By Kevin Fitzsimons Susan Brooks is pictured in a training class at the OSU Learning Center while Linda Love instructs students in the background.

Extension creates master technology trainers

Learning Center course enhances computer skills at community agencies

A new outreach program funded by an OSU Cares grant is giving the community a boost by preparing master trainers to teach technology.

The Master Technology Train-the-Trainer Program is modeled after the Master Gardener and Master Money Manager programs at Ohio State, said Susan Willson Brooks, community development agent for OSU Extension.

"It is based on the idea that you can train volunteers based on their interests and existing skills and geometrically increase the impact on training in the community," Brooks said.

The aim is to enhance the capacity of community agencies to use technology, to get nonusers started on computers, and to increase the use of the WORKsource system, a collaboration of more than 41 organizations involved in work and training activities and/or economic development in Columbus, Brooks said. The primary focus is on employment services.

Agency staff or volunteers commit to attending 40 hours of class at the OSU Learning Center, 1445 Summit St., where they learn basic computer and teaching skills. They then are expected to return at least 50 hours of training time by sharing their computer skills with staff and/or clients at their agency.

Lisa Smith, in charge of employment services at Central Community House, 1251 Bryden Road, recently completed the Master Technology Program. She said she had bad experiences with previous computer courses taught elsewhere.

"I took a course one time where I got so frustrated I couldn't even see straight," she said.

But Smith said the Master Technology Program was different -- it gave her confidence with computers.

"It was a little bit different atmosphere. It was very professional and more conducive to learning," she said.

She and a co-worker who completed the program have enabled Central Community House to offer seven-week computer classes for adults from the community, and have started after-school computer classes for youths.

The program also provided the agency with greater trouble-shooting capacity, allowed it to upgrade an old computer system and improved data processing capabilities, said William Livisay, director of neighborhood support and development at Central Community House.

Linda Love, program assistant and lead instructor with the Master Technology Program, said the first day of class is a hands-on cure for anxiety.

"We take the computer apart and teach them to put it back together," she said. "This lets them know,'You can do this at home.'"

Enthusiasm quickly overtakes anxiety in her class.

"I love to see their faces because they are so excited to learn the different techniques," Love said.

Skills taught include Microsoft Windows and Excel software, navigation of the WORKsource and other Web sites, how to use spreadsheets and e-mail, and how to teach these skills to others. Students showcase what they learned by picking a topic and presenting a PowerPoint presentation at the end of the course.

Thomas Nickoli, office assistant in the Transitional Workforce Department at Columbus State Community College, helps prepare displaced workers and immigrants for the work force. Currently in the fourth week of Love's course, he said he has learned numerous computer short cuts and how to navigate the WORKsource Web site -- which will help him on the job.

"Anything to make procedures move faster at the office helps. We work with a lot of people," he said.

Fourteen agencies have participated in the Master Technology Program. To date, 16 graduates have provided almost 100 hours of volunteer computer training at their sites, Brooks said.

The Master Technology Program was funded through a $9,900 OSU Extension/OSU Cares grant.

"Those small grants are extremely helpful in getting a program like this started," Brooks said.

Development of the program has involved the College of Education, Technology Enhanced Learning Research, Ohio State Libraries, OSU Extension and WORKsource. The Ohio State African American and African Studies Community Extension Center provided classroom space until the learning center opened this summer.

"Funding will end at the end of the year," Brooks said, "so we're looking for ways to grow the program beyond our original audience and strengthen it."

Depending on funding, she said the program would be expanded locally with additional agencies and volunteers from businesses and the community, and statewide starting with the OSU Learning Centers in other counties.

Anyone interested in becoming a master trainer or volunteer, or in helping expand the program, can contact Brooks at 291-3157 or brooks.123@osu.edu.

