Impact Update
January 2026 - Honors and awards
The legacy of a college isn’t written in buildings or budgets — it’s written in its people’s scholarship, innovation and dedication to service. It is manifested in the everyday lives of the people, families, schools, health care partners and communities we serve.
These recent honors and awards are more than accolades. They are proof that our faculty and staff have influence that covers our campus and ripples out into the wider world. Together, we improve lives.
Professor dedicates 25-plus years to UCEA, most recently as president
Karen Beard, professor of Educational Administration, completed her role as president of the internationally recognized University Council for Educational Administration last November. She is the first current Ohio State faculty member to serve as council president.
In addition to leading the council, in her role as president, Beard shared her research on an international stage. She studies how preparation of school leaders can foster well-being and engagement of both students and communities. Her findings show the benefit of the infusion of positive psychology constructs into the work of school administrations.
Consumer Sciences professor and alum honored for best paper
Sherman Hanna, professor of Consumer Sciences, and his doctoral alumnus Zezhong Zhang received the “Best Paper” award at the Academy of Financial Services/Certified Financial Planner Board conference in Chicago last autumn.
The paper, titled "The Association of Financial Planner Usage on Retirement Adequacy: A Nearest Neighbor Matching Analysis,” represents Hanna’s 18th award for a research paper. The award was sponsored by the Financial Planning Association.
Matthew J. Mayhew, the Flesher Professor of Higher Education Administration, is a thought leader who appears in the news often. In late 2025, he wrote six opinion pieces for Forbes and several for The Conversation that were widely reprinted.
One Forbes article is based on results from his INSPIRES Campus Climate Index titled “Professors and politics: Consensus for more political diversity on campus.”
Another is based on assessment findings from his grant project funded by the ECMC Foundation, called Drive to Thrive: Student Success in Career and Technical STEM Education.
The grant focuses on transforming change in automotive technology student wellness and financial literacy. He works with the Ford Motor Company, its Automotive Student Service Education Training programs and the 41 community colleges with this training.
His piece for The Conversation is based on his research and titled “How ‘campus climate’ affects students attitudes to people of different religions.”
Distinguished Professor elected to National Academy of Education
James L. Moore III, Distinguished Professor of Urban and Counselor Education, recently received word that he has been elected to the National Academy of Education. The recognition honors him as one of the world’s leading education scholars and policymakers. He also is currently the only Ohio State faculty, and the only university faculty in Ohio, bestowed this honor.
His work at the U.S. National Science Foundation advances STEM education and workforce development through funding of cutting-edge STEM education research, infrastructure and translational investments.
Two professors move up among top 200 scholars in nation
James L. Moore III, Distinguished Professor of Urban and Counselor Education, and Donna Y. Ford, Distinguished Professor of Special Education, moved up in the most recent rankings by Education Week.
The rankings determine the top 200 university-based scholars in the nation who exerted the most public influence on U.S. education policy and practice over the past year.
Ford is now No. 72, up from No. 96 last year. Moore is now No. 95, up from No. 120 last year.
Two professors of Higher Education earn prestigious recognitions
Penny Pasque, professor of Higher Education Administration, has been named an inaugural Fellow of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). The ASHE Fellows Program recognizes her for her integrity, advancement of knowledge, mentoring and service to the field.
Pasque has authored over 100 books, articles and grants. She is director of the college’s QualLab research center and serves as editor of the Review of Higher Education, a leading journal in the field.
Her induction reflects her sustained leadership, influential scholarship and commitment to equity and excellence in higher education.
Matthew J. Mayhew, the Flesher Professor of Higher Education Administration, was inducted as a Fellow into the American Educational Research Association last April. He is known for his scholarship focused on the relationship between college and its influence on student development and learning.
Mayhew has authored more than 150 books and articles that have been cited more than 9,300 times. He has received more than $25 million in funding from sources such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Science Foundation.