Distinguished University Professors

Physicist, historian are the 2000 honorees

Two Ohio State faculty members, a molecular physicist and a medieval historian, have received the University's highest faculty honor: the Distinguished University Professorship. The 2000 honorees are Frank C. De Lucia, professor of physics, and Joseph H. Lynch, professor of history.

At the University's Board of Trustees meeting June 2, Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray granted each recipient the title and an annual budget of $10,000 for three years to support academic work.

"Professors De Lucia and Lynch are respected nationally and internationally for their important contributions in their respective fields," Ray said. "Their advances in research, as well as their commitment to teaching and service, have played critical roles in their departments' success and in providing Ohio State students with access to some of the most exceptional scholarship in the world."

Distinguished University Professors continue their regular program of teaching; research, scholarly or creative work; and service. They are nominated by their colleagues both at Ohio State and internationally. Evaluators from outside the University are invited to assess the quality and significance of each nominee's academic accomplishments.

The selections this year were made by a committee that included Ruth Colker, professor of law; Brian Joseph, professor of linguistics and the Kenneth E. Naylor Professor of South Slavic Linguistics; and three Distinguished University Professors: Jessie L.S. Au, pharmacy and medicine; Arthur Epstein, physics and chemistry; and Richard Petty, psychology.

This year, the Distinguished University Professor honorees represent two of Ohio State's eight Selective Investment departments, units that have received substantial financial support from the University in recognition of their national excellence.

Frank C. De Lucia

De Lucia came to Ohio State from Duke University in 1990, bringing his laboratory and students and postdoctoral researchers with him. He chaired the Department of Physics at Ohio State from the time of his arrival until 1998. During his tenure as chair, the department earned several University honors, a new building for physics was secured, and De Lucia, according to a colleague,"set the tone and established an atmosphere in which the department could focus on and excel in its instructional mission." Also during those years, the Department of Physics made the largest gain in national ranking of any physics department in the country, as well as the largest gain of any department at Ohio State.

De Lucia is considered by peers to be a world-class scientist, a revered scholar, and a kind and generous colleague. Conducting research that lies at the intersection of physics, chemistry, astronomy and electrical engineering, De Lucia is credited with developing new methods to study the submillimeter wave electromagnetic spectrum and making important advances in instrumentation. His research interests also include the spectroscopy of small, fundamental molecules, collisional processes and mechanisms, the excitation and study of excited states, and molecules of atmospheric and astronomic importance.

"He is an outstanding molecular physicist. His work in millimeter spectroscopy has been pioneering," a Harvard scientist wrote in support of De Lucia's nomination for the award, adding,"He has been totally open and unselfish in providing his research knowledge to others." A Columbia chemist wrote, "De Lucia's scientific work is at the cutting edge of the most fundamental and important issues in collision dynamics and spectroscopy, making use of the most sophisticated experimental techniques coupled to excellent theoretical work through collaborations."

At Ohio State, De Lucia was an organizer and founder of the newly formed Spectroscopy Institute, which resulted from a successful Academic Enrichment proposal prepared by the chemical physics program, of which De Lucia is a member. He was chair when the Department of Physics received Selective Investment funding and had just stepped down as chair when physics received its Departmental Teaching Excellence Award. De Lucia also is one of 11 Ohio State physicists to have received the Distinguished Scholar Award.

Among his many other awards, De Lucia is a recipient of the Max Planck Research Prize and in 1992 was named a fellow of the American Physical Society. He held several teaching appointments and served as chair of the Department of Physics at Duke University between 1969 and 1988, and has been director of the Microwave Laboratory -- located at Ohio State and Duke -- since 1979. De Lucia earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa Wesleyan College and his Ph.D. from Duke.

Joseph H. Lynch

Lynch is a highly decorated professor, having received both the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Distinguished Scholar Award from Ohio State, as well as earning several national fellowships -- most recently from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He was invited to become a fellow at the National Humanities Center in 1999-2000, and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies.

Lynch studies medieval social and religious history. An author of four influential books and numerous articles, he is lauded by his peers as "easily one of the finest historians of the church and religious life now at work in the general field of early medieval Europe";"the pre-eminent scholar working in North America" among medieval historians;"a catalyst in the community of medievalists"; and as a scholar who"stands in the first rank of medievalists."

Currently the holder of the Joe R. Engle Designated Chair in the History of Christianity, Lynch is credited by a Purdue colleague as having the rare scholarly experience of defining a field. His exploration of godparentage and kinship revealed that"what the modern world tends to regard as a benign and somewhat flaccid relationship was in the Middle Ages invested with powerful social connotations and moral taboos," the historian wrote.

