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Enriching academics, raising visibility Endowed positions attract renowned faculty. James Schultz will tell you his career is all about balance. It's manifest not just in the different classes he teaches, the academic organizations he holds membership in and the professional conferences he attends. It's a huge part of his teaching philosophy.   Making It Happen One goal of the Bicentennial Campaign is to raise $70 million for endowed chairs and named professorships. Ohio University now supports 15 endowed chairs in seven departments. About $56 million would be set aside to establish 28 new endowed chairs at an average of $2 million each to serve at least half of the University's 56 academic departments. Another $14 million would endow one named professorship at $250,000 or more in each department.     "I try to bring a balanced perspective to the big picture when it comes to mathematics education," he says. "That means a balance between theoretical and nontheoretical, between those who love using technology in math and those who hate it and, ultimately, in teaching students skills, concepts and problem solving." Recognized as an expert in classroom technology, textbook content and the math reform movement, Schultz has been Ohio University's Robert L. Morton Professor of Mathematics Education since 1994. Through his role as an endowed academic chair in the College of Education, he's been able to inject his balanced thinking into a debate that's been raging across the nation about the state of math education. "The way we've taught mathematics in the past hasn't worked," says Schultz, whose teaching experience includes five years at the secondary level and more than 25 years at the university level, including 20 years at Ohio State University. "U.S. students have performed poorly on tests compared to other countries, industry is always complaining about students' lack of math skills and half the nation's population hates the subject. We need to address these issues." The Morton endowed chair was created through a contribution of nearly $1 million from Ohio University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education Robert L. Morton, BSED '13 and HON '68, before his death in 1976. Administrators hope to increase the number of endowed chairs and named professorships through the University's Bicentennial Campaign, a fund-raising effort that seeks to raise more than $200 million by 2004. "An endowed chair enables you to attract exceptional faculty," says Vice President for University Advancement Leonard Raley. "Their reputation and capabilities attract other faculty to campus and students who want to study in a special environment. It benefits the University as a whole." The endowment has allowed Schultz to create innovative courses and projects, including introducing high technology to basic math courses and developing Web-based graduate classes. He also is taking a lead role on a project funded by the National Science Foundation to develop, in conjunction with three other universities, mathematics centers throughout Appalachia. Schultz also participates in organizations that bring national visibility to the University. As chair of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Educational Materials Committee, he helps determine what math books and multimedia materials are published and used in classrooms across the country. And the College of Education benefits from the knowledge he gleans from math education conferences around the world. "This position truly gives me freedom to cross boundaries," Schultz says. Melissa Rake served until recently as assistant editor of Ohio Today.