A day to celebrate

Photos by Jo McCulty Winter quarter graduates release a spray of confetti during the March 22 ceremony at St. John Arena.

Ph.D. recipient Sharon Schmidt gets a kiss from her guide dog, Truth. Schmidt, who is visually impaired, was among graduates whose accomplishments were highlighted by President Brit Kirwan.

Hard work pays off

Ph.D. recipient Sharon Schmidt, who graduated March 22 during winter commencement, credits many at Ohio State for encouraging her to persevere through her doctoral program in rehabilitation services and vocational counseling, but Professor of Surgery Mitchell Henry leads the list: He helped save her life -- twice. "If it weren't for my transplant surgeon, I wouldn't be here," said Schmidt, 38, who has undergone two transplant surgeries to replace her kidneys and pancreas.

The surgeries interrupted her schooling in 1989 and again in 2000, in the middle of her dissertation, when she required a second kidney -- which, this time, was donated by her best friend. The transplants cured Schmidt of diabetes, but not before diabetic retinopathy also claimed most of her sight.

Schmidt began her undergraduate studies at Ohio State in 1986, but took time off after losing her sight in 1988 and, as a result, failing her classes one quarter because she didn't tell anyone she was unable to read her exams. Upon her return to OSU, she found her niche as a psychology major and fought to stabilize her GPA. She followed her 1991 bachelor's degree with a master's degree in counselor education, attending classes with her first guide dog, Sheridan, in tow. Finding it tough as a person with a visual impairment to land a job in a tight labor market after receiving that degree, Schmidt returned to Ohio State once more to pursue her doctorate. She defended her dissertation five weeks ago.

For seven years, Sheridan got Schmidt through all of her classes and helped her make the transition to leading a mobile life without her sight. Sheridan died in the summer of 2000, just two months after Schmidt's second transplant and a month before Schmidt started her job helping people with disabilities find employment through the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR). After four months, Schmidt received her second guide dog, Truth, who was with her at the commencement ceremony. Schmidt will continue her work with BVR, specializing in working with people who have chronic illnesses, and hopes to enter the world of academe to teach, as well.

Her journey through academe to this point was not without its logistical challenges. Schmidt hired assistants to read journal articles on tape, conduct telephone assessments and enter data for her dissertation, which examined how assistive technology affects career choices of college students with visual impairments. She uses a voice-activated computer.

"I've worked damn hard to get to this point," Schmidt said. "Ohio State has done a lot of good things for me. Nobody let me slide by. They made me work, which was good," she said, especially noting her adviser, Associate Professor of Physical Activity and Educational Services Joe Wheaton, and Samuel Osipow, professor emeritus of psychology, who taught the first class she took after losing her sight.

"People experience all sorts of different obstacles. You've got to get through it or hammer away at it," she said. "It's not easy, but that's what they make hammers and chisels for."

Schmidt's completion was not the only inspiring message from the ceremony at St. John Arena, during which 1,573 degrees were granted. Board of Trustees Chair David L. Brennan, who served as commencement speaker, urged graduates to be inspired by the outpouring of patriotism that followed the attacks of Sept. 11.

Board of Trustees Chair David L. Brennan doffs his white hat during his address to graduates.

"You, my young friends, graduates in the class of March 2002, are old enough to become the vanguard of a reawakened America," Brennan said. "I do not suggest that you will go to war as a combatant, here or in a foreign land. But a stirring challenge and an opportunity to make a better world confront you."

Brennan reflected on how the events of Sept. 11 changed the country, citing polls in which more than half of respondents said the tragedy transformed their lives for the better. He indicated he has faith in Ohio State's newest graduates to be part of a society reassessing its own priorities.

"I believe that you young people will work to transform our world for the better as you live your lives," he said. "Today, I am confident for you that our economy is rebounding. I am confident for you that there will be jobs, and good ones. I am confident for all of us that, as President Bush has urged, you will Ôgo about your business.' I am confident in your compassion. I am confident your priorities are straight.

"I am confident that your generation is up to the task that lies ahead."

April is Disability Awareness Month

The University is observing Disability Awareness Month thoughout April. For information on any of the events listed or to arrange for accommodations, call Mike Kinney or Leah Monaghan at 292-3307 or e-mail kinney.31@osu.edu or monaghan.19@osu.edu.

A complete listing of events is online at www.ods.ohio-state.edu.

This month's events include:

April 11 and 12

• Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion, and Disability Conference, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Fawcett Center. This event is an annual conference dealing with issues such as access to health care, housing, technology and the arts for persons with disabilities. The cost of registration is $20 for the full conference or $10 per day. Registration materials and session listings are available at http://ada.osu.edu, or call Scott Lissner, ADA coordinator, at 292-6207.

