| Editor's Note: We regret to announce that Alan Goodridge, who served as dean for the past five years, stepped down from that position on August 31, 2001. Goodridge, who leaves an exemplary record of accomplishment for us to build upon, accepted the position of provost at the University of Toledo. We are fortunate that Richard W. Hall has agreed to serve as Interim Dean for the next year. Hall is an Associate Professor of Entomology and has served as Associate Dean in the college since 1990. In that capacity he has overseen a variety of projects and handled a vast range of complex issues-all with dedication, dexterity and good humor. No one is better suited to take the helm and steer a straight course through the next several months than Hall. |
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"I like to say that we are the 'Full-Service' College...The classic mission of the great land-grant institutions is fully realized in the College of Biological Sciences."
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I like to say that we are the "Full-Service College." This sometimes gets a "What?" reaction. But I can think of no better, or more "academic" way to put it. The classic mission of the great land-grant institutions is fully realized in the College of Biological Sciences. We teach biology to more than 16,500 Ohio State undergraduates each year; we provide advanced instruction and training for some 400 graduate students and more than 100 postdoctoral researchers. We are highly competitive in attaining outside research funding, $12 million in 2000. We are fully committed to outreach and engagement activities, one of which was our Synergy cover story last year. Our alumni are one of our great resources. For the second year in a row, an officer in your alumni society has won an "Outstanding Alumni Society Leadership Award." On top of that, the Biological Sciences Alumni Society itself won an "Outstanding Alumni Society Award." That the Society was not yet officially two years old when these awards were given, makes this even more impressive! Also, three alumni were winners of top Ohio State Alumni Association Awards. (For the complete story, see AlumNews.) These awards are all highly competitive and prestigious. I urge you to support your alumni society, check out their web site and get involved. This is a dynamic group of people who work hard for their college and its students. Let's keep it growing! Along with the good news, there is bad news. As you may know, the university took a major budget cut from the state this year, which will affect all of us for some time to come. These are the times we count on the kindness of strangers and the support of friends, who believe in the value of higher education and appreciate the many ways it benefits the people of Ohio, and the larger national and international community. We have weathered lean economic times in the past. We have a great staff, outstanding faculty, top students, and an enthusiastic and dedicated group of alumni and friends-a major asset in any portfolio! We plan to concentrate on the things we do best, and with your support, we will emerge from these difficulties more focused and better able to hit the ground running when the economic situation improves. The good news is that we are moving along with some major plans and initiatives that have been a long time coming and will have a positive impact on our future. On November 2, we celebrated the ground-breaking for the new Stanley J. Aronoff Laboratory of Biological Sciences. Some of you will remember that we have talked about this building in the past; it has had several names in the planning stages: "the life sciences building," "the biology research laboratory," etc. Now that it is fast becoming reality, it has been officially named by the University Board of Trustees for the former President of the Ohio Senate and longtime friend of the University, Stanley J. Aronoff, of Cincinnati. This past year, we established the Board of Visitors. This group, comprised of outstanding academic and business leaders from around the country, has agreed to serve the dean in an advisory capacity. Their depth and breadth of expertise bring a fresh perspective to a variety of issues. We would like to thank them for their service and welcome them to our college community. They are listed on the inside front cover. We have been fortunate to hire some outstanding new faculty this past year. Irina Artsimovitch, Michael Ibba and Abhay Satoskar join the Microbiology Department; H. Lisle Gibbs is an addition to EEOB; Roman Lanno joins Entomology; Stephen Osmani is the new Eminent Scholar in Molecular Genetics; and Zucai Suo joins Biochemistry. We welcome them all and know you will be reading great things about them in future issues. The search for a permanent dean is well-underway. We will post details of our progress periodically on our web site. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alan and wish him well in this new chapter of his life. Some of you will remember him for his efforts in getting the Biological Sciences Alumni Society off the ground. I won't take the time to list here his many accomplishments, but as you read this issue, please know that much of the good news we have to report is due in large part to Alan Goodridge's leadership in the past five years. All best wishes for a brighter new year!
Richard W. Hall |
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College of Biological Sciences
