Humanities Center a possibility
Ohio University has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to compete for a five-state humanities center. The University is up against Michigan State University for the center that will serve Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

If the University is chosen to host the center, implementation grants would include an endowment of $5 million over five years and require matching funds of $15 million to support research, cultural preservation and public programming on the history, people and traditions of the five-state region.

“We aim to create lifelong audiences for the humanities in this region and to serve students, teachers, scholars and the general public,” says planning grant writer Judith Yaross Lee, an associate professor of interpersonal communication.

Regional campus reaches out
Ohio University became more of a force in the Columbus area with the opening this past fall of the Pickerington Center, a classroom building that is an extension of the Lancaster Campus. Courses offered at the 15,000-square-foot facility include business, computers, communications, English, mathematics, economics and career planning. The center is a 15-minute drive from both downtown Columbus and Port Columbus International Airport.

“The center allows Ohio University to serve a rapidly growing area,” says Vice President for Regional Higher Education Charles Bird. “It is an up-to-date adult learning facility offering programs that are both cost-effective and convenient for its students.”

University ranks among top 50
For the second-straight year, Ohio University has been rated one of the top 50 national public universities by U.S. News and World Report in its “America’s Best Colleges” 2001 edition. The University is ranked 44th among its peer institutions. U.S. News and World Report defines national universities as institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate majors plus master’s and doctoral programs and also emphasize faculty research.

“The University strives to offer first-rate academic and student programs, and this acclaim is a reflection of the quality of our students, faculty and staff,” says President Robert Glidden.

Magazine touts film school
Ohio University’s School of Film was listed among the nation’s top 12 graduate film programs in Entertainment Weekly’s fall 2000 Showbiz Special edition.

The school offers a three-year program for students interested in advanced training in directing, screenwriting, producing, cinematography, editing and motion picture sound.