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New separation incentives and phased retirement

February 7, 2011

by Larry Lewellen, VP for Human Resources

The evolving nature of higher education, an aging population and a tough economic climate means that we need ongoing flexibility in structuring our workforce to meet the challenge of a changing world. At Ohio State, we are focused on adapting to those outside forces in a way that takes care of people and also allows us to be good stewards of our resources.

One way we will do so is through the anticipated adoption of a separation incentive and phased retirement program by Ohio State’s Board of Trustees at its February meeting. If approved, the program will offer flexibility for colleges and vice president units to proactively adjust their workforce to achieve positive economic and programmatic outcomes. I’m writing you now to describe the incentives in a fully transparent manner.

Separation incentives provide an opportunity for those who may be thinking about separating from Ohio State - to relocate for personal reasons or to jump-start a career change, for example - and they can receive a cash incentive to provide an economic bridge. The department can then use the vacated positions for new programs or to make budget adjustments.

Phased retirement provides similar opportunities, but also allows for knowledge transfer to occur, replacement recruiting, or appropriate time to make changes in program offerings. This may be especially attractive to those who will not qualify for retirement for a couple of years, and/or would enjoy the ability to phase into retirement versus making a sudden change.

The program has two components, separation incentives and phased retirement. Separation incentives ease the transition out of the university through inducements, such as monetary support to cover gaps in salary and benefits. Phased retirement helps assist the timing of retirement for eligible faculty and staff, ensuring a smooth transition of highly knowledgeable and skilled individuals.

To understand the separation incentives program, it’s important to clarify:

• The decision to initiate separation incentives for specific units and colleges will rest with Vice Presidents and Deans.
• This is a voluntary program. Faculty and staff do not have to accept an offering that may be made available.
• It proactively manages an area’s workforce, and will not be allowed to focus on individuals. The program looks to gain efficiencies on a larger scale by concentrating on groups.
• Only those offered a separation incentive are eligible.
• The program is not intended to address poor performance. Rationale for offering incentives is based on planning for a robust talent mix that meets strategic needs.
• It does not offer an early retirement incentive by purchasing service credit such as those offered in the past.

Because workforce factors affect colleges and units differently, this program is designed to create flexibility, while a common and detailed approach ensures it is effective and fair. When a need is identified, the vice president or dean, the Office of Human Resources, and the Office of Legal Affairs will work together to:

• Develop a solid rationale for the change, identifying efficiencies to be gained and clarifying how the new structure will help achieve the unit’s goals.
• Develop specific criteria that identify the group(s) of faculty and staff who will be eligible for a separation incentive, such as retirement-eligible individuals, or specific departments or occupations.
• Communicate the separation incentives to eligible faculty and staff, ensuring adequate time to make a decision.

It is important to note that anyone accepting an incentive to retire will be ineligible to be rehired for any other university positions. Those who choose the separation incentive must wait two years before reapplying for any university position. This in no way reflects negatively on individuals, but  is simply a way to ensure we are acting as strong fiscal stewards, and using the dollars that fund the incentives wisely.

I am pleased that we’ve developed a set of guidelines that allow us to recognize the contributions of our faculty and staff as we proactively respond to the changing economic environment and an aging workforce. As always, I will continue to share information with you as we move forward. In the meantime, we have established a web site to provide additional answers, and I urge you to review it often.

Brutus brings home the bronze

April 7, 2010

By Adam King

Brutus Buckeye is Ohio State’s iconic harbinger of spirit and pride, so it is only fitting that a life-size bronze replica of the university’s mascot is in the Great Hall to greet visitors to the new Ohio Union.

When alumna and artist Renate Burgyan-Fackler found out OSU wanted her to create it, her connection as a Buckeye came rushing back to her. Continue reading ‘Brutus brings home the bronze’

Biomedical technology: A dream surpassed

March 31, 2010

It has been seven years since the first grants were awarded under Ohio’s Third Frontier program. It is not too early to ask if Ohio bond dollars have paid for innovation and economic progress, as is evident in the growth of Ohio’s biomedical imaging industry.

Two of those early grants totaling $17.1 million went to Ohio State University’s Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging (WCI-BMI). Today, the project has paid off the investment many times over, advanced biomedical technology significantly, expanded medical services into new areas and created a platform for economic success on a global scale. In truth, it has evolved beyond the earliest dreams of principal researcher Dr. Michael Knopp and his partners. Continue reading ‘Biomedical technology: A dream surpassed’

Ohio’s niche in hybrids

March 31, 2010

“Houston, we have . . . a solution.”

Can a project funded by Ohio’s Third Frontier program steal a line from the Apollo 13 mission and actually make that claim?

In the city of Houston, where summers are torrid, some 2,500 transit buses idle for an hour each day before they hit the streets while the air conditioning lowers the inside temperature. That’s 2,500 gallons of fuel a day up in smoke. No one suggests that Houston passengers should suffer in a hot bus. But engineers at Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and Vanner, Inc. are sure they can eliminate the diesel emissions and save Houston millions of dollars a year while keeping passengers cool. Continue reading ‘Ohio’s niche in hybrids’

Dandelions: A growth industry in Ohio

March 31, 2010

Dandelions as a cash crop? It sounds like a bad joke. But certain dandelions grown on a commercial basis could provide Ohio farmers with a new source of income and Ohio manufacturers with a home-grown raw material.

The dandelion in question is Taraxacum kok-saghyz, known as the Russian dandelion, a native of Kazakhstan. Its roots are the source of high-grade latex, comparable to that of Malaysian rubber trees, America’s main source of natural rubber.

Natural rubber is so important in the manufacture of tires, especially big ones that take a lot of stress, like those on airplanes and tractors, that it is considered a strategic material. But the supply of Malaysian rubber has been declining.

