Category: News
Summer Commencement speaker selection involved students, set to cost $78K
Unlike Spring Commencement, students were involved in the speaker selection process that unanimously chose former Interim President Joseph Alutto to speak at Summer Commencement. In addition, Summer Commencement is set to cost nearly $78,000, while Spring Commencement totaled about $420,000, an Ohio State spokeswoman said in an email. This time around, a newly configured Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee composed of three students, four staff members and six faculty selected the speaker rather than a group of top-ranking OSU officials. The three students each represented one of OSU’s student government organizations —Undergraduate Student Government, the Council of Graduate Students, and the Inter-Professional Council. They were selected by the leadership of each… Read more
Joseph Alutto to give Summer Commencement Address
Students graduating at the end of Summer Term can expect to hear from former Ohio State Interim President Joseph Alutto, who is set to give the commencement speech. The selection of Alutto came after a unanimous decision by OSU’s new Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee, according to a Wednesday release from OSU. Alutto will speak to an audience of about 9,000 including 1,800 anticipated graduates on Aug. 10 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Alutto will receive an honorary Doctor of Higher Education during the event. “We are honored to have Joseph Alutto address our graduates and their families at the university’s 407th commencement ceremony,” President Michael Drake said in the release.… Read more
Concealed-carry group sues Ohio State, says zero-gun tolerance unlawful
A concealed-carry group is suing Ohio State, saying the university violates state law with its no-tolerance stance on concealed guns. The group, which is a collaboration between the Students for Concealed Carry Foundation and Ohioans for Concealed Carry, says the university is unlawfully banning students with concealed-carrying permits from storing guns in their vehicles parked on campus and from carrying guns while representing the university off campus, according to the lawsuit filed in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court Sunday. The Ohio Revised Code states concealed guns are banned on “any premises owned or leased by any public or private college, university or other institution of higher education.” However, the… Read more
Ohio State hires Ohio Supreme Court spokesman for public relations role
Ohio State has found its next public relations official after a roughly seven-month search. Chris Davey is set to start at OSU Aug. 11 as the assistant vice president of media and public relations. His role will involve “enhancing Ohio State’s reputation through leadership of media strategy, planning and execution,” according to an email from Melinda Church, vice president of university communications, that OSU spokesman Gary Lewis provided to The Lantern. Davey is set to earn a salary of $155,000, Lewis said. Davey, an OSU alumnus in journalism and a former editor of The Lantern, is currently the director of public information at the Supreme Court of Ohio, a… Read more
E. Gordon Gee to make $775,000 plus benefits as West Virginia University president
Former Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee is slated to make $775,000 in his role as president of West Virginia University, according to his contract which went into effect Monday. Gee’s annual base salary is set at $650,000 with an additional $125,000 coming from the WVU Foundation every year, according to the Charleston Gazette. He will also be eligible for annual raises as stipulated by his contract, which last two years. Gee is also eligible for compensation for travel, hospitality and other expenses. He can also accept a car and air travel from the university, as well as up to $25,000 for the cost of moving from Columbus to Morgantown,… Read more
Dr. Michael Drake begins first day as Ohio State’s 15th president
In his first day as Ohio State’s president, Dr. Michael Drake said he plans to prioritize excellence, opportunities, and the university’s relationship with the community during the beginning of his presidency. “(Our) priorities are to focus on the things that got us here,” Drake said in a meet-and-greet held for him Monday morning at Bricker Hall. “This is a wonderful university with a great impact over many, many decades.” Former OSU interim president Joseph Alutto and other prominent members of the OSU community, in addition to various media outlets, welcomed the university’s 15th and first black president as he arrived for his first day on the job. During the reception,… Read more
Interim President Joseph Alutto plans to ‘decompress’ once presidential duties end
Ohio State Interim President Joseph Alutto said he plans to “decompress” once his presidential duties end in late June. In an interview with The Lantern following a reception held for Alutto Tuesday, Alutto said he also plans to spend time preparing for future teaching roles in addition to continuing research in leadership he was doing prior to becoming interim president. “I also do a lot of international work so I want to make sure we continue to support and expand our international programs at Ohio State,” Alutto said. Alutto will hand the reins over to Dr. Michael Drake, current chancellor of the University of California Irvine, June 30. Drake… Read more
Ohio State students urged to lock doors in wake of increased summer crime
Melissa Brooks, a fourth-year in integrated systems engineering, said she will never leave her off-campus home unlocked again following two break-ins that occurred at her residence within the same week. Although she said she doesn’t normally leave the door to her Chittenden Avenue home unlocked, Brooks said she had no other choice after her roommate’s house key and wallet were stolen during an unrelated incident after a night out a few days before the first break-in. “I was leaving the door unlocked for her, for those two or three days, so that way she could get in,” Brooks said. It turns out, the unlocked door allowed for someone else besides… Read more
Construction update: Projects totaling $576 million on budget, on time
Orange traffic barrels, towering cranes and chain link fences continue to adorn Ohio State’s campus as five major summer construction projects- totalling over $576 million- progress on budget and on schedule, except for one, which is currently ahead of schedule, an OSU spokeswoman said. Below is an update on the five projects including project budgets, time frames for completion and physical changes, per information provided by Administration and Planning spokeswoman Alison Hinkle. -East Regional Chilled Water Plant: -Aims to provide chilled water to multiple Academic Core North buildings. -Phase 1 of the East Regional Chilled Water Plant construction is ahead of schedule and is currently producing chilled water to CBEC… Read more
