New Younkin Center designed for success

$8.6 million facility to help students academically and socially

The $8.6 million Younkin Success Center, scheduled to open spring quarter, will be a state-of-the-art facility designed to help students at Ohio State meet their full potential -- academically, socially and in seeking employment.

"We hope students will see the Younkin Success Center as a nice place to be that's committed to the idea that they can really succeed. It's not remedial; it's helping you to do your best," said Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies.

David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs, said the offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs have combined efforts to create and operate the Younkin Success Center. The center's name recognizes a $2 million gift from the family of the late Floyd Younkin of Columbus.

By Kevin Fitzsimons

The Younkin Success Center, currently under construction at 1640 Neil Ave., is set to open spring quarter. The facility is designed to improve students' academic, social and employment potential.

"It makes sense for the two offices to work together on this project because students need all kinds of support so they can thrive both inside and outside of the classroom," Williams said. "The Success Center will provide services from both areas under one roof -- making it easier for students to get the help they need to be successful."

Also instrumental in the center's inception was Nancy Zimpher, former dean of the College of Education and now chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Williams said.

"We brainstormed and dreamed that we could have a cooperative effort like the Success Center," said Andy Geiger, assistant vice president for student affairs and athletic director. "Our department is a large part of the financial engine that worked to make this possible. We were motivated by the opportunity to participate with different parts of the University to create a facility that's great for everybody."

The Success Center, currently under construction at 1640 Neil Ave., will house six units: Academic Learning Lab, a resource library, Career Connection, Student Athlete Support Services, Counseling and Consultation Service, and Faculty and TA Development. There also will be commercial space on the first floor of the building.

Bill Hall, assistant vice president for Housing, Food Services and Event Centers, said the University has entered into an agreement with CVS drug stores for use of the center's first floor.

"We decided to reserve the first floor for retail space to maintain the commercial flavor of that particular section of Neil Avenue," Hall said. "CVS will provide a working pharmacy for students and staff in the College of Pharmacy."

The Younkin Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, with the possibility of extended hours during finals weeks.

Bruce Tuckman, director of the Academic Learning Lab and interim director of Faculty and TA Development, is excited about the potential of the Success Center. Tuckman said he and his staff will use computers to assess and, where possible, provide those services that will best suit individual students, particularly in regard to learning and self-motivational strategies.

"We think we have some ideas and some strategies that are going to be very unique around here -- if not in the country," he said. "Computers will be used to provide instruction in learning and self-regulation strategies designed to meet students' needs. It should be more efficient for all involved."

"Individual Learning and Motivation: Strategies for Success in College," a class offered by the School of Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education for the past year, will be held in the learning lab, Tuckman said.

Student Athlete Support Services will provide student athletes with the privacy and support they need to reach their academic goals, said Kate Riffee, assistant director of athletics.

"When student athletes play for Ohio State, they become very public figures, and that can be very hard," Riffee said. "At times it can be difficult for them to balance all their responsibilities. We hope that providing services in an environment like the Younkin Success Center will help them strike the balance between athletics and academics needed for success."

It's not always a lack of study skills that keeps students from meeting their full potential, said Louise Douce, director of Counseling and Consultation Services. Sometimes, personal problems interfere with the learning process. Counseling and Consultation will provide students with the mental health services they need to succeed at Ohio State. Students can get help with personal and family issues, relationship problems, stress management, adjusting to the University, and career and psychiatric services, Douce said.

"All of the units will work together," Douce said. "If someone from my staff is talking with a student who thinks he or she is suffering from depression and it turns out they are upset because they're failing calculus, we'll send them to the Academic Learning Lab for help with their study skills.

"We want students to succeed, and we think the Success Center will be key to making it happen."

The center will serve as a research facility as well as a support unit, Garland said.

"Staff in the different units will keep track of what works best for students with different needs," she said. "This will allow them to utilize the most effective practices when helping students, and they should be able to write reports and articles about their findings in order to help other institutions and units improve the student experience."

Morgan honored with Ohio Professor of the Year award

Terrell A. Morgan, associate professor of Spanish linguistics at Ohio State, has been named the Ohio Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Morgan, already well-known and previously rewarded for his strength in undergraduate instruction and his innovative methods of immersing students in study-abroad programs as well as the state's own Spanish-speaking communities, is among award recipients in 44 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Winners were selected from more than 400 faculty members nominated by colleges and universities across the country. Nominees are evaluated in four areas: impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education within the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and students.

Terrell Morgan

An Ohio State faculty member in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese since 1984, Morgan has twice received one of Ohio State's most coveted teaching prizes, the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching. He most recently was among 10 recipients of the award last spring, and also received it in 1987.

