Courtesy of NBBJ architects This rendering of the new psychology building to be built beginning in 2004 shows the new facility (center) connected to Lazenby Hall (right). A portion of Cunz Hall (white square building) appears in the lower left of the illustration.

Impressive growth of psychology marked by plans for new facility to open in 2006

By RANDY GAMMAGE, onCAMPUS staff

The Department of Psychology is anticipating a major boost in research activities and the recruitment of new faculty when it moves into a new facility in early 2006.

Construction is expected to begin in April 2004 and be completed by February 2006.

The facility will be built east of Cunz and west of Lazenby halls, with a glass connector to Lazenby allowing the two distinct buildings to function as one. The building project will place all department functions together for the first time in modern, adequate research space, said Don Dell, vice chair and associate professor of psychology.

"I believe one of the major benefits will be in locating everyone in one space. That should help us work and feel like a single unit, as opposed to semi-independent operations,"Dell said. "That makes communication and cooperation much easier."

The department is currently scattered in multiple locations, with office and research space located in Lazenby, Townsend Hall and Ohio Stadium, and lab animal research being conducted in a building near the OSU Airport. Psychology will occupy only Lazenby Hall and the new facility, once it is completed.

A new facility should make the department more attractive to prospective faculty, accommodate modern research equipment and result in larger research grants and projects.

"We believe it is going to be a remarkable improvement over what we have because the new facility is being designed for the specific research the faculty conduct here,"Dell said.

The $35 million building will be built with state funds previously secured during the university's capital projects budget request process.

"We made a case that we not only needed the space but were deserving of it based on the work of our faculty. We are pleased that the university agreed,"Dell said.

When asked to elaborate on the department's credentials, Dell tossed out some impressive numbers:

• Psychology was one of the first departments chosen for a Selective Investment Award by the university and has been the recipient of two Board of Regents Eminent Scholar Endowments and two Academic Enrichment Grants from the Office of Academic Affairs.

• The faculty in the department have won multiple university awards, including 14 Alumni Awards for Distinguished Teaching, eight Distinguished Scholar Awards, and two University Distinguished Lecturer Awards.

• In the period from 1993 to 2003, externally funded research expenditures have risen 555 percent to a level of over $5 million. In that same period, the annual average number of citations to published work of faculty has increased more than 250 percent.

The 132,000 gross square-foot facility will consist of three floors. The ground floor will contain 8,000 square feet of laboratory research space. Three large lecture classrooms will be located on the first floor, with office and research space occupying the remainder of the first and second floors, said Peggy Murphy, project manager with Facilities Planning and Development.

She said the exterior would consist of a cast-in-concrete base with a metal skin, and an abundance of glass windows. There will be outdoor plazas on the north and south sides of the building, with the south plaza connected to a conference room/faculty meeting room that also can host small guest lectures or colloquia.

Sheltering the north plaza will be a 70- to 100-year-old American elm tree, a specimen that has managed to survive while many of its species succumb to disease.

"The construction process will go to great lengths to preserve it and make it a focal point of the north plaza,"Murphy said.

The architect for the new facility is NBBJ and the consulting engineer is Korda.

Grant helps college improve dental care among children

By LIZ COOK, Media Relations

Ohio State's College of Dentistry has been awarded a $650,000 grant to provide dental treatment and oral hygiene education to children attending the Columbus Public Schools. The grant, awarded Oct. 29 by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, will help provide on-site dental care at various elementary schools.

Canise Bean, assistant professor in the College of Dentistry and the director of the OHIO Project, a statewide oral health care outreach initiative, said that access to dental care remains the No. 1 unmet health care need in Ohio.

"The lack of oral health care among underserved Ohioans, particularly children, is reaching alarming levels,"Bean said. "The funding provided by the foundation will allow us to provide immediate care and the education that can improve the quality of life for children."

Bean added that the need was identified through an existing collaboration with Children's Hospital, the Columbus Health Department, Columbus Public Schools, KidsOhio.org and the Universal Health Care Action Network in Ohio.

"The Columbus Health Department has been providing free tooth sealants to elementary children in the Columbus school system since 1986,"she said. "In providing this service, the children are also diagnosed with cavities, oral pain and swelling that more times than not goes untreated."

The grant will be used to purchase a specially designed, three-chair mobile dental van equipped to provide oral treatment and hygiene services. Advanced dental school students will help provide the on-site services as part of the college's service-learning initiative.

Bean added that the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has made access to oral health care a funding priority in central Ohio.

"Access is a critical component in resolving the challenges that so many in our communities face in obtaining treatment,"Bean said. "We are pleased to be the recipient of the foundation's grant, which will help further our efforts to narrow the existing disparities."

IBM to be university's primary computer supplier

By RANDY GAMMAGE, onCAMPUS staff

As a result of a competitive bidding process, Ohio State recently signed a three-year prime supplier contract with IBM that is expected to result in significant savings to the university, which spends from $20-$25 million annually on computer software, hardware, storage and supplies.

The award supports a strategy to leverage the university's buying power and helps meet the objectives of the procurement cost-savings plan presented to Ohio State's Board of Trustees in the spring, said Bill Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance.

"Previously only departments ordering 100 computers or more received favorable pricing from computer manufacturers,"Shkurti said. "The new agreement with IBM levels the playing field by offering best pricing, regardless of the number of computers ordered. This pricing structure means that departments with low volume purchases can save more than 20 percent, on average, compared to competitors for like computer configurations."

The contract includes value added benefits and discounted pricing on IBM's full product line, said Joanne Markiewicz, director of purchasing.

"We intend to offer this as a total business solution not only to the university, but to faculty, staff, students and alumni who wish to make purchases for personal use,"Markiewicz said.

The pricing is also available to consortiums connected with OSU for business purchases.

IBM is currently scheduling meetings with technical support staff across the university to provide product information and lend assistance as appropriate. It is anticipated that customized IBM Web sites may be available via www.osupurchasing.com in the next few weeks.

"It is important to note that usage of the IBM contract by university departments is not mandatory,"said Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara Snyder. Employees and departments are free to continue to select other suppliers, she said, but will be asked to provide an explanation for a decision to purchase from another supplier.

Over the past two to three years, Dell has been the major vendor for computer purchases, supplying approximately 78 percent of purchases, followed by Apple (10 percent), Gateway (6 percent), IBM (3.5 percent) and Hewlett Packard (1.6 percent).

Before securing the contract, competitive bids were received by seven companies, including Dell. Markiewicz said OSU's decision to make IBM a prime vendor for the university was based on a careful evaluation of five key criteria: product quality, service and support, cost, references and company reputation.

Besides savings on purchases, the contract carries significant benefits to Ohio State, such as the release to the university of any new hardware 90 days prior to it being released to the public. Additionally, Ohio State will be assigned a master inventor researcher to assist with initiatives important to the university and IBM, such as assisting the university in its conversion to a "wireless campus."

"It's an incredibly comprehensive contract,"Markiewicz said, adding that IBM is willing to develop a proof of concept to show potential cost-savings in areas throughout the university.

Special pricing also applies to members of the two purchasing co-ops Ohio State belongs to: the Inter-University Council, comprised of 30-35 colleges and universities across the state; and the Central Organization of Public Purchases, comprised of state, county, public and municipalities, including the city of Columbus.

The announcement issued by Snyder and Shkurti regarding the benefits of this new agreement can be found on the Web at www.osupurchasing.com/news/default.asp?intArticleId=108.

For additional information, contact Sue Burge at 292-9737 or burge.3@osu.edu.