E. Gordon Gee (President West Virginia U.)

[ORD_Buckeye]

I may be able to offer some anecdotal perspective here: I went to OSU from 1987-1991, right as the move towards more selectivity was beginning and definitely went to school with some kids who probably didn't belong at any University, much less OSU, and vanished fairly rapidly from the campus. We definitely need selectivity, and I agree with the overall direction in which things are going On the other hand, as a bright but socially inept and immature kid with high standardized test scores but a mediocre 3.0 in high school, I only got into OSU (and thank God was allowed entry to the honors program on the basis of test scores alone), where I promptly grew up, took a ton of honors classes, graduated in four years with a double major and a bit better than a 3.4 GPA, and went on to an Ivy League Law School (all at a bargain price :)) Tibor's professed, though likely only semi-believed, view of alumni notwithstanding, I feel like tOSU taking a chance on me was quite possibly the single most important thing that's happened to me and sometimes wonder what would have happened if they hadn't. Accordingly, I hope they don't take things so far for the sake of rankings that they don't leave some wiggle room for some of the later bloomers that can show some evidence of potential.

Now having said that, there's no doubt that the smarter the kids around you are, the more you can learn about how tough the competition out there really can be. At the time, even the honors program at tOSU didn't fully prepare me for the competition I encountered in law school, although I'll bet it would do better now as admissions have gotten much tougher.

Insightful post, Jag. I was at Ohio State roughly the same period as you, and I was continually amazed by the gap between the top 10% of the student body and the bottom 10%. I doubt any university in the country had such a differential. My concern is not with those students who gained admittance solely because of open admissions. I knew several that were great guys but even then I thought, in the back of my head, that they shouldn't be here. I think the more meaningful debate is about kids who have records similar to yours--B students with strong test scores. As strongly supportive as I am about selective admission, I have to admit that--in the back of my head--I do wonder about future Ivy League law students, Fortune 500 CEOs and US Senators that might get shut out of Ohio State and shunted off to one of the Fredo schools.

An interesting aside is that I too was in the honors program then, but now would almost certainly have to earn my way in my freshman year. You pretty much have to be a class valedictorian with 30+ ACT scores to get pre-enrolled these days.

Oh well, Stephanie left for a business meeting in Tokyo today; I'm on my fourth Old Style; I've got Chicken Cacciatore on the stove and a bottle of Barbaresco breathing--and Entourage is about start. I'm out.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

OSU fans/alumni care more about getting drunk on football Saturdays than the academic mission of the university. I understood the hatred toward her completely. Witnessing OSU alumni in action (i.e. in Arizona) is not a pretty sight. It's not without cause that OSU has a bad reputation - just look at how obnoxious and stupid most of the alumni are.

we take after our mayor and his wife, what can we say...

 

[Taosman]

2007 the year the bowtie comes back in style!

Dr. E. Gordon Gee speaks to media and the Board of Trustees after becoming the 14th president of OSU.

Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer

 

[sandgk]

Ah, yes, Batelle...

It was never my impression that OSU used or leant on Battelle - quite the contrary - at least in the early 80's, the general view amongst faculty in the sciences was that Battelle sucked oxygen out of the funding room.

 

[cincibuck]

It was never my impression that OSU used or leaned on Battelle - quite the contrary - at least in the early 80's, the general view amongst faculty in the sciences was that Battelle sucked oxygen out of the funding room.

I have a good friend doing bio research... u Cincinnati, BS, Michigan MS & PHD and then working on research between Case - Western Med and Johns Hopkins... who is the basis for the very little I know about OSU and research... his contention was that Battelle had really fallen behind the times in the late 70s and had taken much of OSU R&D in his area with it.

My understanding was that in the 50s and 60s the two institutions had enjoyed a symbiotic relationship despite a lack of financial support from the state ligislature.

Anyone out there who can confirm or correct that?

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

The Toledo Blade's history of bitterness towards Ohio State has finally hit rock bottom with this morning's editorial on Gee's return. They even take a swipe at his alma mater (Utah), never mind the fact that it ranks higher than Bowling Green or UT.

Their hypocrisy is mind numbing. On one hand, they attack Gee for his salary while attempting to hide behind the interests of Ohio's taxpayers, yet they constantly trumpet inefficient, bloated and unnecessary policies that benefit BGSU and UT. Those policies cost Ohio taxpayers far more money and contribute far greater to high tuition costs than if we had chose to give Gee a 10 million dollar salary.

toledoblade.com -- The million-dollar man

I smell fear. They know that, with a dynamic and politically astute leader at Ohio State, Fingerhut and Stickland's changes to this bloated university system are only that much more likely to succeed.

