Class act

By Kevin Fitzsimons OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel directs the action from the sidelines during the Buckeyes clash with Michigan.

Buckeyes go 13-0; head to national championship

By Randy Gammage, onCAMPUS staff

Hamish Fraser, professor of materials science and engineering and a nationally known scientist, admits he may be out of his element surrounded by 105,000 screaming fans in Ohio Stadium on football Saturdays.

But then his focus is different. He spends the majority of the games with his binoculars trained on No. 75, sophomore defensive end Simon Fraser, who is usually flying around the field and making tackles. Simon Fraser, by the way, is Hamish Fraser's son.

"I'm very proud of him,"Fraser said. "I'm always looking for him to make big plays, and to do his job out there."

Although his son calls him a "football nerd,"Fraser, an Ohio Eminent Scholar, has absorbed a good deal of football smarts while following his son during his playing days at Upper Arlington High School and now Ohio State. He's learned enough to know that -- aside from the 13-0 season -- this year's OSU team is different from previous campaigns. This is a team that plays the entire 60 minutes and never panics, a characteristic Fraser attributes to the calm, confident nature of second year Head Coach Jim Tressel.

By Kevin Fitzsimons Ohio State fans lend their energies during the Buckeyes 14-9 victory over Michigan on Nov. 23.

And a recurring theme seems to be voiced wherever Fraser goes.

"The way they've played this year and conducted themselves off the field, people everywhere say the Buckeyes appear to be a real class team,"Fraser said.

Positive remarks have arrived from extraordinary places.

"I received an e-mail this morning from a guy in the Pentagon sending a congratulatory message to Simon and the team for a terrific season,"said Fraser, a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the U.S. Air Force that is housed at the Pentagon.

In a season of dominating defense and last-minute heroics, the Ohio State-Michigan football game was no exception, as OSU free safety Will Allen intercepted a Michigan pass at the goal line as time expired.

The 14-9 Buckeye victory sealed Ohio State's first-ever 13-0 season and guaranteed a spot in the Jan. 3 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., where the second-ranked Buckeyes will seek their first national championship since 1968. Seconds after the victory, jubilant fans rushed onto the field in Ohio Stadium and hoisted starting quarterback Craig Krenzel and other players onto their shoulders.

Jim Brown, photographer for University Medical Center communications and a season ticket holder for the past six years, watched the post-game celebration from his seat, high above the field in C-deck. He admitted that he never dreamed the young Buckeyes team would go undefeated this year.

"I think it caught everybody by surprise,"Brown said. "I think most people expected them to be competitive, but to think they would run the table, no one anticipated that."

Not wanting to miss the excitement, Brown purchased airline tickets to Arizona a week-and-a-half before securing tickets to the game through a University-wide lottery.

OSU running back Maurice Clarett, No. 13, carries the ball for a big gain against Michigan.   By Kevin Fitzsimons

David Frantz, professor of English, started teaching at Ohio State in the fall of 1968, the last national championship year for OSU.

"That was an amazing first exposure to OSU football,"Frantz said. "That was a team, to my untutored eye, of enormous talent at many positions."

Back then, he had no connection with the athletes. But now, in his third year as academic liaison with athletics and former chair of the athletic council, he knows many of the athletes personally from study tables and recruiting visits.

"It is always fun to see young people you know achieve success,"Frantz said.

In his role as academic liaison, he is chiefly concerned with the academic performance of the student athletes, and said that values, and a commitment to education, good sportsmanship and ethical behavior are top priorities.

"Winning is nice; if you compete, you want to win, but you want to do it the right way,"Frantz said. "And I think that is what Coach Tressel is doing, that is what has made this team such a joy to watch.

"This team has played smart; it has played with incredible toughness; and it has grown to believe in itself -- I think in that sense it reflects the values and the qualities of its coach and his staff."

Those characteristics -- and the chance to play for the national championship -- has Athletics Director Andy Geiger overjoyed with the football program this year.

"It has been very rewarding to watch this team throughout the season,"Geiger said.

He said the benefits of the team's success are enormous, ranging from reinforcing the core values they are instilling in the players, to enhanced recruiting and fund-raising efforts.

"It's a wonderful stage from which we can talk about the University and Columbus,"Geiger said.