Hidden benefits easy to find at annual fair

From sweet deals on honey to the inside scoop on staying fit, the Sixth Annual Hidden Benefits Fair on Dec. 13 will give staff and faculty the chance to learn about the hidden -- and not so hidden -- benefits of working at Ohio State. Attendees can visit with nearly 40 vendors, do some holiday shopping, enjoy a discounted lunch of hot dogs and sodas, and maybe win a few prizes.

The free fair is sponsored by the University Staff Advisory Committee and will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in French Field House. Transportation and Parking Services will not be ticketing cars on the lots or meters near the field house.

"Last year, we had over 1,000 people attend," said Linda Bryant, chair of USAC's Outreach Committee and fiscal/human resources officer for geography.

The fair provides the chance to learn about investment opportunities from companies like AETNA and CitiStreet, shopping discounts from Sam's Club and Ohio State's Honey Bee Lab, and health benefits available through the Office of Human Resources, among other things.

"We're thinking of changing the name from Hidden Benefits Fair," Bryant said. "It's not really hidden benefits but the perks of being employed by the University."

One of those perks is offered by the Faculty and Staff Fitness Program. "We will be talking a bit about what our program has to offer," said Jae Westfall, program manager for the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services.

Participants undergo an initial evaluation, with stress, strength, flexibility and body composition tests. "Based on the results, we write an exercise prescription. Then, we match the individual up with an exercise physiologist," Westfall said. The physiologist assists the client in reaching the goals he or she has set.

The program costs $100 for four consecutive quarters. "You'll never find another deal on the planet offering this much expertise," Westfall said. For more information, call 292-5180.

Also helping faculty and staff to stay healthy is the College of Dentistry. "We offer three ways to meet all your dental needs," said Sue Moore, clinical specialist for the Dental Faculty Practice.

"If you have dental services performed through the clinic, by our dental students, some services could be completely covered by insurance and out-of-pocket expenses are much lower," Moore said.

Another option is the graduate- level program, where dental work is performed by graduated students who are continuing on at the University to study a specialty. Prices are generally less than that of a private practice, Moore said. For more information, call 292-2751.

Another option is the Dental Faculty Practice. "Faculty provide services in a private setting within the school," Moore said. "They are also excited about renovations currently under way." For more information about the Dental Faculty Practice, call 292-1472.

Faculty and staff who want to do a little shopping may find something at the Buckeye Bargains Thrift Shop booth.

Everything from Christmas decorations and household items to jewelry and clothing will be on sale, said Lesley Weber, chair of Buckeye Bargains. For additional items, Weber encouraged faculty and staff to stop by the thrift store's permanent location, in room 54 of Converse Hall, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

"We're open every Wednesday that the University is in session. On Tuesdays, ladies are there from 9 a.m. to noon to collect items," Weber said. "The proceeds that come in all go back to the University in the form of scholarships and student emergency loan funds." For more information, call 486-2297.

F.T. Stone Laboratory will have a table set up, providing materials on summer college credit courses in biology, geology and natural resources and selling Stone Lab T-shirts, Lake Erie cookbooks and other publications.

"Faculty and staff are eligible to take classes at Stone Lab using their employee fee waiver," said Bonita Cordi, program secretary. "We offer introductory courses, courses for educators and upper-level term courses with varying schedules."

Stone Laboratory is the University's north coast campus on Gibraltar Island at Put-in-Bay. In August each year, the program hosts an open house for the public to tour the Gibraltar Island facilities. For more information, call 292-8949 or visit www.sg.ohio-state.edu.

Kristi Pyke, manager of benefits processes for human resources, was selected as vice chair of USAC on Nov. 8. Pike replaces Richard Wofford, interim director of marketing and communications in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, who assumed responsibilities as chair on Nov. 1.

For more information, visit USAC's Web site at www.osu.edu/org/usac/.

Six to be honored at commencement

Six individuals will be honored at Ohio State's autumn commencement for their commitment to public service, higher education and community service. Ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 8 in St. John Arena. Honorary doctorates will be presented to Jo Ann Davidson, William H. Form, Michael Murray and Frank Wobst. The Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to Everett B. Laybourne and Theodore B. Myers.

