Patterson Lecture Series
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Archive video: Windows Media
What an honor to be part of this lecture series!
As the nation's largest -- and, I am just going to say it with full partisanship, leading Ð land-grant university, Ohio State really must pause occasionally to reflect on its founding mission. Routinely re-evaluating our work in light of that unique mission assures that we remain on the right track.
And so, I am especially glad that Bobby, Karen Bruns, and others coordinate this annual event.
Before I launch into the heart of my remarks, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the leadership and good friendship of both Bobby Moser and Jim Patterson.
I imagine that most everyone in this room knows Bobby and appreciates his capable leadership, as do I. With his vision and oversight, the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences was realigned -- with an excellent outcome Ð and I thank him for that service.
And it is a great pleasure to be back in the company of Jim Patterson, one of the legends of land-grant governance. Jim and Nancy have long been good friends of mine, and I am glad to thank them for that every chance I get!
During the mid-1990s, I learned a great deal about leadership from Jim, when he was on Ohio State's board and I was president during Gee XI. Jim now works to advance more than just Ohio State. Through his service on the Ohio Board of Regents, all Ohioans benefit from his wisdom.
Being back at Ohio State is a great honor. Having spent a decade in the wilderness, I am thrilled to be back at this wonderful land-grant institution!
A moment ago, I said that it is critical for us to evaluate what we are doing Ð and what we seek to accomplish Ð in light of our historic mission. In looking ahead, we must look back: We must return to first principles.
Many of you will recall that there was a great debate in the 1860s about what exactly a land-grant university was supposed to be and do. What would be its proper scope and sphere?
The Morrill Act wisely does not proscribe a set curriculum. Instead, it says that "Éthe leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studiesÉ to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanical arts."
That is a wonderfully broad foundation. In modern parlance, you can drive a truck through it! And for that we are very fortunate.
Doubly so, when you consider the foresight of Ohio's leaders in the 1860s and early 1870s, when the roots of The Ohio State University were planted. In his 1874 inaugural address to the state senate, Ohio State President Edward Orton articulated an expansive vision for higher education and a thorough understanding of its power to change lives.
Orton's words on that day: "There is scarcely an interest in the State that rises superior to that of higher education, for it is this upon which, in a great degree, the civilization and worth of a generation depend."
I have spent decades trying to say that more plainly and more compellingly!
So, the powerful commitment of land-grant universities to their communities was thoroughly understood here from our earliest days. Yet, universities are living entities -- evolving over time, changing in response to our world's emerging needs and opportunities. And land-grant universities are, I believe, exceptionally nimble in response to those larger forces. We must be in order to fulfill our founding promise, a concept that was underscored in the Kellogg Commission report.
As you may know, I was founding chair of that Commission and have a keen appreciation of the collective wisdom that was brought to bear on the effort. The Commission's heavy lifting was done by dozens of talented faculty and university leaders from across the country.
The personal contribution of which I am proudest -- and in which others shared as well Ð is the idea of changing how we view our work in the communities we serve. The gist was that we must shift from the notion of "outreach" to one of "engagement."
It might seem like I am playing with semantics here, but the issue runs much deeper. The concern is really a profound one: How do we conceive, understand, and interpret our relationship with our communities?
"Outreach" and "engagement" carry very different connotations. The former seems to me to be about offering help Ð certainly noble and worthwhile. The latter expands on that a good bit and implies a reciprocal relationship Ð a partnership.
It is my belief -- and this runs through everything I do Ð that partnerships, collaborations of all sorts, increase results exponentially. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that collaborations also require more time and an extra measure of care and feeding.
The Kellogg Commission report affirms the role of public universities in sustaining democracy, building civic partnerships, promoting community-based learning. And Ð if read with a certain eye Ð it chastises us a bit.
In no uncertain terms, it calls on us to "bring the resources and expertise at our institutions to bear on community, state, national, and international problems." Not via the one-sided model of reaching out, but rather through the development of thoroughly shared relationships that look beyond the traditions of the past.
With all of that very much in mind last October Ð I outlined six strategic goals. One of them was the requirement for the University to re-commit to our communities as never before. To fully understanding their needs and to fully addressing them -- as partners, together. That is the model of the new American university.
Here at Ohio State, that means several things.
The expansion of knowledge means making higher education accessible in all kinds of ways -- economically, geographically, racially, chronologically.