According to Bill Ravlin, associate director of The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural and Research Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, and Bryan Kinnamon, retired project manager for alternative rubber crops at Goodyear, this convergence of factors creates a great opportunity for Ohio. Thanks in part to $3 million in funding from Ohio’s Third Frontier program, they are engaged in an industry/academic partnership to turn the humble Russian dandelion into a commercially viable product. Continue reading ‘Dandelions: A growth industry in Ohio’

Ohio’s wireless future

March 31, 2010

When it comes to electronic gadgetry, we live in a whirlwind of change. Every year brings products that are smarter, faster, smaller and more powerful. And wireless. Don’t forget wireless.

Randy Moses, professor of electrical and computer engineering and interim associate dean for research in Ohio State’s College of Engineering, says, “My kids are 18. When they were two, I had a camcorder the size of a suitcase; now people use their iPhones. We used to have cassette tapes; now videos are stored on chips the size of your thumbnail.”

Moses thinks about wireless and the fast pace of change every day. He is Ohio State’s principal researcher for the Third Frontier-funded Institute for the Development and Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology (IDCAST). Led by the University of Dayton, with partners including Boeing, General Dynamics and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, IDCAST’s purpose is to serve as a sort of pace car in the race to the future of electronics. Continue reading ‘Ohio’s wireless future’

About State Issue 1

March 31, 2010

Facts and figures about State Issue 1:

• State Issue 1 (Third Frontier) - Will extend Ohio’s plan to promote product innovation and development to enhance job growth.
• Election Day: May 4
• Has led to the creation of more than 48,000 jobs in Ohio.
• Ohio State’s work on 60 separate projects has resulted in partnerships with more than 200 businesses across the state, the launching or attracting of 26 companies, and the filing of 125 patents.
• The Ohio legislature approved the ballot initiative with strong bipartisan support.
• Endorsed by the Ohio State University Board of Trustees and a statewide coalition of business, labor and agricultural organizations.

Trustees name first faculty representative to Academic Affairs Committee

February 17, 2010

By Jeff McCallister

Members of Ohio State’s Board of Trustees say the presence of a faculty member on the board’s Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee will bring an important perspective to the board’s deliberations.

David Graves Horn, a professor of comparative studies with an extensive record of university service, will begin a two-year term as a voting member of the committee beginning with its next meeting in mid-May.

“Adding a faculty member to the Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee is consonant with the board’s efforts to implement best practices and seek continuous improvement in our function as a board,” said Alex Shumate, chairman of the board’s Committee on Trusteeship.

The board decided to add a faculty member to the committee last June and devoted significant time to determining selection protocol and to screening of candidates. Shumate’s committee presented five candidates to Academic Affairs Committee Chairman John Ong, who made the final appointment to be confirmed at the May board meeting.

“I am honored to serve as the first faculty member of the Academic Affairs and Student Life committee of the Board of Trustees,” Horn said. “I look forward to working with the other members of the committee to pursue the university’s academic mission and to meet the needs of our students.

“I want to acknowledge the work of the faculty leaders who helped make this position possible, and the willingness of the trustees to imagine a new and important role for faculty in the governance of the University,” he said.

Horn earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1987 and came to Ohio State as an assistant professor in 1990 after three years teaching at Stanford. He was promoted to associate professor in 1996 and to professor in 2004. He served two terms on University Senate and served as chair of the powerful Steering Committee and served on numerous other committees.

“Professor Horn brings impeccable credentials to the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee,” Executive Vice President and Provost Joe Alutto said. “He is widely respected for his research and classroom scholarship, and for his service to the academic community.

“But what makes David’s appointment particularly noteworthy is the additional perspectives he will bring to his work on the committee, thanks to his eight years of service as chair of the Department of Comparative Studies. That administrative experience gave him the opportunity to work within and understand the university as a whole. The ability to look at issues university-wide is simply fundamental to everything the trustees do.  I can think of no one better qualified to serve as the committee’s first faculty appointee.”

Shumate said it was difficult for his committee to narrow down the list of qualified candidates. “The process of holding conversations with faculty members with respect to their service on this important committee reminded all of the Board members who were privileged to participate of the superb work being done in teaching, research, and service in this institution,” he said. “We are thrilled to have a faculty member of David Horn’s significant scholarly achievements, broad University perspective, and articulate expression as a colleague on this committee.”

Trademark & Licensing Services take taste seriously

January 20, 2010

Before that Scarlet and Gray merchandise hits a store’s shelf, it has to first pass a ‘taste’ test administered by Trademark and Licensing Services

By Julia Harris

The next time you slide your feet into that nice, fuzzy pair of Ohio State slippers, or reach into the cookie jar tastefully stamped with Brutus Buckeye’s smiling face, there’s a small band of Ohio State staff you should thank.

It’s the same band of folks we should all thank for keeping tacky junk — like the T-shirt confiscated in 2006, emblazoned with unflattering images of Ohio State cheerleaders and football players — off the streets and shelves. Continue reading ‘Trademark & Licensing Services take taste seriously’

Liaison office helps industry gain access to OSU’s strengths

January 20, 2010

By Jeff McCallister

It couldn’t have been more obvious to Sharell Mikesell: Here was Ohio State’s Solar Decathlon team working to put together an energy-efficient house, needing the best insulation material possible in order to hold down heating and cooling costs.

The team had been leaning toward using foam  as the  insulation. But at about the same time, Mikesell, associate vice president in the Office of Research and head of the university’s Industry Liaison Office, had breakfast with John Hillenbrand, then the new vice president and chief innovation officer at Toledo-based Owens Corning, maker of one of the best and most popular insulation products in the world. Continue reading ‘Liaison office helps industry gain access to OSU’s strengths’

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