 

[coastalbuck]

The editorial staff does sound a little frightened, maybe a little jealous too.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

And my response. I'm sure that it has zero chance of being published.

To the editor;

With this morning's caustic editorial regarding the return of E. Gordon Gee to the presidency of Ohio State University, it would seem that The Blade's well documented history of antagonism and bitterness towards Ohio's flagship university has finally hit rock bottom. Was it really necessary to take a cheap shot at Mr. Gee's alma mater, the University of Utah? It should be noted that Utah ranks higher in the most recent US News & World Report college rankings than either Bowling Green or the University of Toledo. Would The Blade be equally dismissive of an alumnus from either of those two institutions earning the opportunity to lead a major national university?

What I sense is really at the heart of The Blade's antagonism towards Mr. Gee is the fear borne of a dawning realization that Governor Strickland and Chancellor Fingerhut are quite serious about bringing fundamental change to Ohio's redundant and inefficient higher education system, and the presence of a dynamic, politically astute leader at Ohio State will only hasten these changes. In essence, we are witnessing the final death blow to the leveling policies of the Rhodes era, which made no qualitative distinctions between the state's historic flagship university, an Association of American Universities member since 1916, and regional, tier-4 ranked commuter schools. Rhodes created a bloated system which has led to every state college believing that if it added enough unnecessary, and often lowly regarded, graduate programs they could turn themselves into mini-Ohio States. He created a system that Ohio could not afford and whose redundancy and inefficiency has directly contributed to the state's high tuition levels. If The Blade really had the interests of Ohio's taxpayers at heart, it would be welcoming the return to a rational, hierarchical higher education system rather than merely beating the pork barrel drum for what best serves the narrow interests and institutional egos of the regions' local colleges.

 

[BB73]

Stewart Mandel's blog. I bolded the word peeked (sic).

si_blogs/gee-returns-to-osu

Gee Returns to OSU with Eyes on Reform

An interesting development for college football took place last week, but you wouldn't have heard about it from reading the sports page: The Ohio State University named its new president. Why this is noteworthy: Because the president in question is none other than the well-traveled Dr. Gordon Gee, formerly Ohio State's president from 1990-97 and, most recently, the chancellor of Vanderbilt.

...

Most of all, Gee said he plans to use his pulpit as the president of the nation's largest university to espouse his agenda for academic reform nationally. It's one thing to scream about playoffs and graduation rates when you're that kooky chancellor down at harmless little Vanderbilt; it's quite another for the president of Ohio State to go on the offensive. Which is why Gee's hiring has peeked the curiosity - positively and negatively - of observers around the country.

Cont'd ...

I'm wondering how many other graduates of Northwestern's fine Medill School of Journalism have difficulty distinguishing among peeked, peaked, and piqued.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Stewart Mandel's blog. I bolded the word peeked (sic).

si_blogs/gee-returns-to-osu



I'm wondering how many other graduates of Northwestern's fine Medill School of Journalism have difficulty distinguishing among peeked, peaked, and piqued.

I know the answer, but I must confess......I piqued at the answer key.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Gee whiz, Buckeyes have outspoken prez

Tuesday, July 17, 2007


When former Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee was introduced as the new president of Ohio State University last week, it had the feel of an athletic version of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington."
That is, if Mr. Smith was going back to Washington after having been voted out of office once for being a fiscal conservative in an era of government big spending.
Faithful followers of NCAA reform recognize Gee as the man best known for having done away with Vanderbilt's athletic department, placing the operation of big-time intercollegiate athletics under the auspices of the university's Department of Student Life.

Continued....

 

[scooter1369]

As much as I like E. Gordon Gee and respect him as an administrator, educator and sports enthusiast, I feel the single biggest thing he needs to change, he will be unable to do so.

The sad truth is, that even with Gee back, Holbrook's "Booze Patrol Goon Squad" will continue to harass and hover around the biggest contributors to this program in the RV lots during tailgating, further alienating a loyal fan base that throws money by the bucket at the athletic department.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

He might have a chance with Hope Taft out of the statehouse, Scooter. She made the harrasment of social drinking the top priority of her tenure in Columbus. It wasn't just effecting Ohio State tailgates. Everything from 5* restaurants to neighborhood bars were being harassed. I even heard a story where the Liquor Bureau brown shirts showed up at a charity wine auction in Cleveland and shut it down because the paperwork wasn't in order.