Throughout the season, many media analysts have favored the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes to repeat as national champions. At the same time, they have openly questioned the Buckeyes' chances as legitimate contenders -- even while they climbed their way from No. 13 in the preseason to No. 2 in the final polls.

Brown predicts a very competitive national championship game.

"The national media hasn't given us a lot of respect because we haven't been blowing teams away,"Brown said. "I hope the Miami players will buy into that and think that they can just walk out there and win another championship. Boy, are they mistaken."

Physician-educator to deliver commencement address

By Amy Murray, Media Relations

Louis W. Sullivan, president emeritus of the Morehouse School of Medicine and former Secretary for Health and Human Services, will be the speaker for autumn quarter commencement exercises on Dec. 13 at St. John Arena.

Approximately 1,700 degrees will be awarded during the ceremony, which begins at 9:30 a.m. Sullivan also will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Health degree from the University.

Louis W. Sullivan

Sullivan is known as a true pioneer for African Americans in the field of medicine. He left a promising medical career in 1975 to become the founding dean and director of the Medical Education Program at Morehouse College, an historically black college in Atlanta. During the next few years, Sullivan and dedicated colleagues developed a curriculum, recruited staff and opened the doors to 24 students in 1978. On July 1, 1981, the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) became independent from Morehouse College and was fully accredited as a four-year medical school with Sullivan as its dean and first president.

The Morehouse School of Medicine was established to recruit and train minority and other students as physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals committed to the primary health care needs of the underserved.

Sullivan took a brief hiatus from Morehouse from July 1989-1993 to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Bush Administration. His 47-month tenure is the second longest of any HHS Secretary in U.S. history. As head of HHS, Sullivan championed vulnerable populations and was a strong advocate for increased medical research pertaining to racial and ethnic minorities.

Sullivan returned to MSM in 1993 and continued to serve as president until he retired on July 1. He continues to serve on the MSM Board of Trustees.

A native of Atlanta, Sullivan graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse College in 1954 and earned his medical degree, cum laude, from Boston University School of Medicine in 1958. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, and is the recipient of 54 honorary degrees.

Sullivan also holds numerous professional affiliations, which include the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association, the Atlanta Medical Association, the Medical Association of Atlanta, the Medical Association of Georgia and the Georgia State Medical Association.

He serves on numerous boards, including the Boy Scouts of America, Little League, the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, Medical Education for South African Blacks, Africare, the Southern Center for International Studies, and the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools. He also serves on the editorial board of Minority Health Today.

Snyder named interim vice president for University Relations

Shkurti chairs search committee

By Elizabeth Conlisk, Media Relations

Barbara Snyder, a vice provost in the Office of Academic Affairs and professor in the Moritz College of Law, has been named interim vice president for University Relations by President Karen Holbrook. The appointment of Snyder, who handles academic policy and human resources, was approved by the Board of Trustees at the Dec. 6 meeting.

"Barbara brings excellent management skills to this position, and will be able to help University Relations maintain its positive momentum,"Holbrook said. "It is critical to share the accomplishments of our faculty, staff and students with friends, alumni and supporters throughout Ohio and the nation."

Barbara Snyder

Snyder is filling the position, formerly held by Lee Tashjian, on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is found. Tashjian left Ohio State to become vice president ­ communications for the Fluor Corp., one of the world's largest publicly owned engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance services organizations.

A 1976 Ohio State graduate, Snyder earned a law degree from the University of Chicago and practiced law in Chicago. She has been a member of the law faculty here since 1988. She currently holds the Joanne W. Murphy/Class of 1965 Professorship in the Moritz College of Law and, from 2000 to 2001 she served as the college's associate dean for academic affairs.

She was named to her current academic affairs position in August 2001. In that position, she works closely with the Office of Human Resources to manage academic personnel appointments, leaves, and promotion and tenure review. She also coordinates searches, evaluations and appointments of deans, directors and chairs, as well as a number of faculty and staff recognition programs.

Holbrook also announced that Bill Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance, will lead the search committee for Tashjian's permanent replacement. A committee will be named shortly.

Once a permanent replacement is named, Snyder will return to her position in Academic Affairs. In the meantime, Carole Anderson, vice provost for academic administration, will handle Snyder's primary responsibilities.