Presidents | From Woody's Couch

Category: Presidents (page 3 of 8)

Korean War Anniversary: Conflict had multiple effects on OSU

August 2, 2013 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Ohio State students in the Marine Reserves were some of the first called to active duty in Korea, 1950

Last week marked the 60^th anniversary of the Korean War, which affected campus measurably, despite the fact it was being played out halfway across the globe.

Students in Company C, 7th Infantry Battalion, left Columbus for Camp Pendleton in September 1950. Within weeks, some of the men were in Korea, Japan and Guam.

Students in the Company C, 7th Infantry Battalion, left Columbus for Camp Pendleton in September 1950. Within weeks, some of the men were in Korea, Japan and Guam.

One of the first developments at OSU, according to a history of OSU Pres. Howard Bevis’ administration, was the appointment in autumn 1950 of a committee on Civil Defense, whose mission was to give Ohio communities the “knowledge and facilities” at the University to help them cope with atomic warfare. By March 1951 University emergency facilities had been inventoried by the campus Civil Defense Council, and local and state authorities had been notified of their availability. A War Emergency Committee was also created.

Because of the threat of atomic warfare, the city made extensive preparations for civil defense against such attacks. (At the time, Columbus was seen as a logical target in Ohio.) In early December 1950, OSU Vice President Bland Stradley announced the University would work both with Columbus and with Franklin County officials in preparing against atomic bombs.

Another effect of the war was a ban by the National Production Board on the construction of buildings for “amusement, recreational or entertainment purposes.” (St. John Arena’s construction did not begin until 1954, after the war ended.)

John F. Archer, 1944

One of the biggest effects of the war, of course, was on enrollment. Early on, a University committee was created to coordinate information about the draft and calls to service of faculty and students. Like World War II, OSU faced a considerable dip in enrollment because of the war, so University officials tried to stem off an even further drop through a coordinated campaign to encourage male students to stay in school until they were called up, instead of enlisting. At the beginning of the winter quarter of 1951, Bevis issued a letter to male students, urging them to “stay in school as long as you can and do your work the very best you can! Whatever happens, this will make you of greater service to your country.”

In June 1950, the Alumni Monthly reported that dozens of Ohio State alumni were on the front lines when the war broke out. The first OSU casualty was Lt. John F. Archer, who was killed in action July 29, 1950. He had withdrawn from OSU during World War II to fight in that conflict; in the two years in which he served in World War II he won five battle stars.

Alutto fills role as interim president, for second time

July 5, 2013 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

Joe Alutto, 2004

This week, Joseph A. Alutto begins his second term as interim president of OSU, the fifth person to fill this role for the University between administrations.

Alutto has actually worn many hats at OSU since he first arrived in 1991 as Dean of the Fisher College of Business. He came to Ohio State after spending 14 years serving as dean of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management. He had earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Manhattan College, a master’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Cornell University.

When Alutto arrived as dean, it was known simply as the College of Business and was just starting to formulate a plan to implement a major restructuring of the college.

Early in Alutto’s tenure, the College’s name changed, after securing a $20 million gift in 1993 from OSU alumnus Max M. Fisher to help fund a $67 million, six-building complex for the College. It is now named the Max M. Fisher College of Business.

Alutto talks with Max Fisher, 1998

Roughly a year later, the restructuring plan was in place, calling for, among other things, new facilities, more faculty development and support, and a new emphasis on executive education.

Alutto spent the next 16 years implementing those changes, helping lift the college from a spot that was nowhere near the top 25 in national rankings, to 25^th in the nation this year, according to U.S. News and World Report. Along the way, in 1998, Alutto was named Executive Dean of the professional colleges, coordinating the activities of the Colleges of Engineering; Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; Education and Human Ecology; Law, and Social Work.

In July 2007, when then-President Karen Holbrook left OSU, Alutto took over as interim president for three months until E. Gordon Gee came on board for his second term as president, in October of that year. Shortly after, Gee tapped Alutto as Executive Vice President and Provost. Alutto served in that position until last week, when he was supposed to retire, but agreed to serve as interim president until a replacement for Gee is found.

Fisher College of Business Dedication, 1999

Alutto is actually the fifth person in University history to serve as interim president. In 1925, George Rightmire was interim president for a year before the Board of Trustees made him president in his own right. Following Rightmire’s presidency (1926-1938), William McPherson was interim president for nearly two years. McPherson was Dean of the Graduate School at the time and had actually been acting president in 1924 when President William Oxley Thompson was ill for several months.

The next interim president was J. Richard “Dick” Sisson, who held the position for six months after Gordon Gee resigned in 1997 to be president at Brown University. Sisson was Vice President and Provost from 1993 until 1998. Former president Edward Jennings took over for two months in 2002 between Presidents Kirwan and Holbrook.

Finally, Joseph Alutto has been interim president twice – in 2007 before Gordon Gee’s second administration and now following it. Three interim presidents, McPherson (1887), Rightmire (1895, 1898, 1926), and Sisson (1958, 1960), were also alumni of Ohio State University.

Gee had rock-star status among students

June 28, 2013 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

President Gee poses with a student for a photo at the Iced Tea with President Gee event, 2012

President Gee poses for a photo at the University Founder’s Day event, hosted by the Archives and Ohio Staters, 2012

It is rare for a president of a University – let alone one who leads one of the largest in the country – to have such a close relationship to the student body. Yet E. Gordon Gee, who officially leaves office today, made such a connection. He was a rock star of sorts for students, who often asked for photos with him as he made his rounds around campus. And he was willing to do so; in fact, he began a tradition of taking photos with new graduates and their families after Commencement ceremonies.

During his first term, the annual convocation ceremony for incoming students was started, as was his annual State Tour, in which he traveled to individual counties to meet with prospective students, current students and former students where they lived.

Throughout both terms, Gee could be spotted in some of the most unexpected places for a University president to be: mingling with partygoers at a fraternity, serving as a partner for a student in a dance class, leading a flash mob to celebrate the opening of the Ohio Union, or – our favorite – talking to students about University history at the annual Founder’s Day Tea that the Archives and Ohio Staters, Inc. host.

To mark his last day as OSU president, we present below a photo gallery to show how it was so easy for students to love him, and why we’ll all miss him.