The truly good news is that we have powerful allies in that effort with Governor Strickland, Chancellor Fingerhut, and so many capable state legislators. Chancellor Fingerhut's new plan for higher education affirms the need for additional opportunity, increased access, institutional accountability, and a commensurate increase in resources.
And we know that as Ohio's leading national research university, Ohio State bears an enormous responsibility. As the work of our students and faculty grows in stature, we must also assure that students from families with modest resources are able to study and earn a degree here.
Land-grant universities were created for the so-called "industrial classes." These are tough times for many Ohioans. And that is why it is imperative at exactly this moment to open our doors ever wider to all promising students, regardless of their ability to pay the bill. We are working hard to assure that the University is affordable, but we can do better. We must, and we will.
We must also expand lifelong learning Ð I like to call it "K though Life." Two weeks ago, I had lunch with students who take part in the University's Program 60. Through that program, Ohio State's courses are open, without cost, to residents aged 60 or better. And record numbers of older learners are taking advantage of our many resources, including our talented faculty. In turn, those students enrich classroom discussions with their wisdom and wealth of life experience.
Regarding our mission to expand educational opportunities geographically, I remind people every chance I get that Ohio State is not limited to its Columbus campus!
Many of you work through our Extension programs, our "engaged" campuses, and other affiliated programs. And you are working on a grand scale! One estimate I have seen is that the University's outreach and engagement programs directly help 1.5 million Ohioans each year.
And just as the state is our campus, so too is the world!
Since returning to the University last fall, I have spoken often about Ohio State being a "global institution" and the need to internationalize our curriculum, our research, and our service. As a land-grant institution committed to the public good, Ohio State is duty-bound to act as a responsible global citizen.
Return again to our founding mission.
We must meet pressing needs as they arise Ð whether they are in the most densely populated parts of Columbus, in rural Washington County, Ohio, or in Central America. It is our institutional obligation, and it is surely in our students' best interests! Clearly, Ohio State is everywhere.
Closer to home, we are extending educational opportunities through direct enhancement of our communities. I think of this broadly Ð to include community service, economic development, urban enhancements, arts programs, and other like-minded activities.
And, I am happy to say, congratulations are in order! Today, we celebrate the success of Ohio State's Weinland Park neighborhood project. It has been named a regional winner of the 2008 Outreach Scholarship W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award. The Ohio State University is performing its role admirably, and we are committed to extending that work even further!
A few weeks ago, I announced some structural changes to my leadership team Ð changes that transcend traditional academic boundaries. The structure Ð which is key to our outreach and engagement activities Ð integrates components such as Campus Partners to better empower us to meet the very tangible needs of communities.
And our communities need us now as never before! The University must be even more aggressive in applying knowledge to real-world problems, in conducting research for the public good, and in fueling our state's economic prosperity.
Faculty and students are fulfilling those responsibilities every day. They are doing everything from conducting research for improved cancer treatments to creating safer pest controls and healthier tomatoes.
They are partnering with business and industry to:
Those collaborations are taking hold and being recognized.
One reason I returned to Ohio State is the widespread understanding that Ohio's economic vitality is bound tightly with higher education and the development of ideas. All of the ideas and inventions that drive our knowledge economy are created at universities!
Business leaders understand that very clearly, and they make decisions about where to locate and expand based on proximity to leading research universities. We saw that recently in NetJets' decision to stay and grow here. They were very clear about it: Ohio State -- with its talented students and faculty and its enormous research capacities Ð was a key factor!
Yes. Public higher education means very real progress for the state of Ohio. But we must always check back against our founding principles.
In reclaiming our land-grant heritage, we are making good on our great promise -- to improve our communities, to enrich lives, to expand possibilities. To succeed in that mission today, we must be as bold and innovative in carrying out our purposes as Lincoln was in his day.
Now is the time to tackle difficulties, to re-invest in our communities.
We must keep our foundations strong.
We must seek new ways to leverage Ohio State's limitless human talents and expertise to bring our enormous resources to bear on solving pressing problems.
We must embrace new kinds of partnerships that extend our mission more completely and effectively -- in our neighborhoods, throughout the state, and around the world.
Expanding our reach, seeking always to do good in the world. That is the proud heritage of Ohio State.
And yet, in this new age, this complicated time, it is not simply about Ohio State. It is about something much larger even than this enormous, remarkable University.
Land-grant institutions are wholly about the enduring spirit of this country:
That, finally, is the land-grant heritage.
That is the reason I am here, and it is the reason you are here.
Together, we can accomplish even greater things for all Ohioans.
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