Alumni News

Rose Bowl Tour Information from the OSU Alumni Association

Great news -- The OSU Alumni Association is opening up Rose Bowl tour packages to all Alumni Association members, regardless of alumni status. Alumni, friends, and fans can join OSUAA by calling (800) 762-JOIN (5646). Be sure to say you are joining to go on the bowl tour. Then reserve your spot at the Rose Bowl at the Alumni Official Tour site.

Pictures from the 2008 College Tailgate

The college fall tailgate, held on September 6, 2008, just before the Buckeyes played the Ohio University Bobcats, brought together the EHE community for a wonderful gathering. A full-capacity crowd of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and their families renewed old acquaintances, made new ones, and made merry in the big tent next to Campbell Hall. Learn more about and view pictures from the event.

Eight remarkable alumni deliver on Ohio State promise, earn EHE awards

EHE alumni deliver Ohio State's promise throughout the world. We recently honored eight for their passionate contributions to society. Who will join their ranks next year? Read More

Cauffman, Duncan, Smith merit Alumni Association honors

Each year, The Ohio State University Alumni Association honors deserving alumni. This year, we are proud that three of the awardees graduated from the College of Education and Human Ecology. They are Joy Garrison Cauffman, Robert M. Duncan and Sarah M. Smith. Read More

Alumna shapes policy to improve women's status in business, government

Julie A. Graber (BS '80, Textiles and Clothing) of Columbus has used her experience as a business owner to help other women become leaders in business and government. To help focus policy discussions, she founded the Women's Power Index, an annual survey that uses key benchmarks to determine the status of women in Central Ohio. She also is a founding member and immediate past president of the board for Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD).

In recognition of her work, she recently received a 2007 Woman of Achievement Award from the YWCA Columbus.

Graber is president of Brains for Business, which provides Web-based tools and corporate services. She is active in community organizations, particularly in the arts.

She recently completed her master's degree in Women's Studies at Antioch University, and now serves as a senior associate for strategic planning at Ohio State's new Institute for Women, Gender and Public Policy

Brown is elected as U.S. senator from Ohio

Sherrod Brown (M.A. '79 Education) has been elected U.S. senator for Ohio. The Democrat, who lives in Avon, received 56 percent of the votes cast Nov. 7. He defeated Republican incumbent Mike DeWine.

Brown had served as a U.S. congressman from the 13th District since 1992. He is the author of Myths of Free Trade. He also served two terms as Ohio's Secretary of State and, in the early 1990s, he taught democracy and government in Poland as that nation was making the transition from Cold War Communism. He has also taught in Ohio's public schools and at Ohio State.

Null receives Universal Design Education award

The University of Southern California recently awarded the Morton Kesten Summit Award of Excellence in Universal Design Education to alumna Roberta Null, (PhD '78, Home Economics). Dr. Null, the first recipient of this award, was honored for being a leading professional in the field of universal design in interior design.

Null's contributions to the field include authoring a well-known text, Universal Design: Creative Solutions for ADA Compliance from Professional Publications, and consulting and lecturing. She has traveled to Korea and Japan where the importance of universal design is widely recognized.

Null has served on the faculty teaching housing and interior design courses at Purdue and San Diego State universities. She is retired from the University of Miami of Ohio and now owns Common Place Design in Whittier, California.

Utzinger is inducted into the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame

Doris Schleppi Utzinger (B.S. '54, Home Economics Education) has been inducted into the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame.

Utzinger, of Grove City, has been a loyal supporter of Ohio State's Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and of FSR's Utzinger Garden, named in memory of her late husband Jim Utzinger.

"Doris is being recognized because of her dedication to the horticulture field. She and her family have been instrumental in providing years of horticultural education to the public," said Farm Science Review manager Chuck Gamble. "Utzinger Garden is a focal point for OSU presentations and educational programs at Farm Science Review."

ODE honors Frank Walter

Franklin Walter (Ph.D. '65, Educational Administration), former state superintendent of public instruction, was honored by the Ohio Department of Education recently. Current State Superintendent Susan Tave Zelman dedicated the Franklin B. Walter Conference Room in honor of Walter's lifelong commitment to improving education.

The room is on the seventh floor of the ODE Building at 25 S. Front Street.

Walter held the top post in education from 1977 to 1991, the longest tenure of any superintendent in the agency's history. He influenced both state and federal educational policy. He urged the State Board of Education and the General Assembly to initiate proficiency testing in Ohio, leading to a new focus on improving student learning.

He joined the College of Education faculty after leaving ODE, and retired from Ohio State as the Flesher Professor of Educational Administration.

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