'Mi kredas je Ohio State'

Culture a component of Campus Campaign

Campus Campaign organizers are taking an international approach as Ohio State prepares to launch the 2002 version of its annual faculty and staff fund-raising drive.

Campaign posters depict the traditional "I Believe in Ohio State" campaign slogan as it appears in many different languages.

"The campaign theme represents the many cultural backgrounds and languages of the people that come together to make Ohio State," said Linda Johnson, director of the Campus Campaign and associate director of annual giving programs in the Office of Development.

A March 11 kickoff will feature three performances -- a group of American Indian drummers and singers sponsored by the American Indian Council, the Columbus Celtic Dancers and "Shakira," who will perform a gypsy sword dance. A keynote address by President Brit Kirwan will be interpreted into several different languages as he speaks. Several international student groups will oversee display tables, along with the offices of International Affairs and International Education, American Indian Student Services, International Area Studies Centers and the Ohio State Multicultural Center.

The kickoff starts at 3:30 p.m. at the Fawcett Center, and is open to all faculty, staff and volunteers, and will include the usual buffet of refreshments and beverages.

The campaign occurs year-round but intensifies each spring when more than 1,000 volunteers work together to coordinate individual college and departmental campaigns.

"Some departments have a very quiet campaign while others get out there and make a lot of noise," Johnson said. Past efforts have included a scavenger hunt across campus, pizza parties, and pie-throwing and kiss-a-pig contests.

The campaign has raised more than $80 million since it began in 1985. Johnson said the 2001 campaign total was the highest yet, with $10.4 million being contributed by faculty and staff, both current and retired. Campaign goals never involve dollar amounts, though.

"We try to get the word out about the importance of finding something that matters to you at Ohio State or is a priority to the University that you would like to support and participate in," Johnson said.

Apparently the approach is working, making Ohio State the No. 1 internal fund-raiser in higher education.

"There is no other institution that has maintained the faculty and staff support over the years that we have at Ohio State," Johnson said.

Last year's co-chairs, Mary Ellen Jenkins, assistant dean and honors director for the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, and Charles Babcock, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Greek and Latin, will also chair this year's campaign. Babcock was a member of the committee that in 1985 proposed the establishment of a campus campaign.

For details, contact Johnson at 292-3065 or Tina Thome at thome.3@osu.edu.

Soraya Rafagha, a second-year medical student at Ohio State, helps Shiloh Reiher, legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, negotiate the fine art of suturing pigskin -- one of the hands-on activities highlighted in Project Medical Education. Behind Reiher is Peter Erdman, legislative assistant to Rep. Mike Oxley, and Julie Little, senior legislative assistant to Rep. Marcy Kaptur.   Photo by Jim Brown

Congressional staffers experience medical education up close

In a novel approach to help health policy planners understand the challenges facing academic medical centers, a delegation of Ohio congressional staffers recently became doctors, researchers and students for two days at the University Medical Center.

Project Medical Education (PME) took place Feb. 21 and 22, giving participants a chance to experience the unique contributions academic medical centers make to U.S. health care.

Those contributions include educating the health care work force, discovering the majority of medical advancements through research, providing leading-edge health care and serving the special needs of underserved populations, noted Gary Snyder, director of communications and marketing for the College of Medicine and Public Health and co-chair of Ohio State's PME program. He said the shrinking state and federal funding for medical education and teaching hospitals threatens the health of these missions.

"This program brings depth to these issues and makes them real for the congressional staffers. They're then better informed and can utilize experts at OSUMC as resources when they're shaping the health policy that affects all of us," Snyder said.

After being "admitted" to medical school, taking on identities of typical students, and receiving their white lab coat in a formal ceremony, participants spent the next two days in 18 specialized education modules involving a variety of classroom, clinical and research settings.

Project Medical Education is a national program created by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) in 1998. Ohio State is the first university in Ohio to develop a PME program for congressional staffers.

Research by the AAMC shows the need for improved congressional staff understanding of the complexity of medical education. PME offers congressional staffers information and hands-on experience about the years of training required to become a physician; the scope of faculty involvement in research and patient care; the links among education, patient care and research; the amount of free care provided to the underserved and the high level of faculty and student community volunteer work; and the decreasing levels of funding for medical education from state and federal sources.

"Congressional staffers are often the eyes and ears for our representatives," said Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health. "We want to make sure they have the very best and most accurate information so they can provide insight into discussions and decisions surrounding support of medical education today."

Early indications are that those who experienced Ohio State's program see its value in informing the country's lawmakers.

"It would be helpful for the community in Washington to learn this firsthand, rather than be a third-party bystander," said Mark Schroeder, legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor of Old Fort.

Sanfilippo said financial support for academic medical centers has declined sharply over the last few years, pointing out that:

• The percentage of public medical school revenue from state and federal sources has been reduced from 70 percent in 1965 to 32 percent in 1998.

• The average medical education in Ohio costs $82,500 annually. But state support covers only $59,468, leaving a huge gap that must be addressed.

• Hospitals are losing millions of dollars in reduced payments for patient care, both from government and private insurers.

The cumulative effect of these stressors is forcing some hospitals to close. According to the prestigious Pew Foundation, one-fourth of all academic medical centers will merge or declare bankruptcy in the next five years.

Adding to the crisis is medical students' growing debt burden. The average medical student now graduates owing almost $100,000, noted Sanfilippo, adding that for some students, debt load forces them to choose careers in specialties rather than in lesser-paying and more needy sectors, such as primary care.

That lesson was not lost on PME participants at Ohio State.

"The financial burden for students and residents, in particular, going through -- I think this has been the thing that impacted me most," said Julie Little, senior legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo. "This issue of graduate medical education right now is a big one for Congress."

OSU a leader in doctorates for African Americans

Ohio State once again remains a national leader in granting doctorates to African Americans, according to recently released data from the Higher Education and National Affairs American Council on Education.

"I am pleased to see The Ohio State University continues to be among the leaders in doctoral-granting institutions for minority students," said Mac Stewart, vice provost for minority affairs. "While we are doing very well in this particular regard, we have to be mindful and continue to put forth an effort to maintain the ranking."

Ohio State records show that the education fields were the most popular doctoral programs for African Americans from 1995 to 1999, the years for which figures were compiled for the rankings.

Stewart said many University programs contributed to Ohio State's being consistently ranked in the top five, including the Graduate and Professional School Visitation Days. The two-day event, which began in the 1970s, offers a glimpse of Ohio State's graduate and professional studies programs to college seniors who are minority honors students and their faculty liaisons. Last year, more than 250 students from 55 institutions attended the event, Stewart said.

Susan Huntington, dean of the Graduate School, said a diverse student population is vital to the success of graduate studies at Ohio State. Out of more than 300 institutions reporting, Ohio State is joined in the top ranks by Howard University, the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan and Nova Southeastern University.

According to the rankings, Ohio State also was listed among the top 20 institutions for granting doctoral degrees to American Indians and Alaskan Natives.

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