Lynch's next venture, a plan to examine the medieval practice of becoming a monk or a nun on one's deathbed to resolve moral tension over one's lifestyle, similarly impresses his peers. His third book, The Medieval Church: A Brief History, is considered by colleagues to be a valuable comprehensive synthesis of the most important institution in medieval Europe.

Additionally, Lynch is described as modest despite his international acclaim, and many make note of his good humor and compelling presentation skills. One peer noted Lynch was among the first faculty mentors he knew to introduce graduate students to the profession by taking them to scholarly conferences."With his combination of personal, professional and scholarly qualifications, Joe Lynch stands out for me as a model of what an academician can be," a Virginia historian wrote.

Lynch was director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies from 1978 to 1983 and chair of the Department of History from 1989 to 1993."It is no accident that both of these units now rank among the leading programs in the nation in their respective areas. ... Professor Lynch provided inspired leadership and steady guidance at crucial periods as both entities were building towards excellence," a colleague wrote.

An Ohio State faculty member since 1971, Lynch earned his bachelor's degree from Boston College and his master's degree and doctorate from Harvard University.

Delegation from Ohio State to cultivate relationships on June trip to Asia

President Kirwan will lead a group of 12 University deans and other representatives on a nine-day trip to Japan, Korea and Taiwan in late June. The trip will give officials the opportunity to cultivate and nurture new and existing relationships with academic, business and government leaders in the three countries, and to strengthen ties with alumni in the region.

Kirwan, who will arrive in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 16, is scheduled to meet with several government leaders, including the new President of Taiwan, Shui-Bian Chen, and Taiwan's new minister of education, C.L. Tseng. He also will visit the National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan; the National Taiwan University; Yonsei University in Seoul; and Tokyo University.

"In this exciting era of globalization, it is vitally important that Ohio State and the state of Ohio be well connected to the world's most important institutions and corporations," Kirwan said."Asia is one of the most dynamic regions in the world. The countries we will be visiting are among the most technology-driven nations in the world, and this visit gives us an opportunity to engage in a dynamic exchange of ideas that will benefit students, faculty and staff. It also could open up new avenues of trade between Ohio and these rapidly changing economies."

Kirwan noted that there are an estimated 580 students from the Republic of Korea, more than 300 from Taiwan, and about 220 from Japan currently studying at Ohio State.

The trip also will allow University officials to follow up on contacts made during Gov. Bob Taft's visit in late January/early February 2000, raise Ohio State's visibility in a very important part of the world, and strengthen ties with Ohio's Japanese sister-state, Saitama. While in Japan, Kirwan and University officials also will visit Honda Motor Co."Honda is a key partner in Ohio with Ohio State University," said Kirwan,"and we are pleased to renew friendships while in Japan."

Ohio State administrators, traveling June 16-24, who will accompany Kirwan on all or portions of the trip are Joseph Alutto, dean of the Fisher College of Business and executive dean of the professional colleges; David Ashley, dean of the College of Engineering; David Hansen, director of international programs for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Dan Heinlen, president/CEO of the Alumni Association; Kerry Lynch, director of alumni affairs and special projects for the College of Engineering; Jerry May, vice president for development and president of the Ohio State Foundation; Bobby Moser, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and vice president for agricultural administration; Cheryl Ryan, director of international programs for the Fisher College of Business; Daniel Sedmak, interim senior vice president for health sciences and interim dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health; Thekla Reese Shackelford, member of the Ohio State Foundation Board of Directors and co-chair of the University's"Affirm Thy Friendship Campaign" (accompanying the group as a private citizen); Virginia Trethewey, executive assistant to the president, general counsel and secretary to the OSU Foundation; and Peg Watkins, assistant director of international admissions.

Ashley said the visits to these Asian universities will help nurture existing partnership agreements to mutually benefit faculty relationships, joint research projects and student exchanges. Alutto added that he and other administrators in the Fisher College see the trip as an opportunity to open doors for current and future students."By strengthening our ties with businesses in Asia, particularly ones that currently hire our students, we can increase global internships for Ohio State students," Alutto said. "At the same time, we can showcase our executive MBA and the other full-time MBA programs to Asian students."

Kirwan also pointed out that there are many Ohio State graduates in the region who hold important civic, political, academic and corporate positions."We want to strengthen our ties with all of these individuals," he said.