Jo Ann Davidson, Doctor of Public Administration

Currently serving her 10th term in the Ohio House representing the state's 24th District, Jo Ann Davidson holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as speaker in Ohio. Davidson chairs the House Rules and Reference Committee, and serves on the Legislative Service Commission, the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, and the Ohio Bicentennial Commission. She also serves on the boards of trustees of the University of Findlay and Franklin University, and is Ohio State's autumn commencement speaker.

William H. Form, Doctor of Sociology

William H. Form, professor emeritus of sociology at Ohio State, has had a long and distinguished career as one of the nation's foremost sociologists. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Rochester in 1938 and 1940 and his doctorate from the University of Maryland in 1944. He taught at several institutions before joining Ohio State's sociology faculty in 1984. Form was named professor emeritus in 1988. Over the past half-century, Form has authored a number of highly influential books as well as some 70 articles in scholarly journals and 20 book chapters. He has held numerous leadership positions in the American Sociological Association.

Michael Murray, Doctor of Musical Arts

A world-renowned organist, Michael Murray also has earned a reputation as a scholar and author. His 38 recordings on the Telarc label are among the classical music industry's worldwide bestsellers. He studied music at Butler University and the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music before moving to Paris to study with Marcel Dupre. Murray began his career in 1968 and made his European debut in 1972. Since then, Murray has performed in the Near East, the Far East, nearly every European capital and most major cities in North America. He also has written numerous articles and three books. He has lectured and given master classes throughout the United States, and is often heard on National Public Radio stations as a recitalist, interviewer and lecturer. He has been on the music staff at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Columbus since 1994.

Frank Wobst, Doctor of Humane Letters

Frank Wobst is chairman and chief executive officer of Huntington Bancshares Inc., a Columbus-based bank holding company with more than $29 billion in assets. A native of Dresden, Germany, Wobst is a graduate of the University of Erlangen with a degree in economics. He also received a law degree from the University of Goettingen and a degree from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. His banking career started in 1958 in Virginia. He moved in 1974 to Columbus to become president of The Huntington National Bank. In 1981, he was elected chief executive officer of Huntington Bancshares Inc. Wobst has served on the boards of a number of corporate, professional and civic organizations. He is a member of The Ohio State University Foundation Board, the Advisory Council to the Fisher College of Business, the University Investment Committee and the Wexner Center for the Arts Board.

Everett B. Laybourne, Distinguished Service Award

Everett B. Laybourne was born into a family of Buckeyes. His father, a graduate, served on the University's Board of Trustees and his alumnus brother became president of the Alumni Association. He earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio State in English and received a juris doctor degree from Harvard University, and began his law career in California. During the early 1950s, Laybourne negotiated the settlement of a major World War II Lend-Lease obligation with the former Soviet Union. Laybourne, along with actress Jane Russell, is a co-founder of WAIF, an international organization working with adoption agencies and orphanages around the world. He has taken leadership roles in the University's two recent fund-raising campaigns. His numerous awards and recognitions include the Ohio State Alumni Citizenship Award, the Ohio State Alumni Centennial Award and the Alumni Award of Distinction from the College of Humanities.

Theodore B. Myers, Distinguished Service Award

Ted Myers has a long record of exemplary service to his alma mater, beginning with his enrollment at the University in 1939. Following military service during World War II, the Marion native returned to Ohio State, earning his master's degree and his doctorate. Myers served on the biology faculty at Capital University for 22 years. In 1968, as Ohio State opened its regional campus in Marion, he returned to his hometown to teach biology and zoology, becoming the first regional faculty member to earn the rank of full professor. He was named assistant director of community relations and development at Marion, and raised more than $1 million for campus programs and student support. Well-known as a conservationist and a historian, he has left two important legacies to the Marion campus: The Marion Campus Prairie and Nature Center and the Harding/Thomas Room in the campus library.

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