Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication has been named Ohio's first Center of Excellence in the Cultural and Societal Transformation category, state and university officials announced yesterday.
Chancellor Eric Fingerhut, Ohio's top education official, spoke to about 200 people, including both faculty and students of the Scripps College, yesterday in the lobby of the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Fingerhut cited the college's leadership and innovation within the field of communication as two reasons for naming it a Center of Excellence.
The goal of this (Center of Excellence) is to create jobs and opportunity
Fingerhut said. We cannot have a successful state without being able to tell our story. This Center of Excellence is absolutely essential to having a comprehensive set of initiatives.
Centers of Excellence help Ohio compete for resources, faculty and students from across the globe, according to the Board of Regents' website. The Board of Regents is the coordinating board of higher education.
Because of this designation, the Board of Regents might be able to help the college acquire more funds, Fingerhut said.
We will absolutely be placing our Centers of Excellence at the forefront of all of our funding programs whether it be grants or scholarships he said.
OU President Roderick McDavis also said this designation might help the college raise more money.
People like to give to quality
excellence
he said. The more Centers of Excellence we have
the easier it is to raise money.
The college might use additional funds to pay for technology and more endowed professorships and chairs.
Technology is very expensive
and the shelf life gets shorter and shorter
said Greg Shepherd, dean of the Scripps College of Communication. And endowed professorships and chairs allow us to attract and retain the best faculty in the world.
During recent years, the Scripps College of Communication has received more than $54 million in outside funding, according to a news release.
A vibrant innovation economy in Ohio is the cornerstone of competing in the global marketplace
Fingerhut said. But it requires both cutting-edge research and a network of creative thinkers inspired by strong programs.
OU submitted an application for the Scripps College - which encompasses five individual schools and more than 40 programs - to become a Center of Excellence about a year ago.
This category is the last of six for the Centers of Excellence. This is OU's third designated Center of Excellence, and there are now 36 total in the state. OU was previously named a Center of Excellence in Advanced Energy and a Center of Excellence in Biomedicine and Healthcare.
The Scripps College of Communication is a great point of pride for our university
McDavis said in a statement. This designation from our Board of Regents clearly reaffirms the dedication of our faculty and staff in the Scripps College... the high caliber of our students... and the global reach of our distinguished alumni.