Unlike some on this board, I believed that there was a serious problem that needed to be dealt with regarding our gameday environment. Anyone who watches the video that the administration made would have a hard time convincing me that it was "just a few bad apples" or "happens everywhere." My problem with Holbrook was that she focused the response in the wrong direction. 50 year old alumni at private tailgates are NOT the source of this problem, but harassing them is easier than taking on the commercial interests that have created and profit from that redneck rampage on the north side of Lane Avenue. One thing that Gee showed with the south campus revitalization is that he's not afraid of taking on commercial interests when he believes that their business practices are hurting the university. If I was running Hineygate, I'd be very, very nervous right now.

As far as I'm concerned, focusing on alcohol enforcement is an ass-backwards (and ultimately inefficient) way of going about it. Go after the actual behavior that the alcohol [[allegedly]] is creating. Put 50 undercover cops on Lane Avenue and High Street arresting anybody they see threatening or harassing visiting fans, because I've witnessed plenty of completely sober 'necks harassing visiting fans. Book them on "aggravated menacing" or "assault" charges and let them sit in county lockup until Monday morning followed by their names splashed in the newspaper, expensive legal fees and a court trial. That, however, wouldn't have helped Hope Taft in her crusade to save our souls from devil booze.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

from people i work with word, their kids, kids friends were arrested by undercovers. one guy i know had his kid who did a little interning was arrested after undercover cops walked into his house on 18th (ithink it was). activities like that wouldnt fly anyplace else but campus. luckily his parents had the means to provide him with a lawyer so he plead out of his charges, though the kid was held overnight for being 20 years old. that same day at the same house a kid was beaten by grove city cops who were deputized by the franklin county sheriffs. i dont exactly know the whole situation but ive seen about a 2 min video clip of the kid asking to see the badges then getting taken down, eventually laying on the ground gettin his ass kicked by three grown men who drag him out the door. i saw the day after pictures of this kid, it was unreal for anything.


the problem is drunkness bot drinking. the problem is any drinking is easier to attack than drunkness.

people getting drunk for games hasnt changed, its been that way a long time. they used to remove all the chain/roping around campus and empty every dumpster on fridays.

though, ill be honest i like the new atmosphere better than the old one. but, still their is room for improvement.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

And my response. I'm sure that it has zero chance of being published.

To the editor;

With this morning's caustic editorial regarding the return of E. Gordon Gee to the presidency of Ohio State University, it would seem that The Blade's well documented history of antagonism and bitterness towards Ohio's flagship university has finally hit rock bottom. Was it really necessary to take a cheap shot at Mr. Gee's alma mater, the University of Utah? It should be noted that Utah ranks higher in the most recent US News & World Report college rankings than either Bowling Green or the University of Toledo. Would The Blade be equally dismissive of an alumnus from either of those two institutions earning the opportunity to lead a major national university?

What I sense is really at the heart of The Blade's antagonism towards Mr. Gee is the fear borne of a dawning realization that Governor Strickland and Chancellor Fingerhut are quite serious about bringing fundamental change to Ohio's redundant and inefficient higher education system, and the presence of a dynamic, politically astute leader at Ohio State will only hasten these changes. In essence, we are witnessing the final death blow to the leveling policies of the Rhodes era, which made no qualitative distinctions between the state's historic flagship university, an Association of American Universities member since 1916, and regional, tier-4 ranked commuter schools. Rhodes created a bloated system which has led to every state college believing that if it added enough unnecessary, and often lowly regarded, graduate programs they could turn themselves into mini-Ohio States. He created a system that Ohio could not afford and whose redundancy and inefficiency has directly contributed to the state's high tuition levels. If The Blade really had the interests of Ohio's taxpayers at heart, it would be welcoming the return to a rational, hierarchical higher education system rather than merely beating the pork barrel drum for what best serves the narrow interests and institutional egos of the regions' local colleges.

Well, it looks like The Blade didn't have the balls to handle any criticism and print my letter to the editor. They didn't even give me the decency of the standard reply saying my submission had been received and would be evaluated. Then again, what do you expect from a newspaper that, in a recent editorial, said that many Ohio State programs should be shut down and transferred to UT and Bowling Green. Yea, that makes sense in a state suffering a brain drain. Shut down programs at the state's tier-1 AAU member and relocate them to tier-4 regional colleges. I'm sure that all of the National Academy of Sciences member faculty that are responsible for all of those research dollars would gladly pack up and move to Toledo. They'd be gone alright, but they'd be in Madison or Ann Arbor. My God, I feel dumber every time I read an editorial from that rag.