Morgan teaches upper-level Spanish classes and leads seminars abroad to introduce students to Hispanic cultures. His main areas of interest are Spanish pronunciation and phonology, and Spanish and Hispanic cultures.

"Dr. Morgan is simply one of the most innovative and effective teachers I have ever known," Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Martha Garland wrote in nominating Morgan for the Ohio Professor of the Year award. "His commitment to moving all of his students to real fluency has made a truly significant contribution to Ohio State's already strong reputation in the field of language instruction."

Garland cited Morgan's "almost single-handed" development of an economical summer experience for beginning students in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Garland also noted that Morgan took advantage of a sizable Hispanic population in Ohio to develop a "study-abroad" program back home. In addition -- or as an alternative -- to traveling overseas, students now can have an immersion experience in Columbus.

Morgan said more than 800 Ohio State undergraduates have participated in programs in Mexico, Spain, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic since study-abroad programs to Mexico first were created 10 years ago.

To further linguistic and cultural immersion opportunities, Morgan developed a curriculum allowing students to take part in community cultural events; internships with clinics, schools, government offices and a local Hispanic magazine; other service-learning projects with a Head Start center, a neighborhood family center and a public library; opportunities for language practice with native speakers in town; and student research in a "living laboratory" beyond campus.

"I want my students to learn by doing, to experience our subject matter so vividly that they can relate it directly to what they already know and to things they genuinely care about," Morgan said. He added that some of the experiences "have literally changed lives on both sides of the proverbial linguistic and cultural divide."

In evaluations of his classes, students repeatedly call Morgan the best teacher they've ever had and say his enthusiasm and innovative teaching techniques motivate them to study with rigor.

"Terrell Morgan's creative approach to language instruction and his obvious commitment to teaching are truly inspiring," President Kirwan said. "Recognition of his accomplishments indicates Ohio State continues to make advances in high-priority areas, especially academic excellence and enhancement of the undergraduate experience."

Morgan earned his Ph.D. in Hispanic linguistics from the University of Texas, his master's in linguistics from the University of North Carolina, and his bachelor's degree in linguistics from the College of William and Mary.

Ferrari earns national award for innovation and entrepreneurship

Mauro Ferrari, professor of internal medicine and mechanical engineering, and director of the Biomedical Engineering Center at Ohio State, is one of two researchers to receive the first Wallace H. Coulter Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He was given the award in recognition of his pioneering work in the field of biomedical nanotechnology.

The award carries a $100,000 stipend, and is administered by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Ferrari accepted the accolade Oct. 22 at Georgia Tech's annual College of Engineering Award Ceremony in Atlanta.

The award honors the memory of Wallace H. Coulter, an alumnus of Georgia Tech who developed blood cell analyzers that perform the complete blood count, or CBC, diagnostic test. Coulter died in 1998.

Mauro Ferrari

Georgia Tech will present the award annually to an individual whose research shows the greatest potential for resulting in technological advances in health care with practical application to the quality of human life.

"The importance of this award is that it helps our Biomedical Engineering Center in its effort to achieve and maintain recognition as one of the top three programs in the country," said Ferrari. "I am hopeful that this will also contribute to Ohio State's rise toward the ranking of one of the best public research universities in the nation."

President Kirwan, who also attended the ceremony, said, "Mauro Ferrari is a leader in biomedical research who possesses both the drive to advance medical science and the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to make his medical advances a reality."

In particular, Ferrari's biomedical nanotechnology innovations include a method for encasing transplant cells in silicon capsules. Such transplant therapy may one day treat diseases as diverse as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheiimer's. Ferrari also is developing drug delivery systems for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

In these fields, he collaborates with Michael Caligiuri, associate director for clinical research at OSU's Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Pascal J. Goldschmidt, director of the Ohio State Heart and Lung Institute. Ferrari's colleagues also include Derek Hansford, an assistant professor at the Biomedical Engineering Center.

Ferrari uses a technique similar to the one that makes silicon microchips to create therapeutic microdevices. His work in nanotechnology opens new dimensions in medical treatment, because it involves using devices on the scale of a nanometer -- one billionth of a meter.

He employs photolithography, a technique in which microchip manufacturers take a smooth layer of silicon atoms and etch portions of the surface with chemicals. With this technology, Ferrari can create devices that can be injected into a patient's bloodstream to deliver drugs directly to the part of the body where they are needed.

Ferrari also has co-founded a company, iMEDD Inc., to commercialize his therapeutic devices.

Ferrari and his colleagues at Ohio State recently received a $1.4 million grant from the Ohio Board of Regents to continue their work in a consortium. Other members include Case Western Reserve University, University of Cincinnati, University of Akron, the Cleveland Clinic and the Battelle Memorial Institute.

The other researcher to win the Coulter Award this year is Michael Wach, a Georgia Tech alumnus who developed optical laser medical diagnostic techniques.