement in the mail. Employees who have previously registered to receive their W-2 information online do not need to register again. Read more >