April 13

• ODS Golf Outing, noon tee off, Minerva Lake Golf Course, Columbus. The cost is $18 for 18 holes if walking and $28 if using a cart. Sign up at the ODS front desk or Web site, by calling 292-3307, or by e-mailing kinney.31@osu.edu or monaghan.19@osu.edu.

April 16

• Disability Awareness Display, all day, Larkins Hall North Lobby.

• Disability in Film Series: Nuts, 6 p.m., 102 Pomerene Hall.

April 18

• Official Opening/Open House for Adaptive Technology Lab, 1:30-5 p.m., Pomerene Hall.

April 19

• Lunch and Learn Brown Bag, Disability Studies: A Proposal for a New Area of Study in the University, 12:15-1 p.m., 150 Pomerene Hall.

• Pool and Darts Tournament, 5-7 p.m., Woody's Lounge, Ohio Union.

April 23

• Disability Awareness Display, all day, Larkins Hall North Lobby.

• Disability in Film Series: Coming Home, 6 p.m., 102 Pomerene Hall.

April 24

• Lunch and Learn Brown Bag: Stephen Kuusisto Readings, 12:15-1 p.m., 150 Pomerene Hall.

April 25

• Take Your Daughter to Work Day Presentation for Children of OSU Employees, 9:30-11 a.m., 150 Pomerene Hall. This event is open only to children of OSU employees by pre-registration. For more information, visit www.ohr.ohio-state.edu/daughter/.

• National Teleconference: Improving the Quality of Education for Students with Disabilities: A Shared Responsibility, 2-4 p.m., 150 Younkin Success Center. This is a teleconference for faculty, professional staff, administrators and students sponsored by the Ohio State University Partnership Grant. For more information, visit www.osu.edu/grants/dpg/teleconference.

• Annual Closing Cookout/Celebration, Art Fair, and Art and Essay Contests, 5-7 p.m., Cookout, area outside back door of ODS; Art Fair, 150 Pomerene.

April 26

• Unveiling of Art Work by Ralph Bell, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center.

April 27

• Christmas in April Service Project, time and location TBA. Volunteer registration forms are available at the ODS front desk or by calling Monaghan at 292-3307.

April 30

• Disability Awareness Display, all day, Larkins Hall North Lobby.

Distinguished diversity enhancement

By Nathan Robinson At left, Leslie Fine, associate professor of marketing, hugs David Harrison, Fisher College of Business director of minority student services, upon receiving surprise notice March 20 that she is a recipient of a University Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award this year. The awards recognize extraordinary efforts of individuals or groups to widen opportunities and programs for minority groups. The University Senate Committee on Diversity sponsors the awards program in cooperation with the Office of Human Resources. Recipients will be honored at a reception later this spring.

Operation Feed sets the table

The table is set for Operation Feed 2002 at Ohio State, when faculty, staff and students will be asked to help provide meals for central Ohioans in need. Donations of food and money will be accepted April 15 through May 3.

United Way of Central Ohio and the Mid-Ohio FoodBank co-sponsor the community-wide food drive, which supports 212 food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency shelters in six central Ohio counties. The Office of Human Resources coordinates the effort at Ohio State.

"Ohio State has a solid record of donating more food and more money every year. I am hopeful that this year will be the same," said Ned Cullom, program manager for human resources.

Last year, the University community donated more than $20,000 and 11,555 pounds of food.

By providing 560,000 meals every month, the Mid-Ohio FoodBank serves a valuable purpose in central Ohio, Cullom said. "Many of those going hungry are children," he said.

A recent study showed that 42 percent of the clients who rely on the food bank for help are children and 9 percent are 65 and older.

The average monthly income of food bank clients is $840. "For many low-income households, with the rent to pay and other expenses like medical bills piling up, sometimes the last thing to spend money on is food," Cullom said.

Food items most needed this year are: beef or chicken stew, canned fruit, canned pasta meals, canned vegetables, meaty soups, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and canned tuna or other canned meats. Financial donations are also welcome. Donations are measured in meals: Every pound of food provides one meal and every dollar provides two meals.

Individual units across campus may have special events to help raise funds, such as bake sales and silent auctions. Collection boxes for food donations will be placed in buildings throughout campus. A Krispy Kreme doughnut sale to benefit the drive will be held on April 25 in select units and offices across campus. Food donated will be collected by student volunteers at the end of the drive.

For more information about Operation Feed, contact your college/office Operation Feed coordinator or call Cullom at 292-4341.

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