Tag: Kristina Johnson

Ohio State president Kristina Johnson joins College Football Playoff Board of Managers

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers now has a Buckeye representing the Big Ten. #GoBucks

Current sitting Ohio State president Kristina Johson is jumping into the pool of sharks known as the College Football Playoff. According to a release from OSU, Johnson is replacing Penn State’s Eric Barron as the Big Ten’s representative on the Board of Managers.

“As someone who was afforded significant academic opportunities as a result of my participation in sports, I have long recognized the importance of collegiate athletics and championed access to them for every student who desires it,” Johnson said in an Ohio State release. “I am proud to have played a key role in preserving the 2020 Big Ten Conference fall season at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and am looking forward to continuing my advocacy and working with the other presidents and chancellors on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers.”

Bill Hancock, the CFP’s Executive Director, was happy to welcome Johnson to the mix.

“We are delighted that President Johnson will serve on the Board of Managers,” Hancock said in a statement. “President Johnson’s experience as a leader in higher education and as a former student-athlete will provide great perspective for the board.”

The Board of Managers is an integral part of the College Football Playoff, responsible for shaping and molding not only the future of the CFP but for discussing and entertaining conversations and policies.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren believes that Johnson is up to the task as the representative for the conference.

“We are grateful to add President Johnson to the College Football Playoff Board of Managers to represent our conference and its 14 world-class member institutions,” Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said. “President Johnson, who replaces retiring Penn State University President Barron, will make an immediate and profound impact in this critical role as we embrace opportunities related to the College Football Playoff system.”

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Ohio State ties on the Big Ten return to play committees

There is a pretty good Ohio State flavor on the Big Ten Return to Play Task Force. From the Steering Committee to the Medical Subcommittee.

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a pretty important presentation going on today in the Big Ten that will hopefully lead to a potential vote to start the football season sometime in October. That presentation is being put on by the Big Ten Medical Subcommittee and is being shown to the Big Ten Steering Committee.

That’s a lot of committee speak, and you may be wondering who is on all of these hard-working decision making bodies that could impact your plans this fall and whether or not Ohio State football is a part of it.

Well, thanks to the wonder of the internet and Twitter, we know who all is involved in these sorts of things. The Big Ten released information on who all is taking part on these committees and there’s a decent Ohio State flavor to it.

The following OSU ties are on all of the folks working hard to bring Big Ten football to a television set or streaming device near you soon.

Big Ten Steering Committee

  • Ohio State President Kristina Johnson

Medical Committee and Executive Committee

  • Ohio State doctor Jim Borchers

Football Scheduling Committee

  • Ohio State head coach Ryan Day

TV Subcommittee

  • Ohio State AD Gene Smith

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Let’s hope this thing goes somewhere today. If you hear rumblings of a vote tomorrow, then that means things are moving in the right direction.

Ohio State receives FOIA letter from well-known attorney and player advocate Tom Mars

Ohio State confirmed receipt of a letter from attorney Tom Mars requesting details around the Big Ten’s decision to postpone fall football.

It has been widely reported that several Freedom of Information Act Letters (FOIA) went out to Big Ten institutions requesting information and communications surrounding the league’s decision to postpone the fall football season. Those letters were drafted by well-known attorney and player advocate Tom Mars’ office and reportedly went to all thirteen public Big Ten members. Northwestern was excluded because they are not subject to open records law.

Buckeyes Wire has spoken to Mars and received confirmation that a letter was sent to Ohio State as a part of the effort for more transparency surrounding the decision and what types of communications went into such a monumental decision that affected so many.

“I can confirm that I’ve sent comprehensive FOIA requests to all Big 10 public universities (13) per rights afforded by the public records laws in eleven different states,” confirmed Mars in an email to Buckeyes Wire.

In response, a spokesman for Ohio State has confirmed the university received the letter from Mars’ office last Saturday. OSU also acknowledged receipt of the communication to Mars and is says it is working on a reply through email.

Buckeyes Wire is also in possession of the FOIA letter request that can be found in the below attachment.

Ohio State FOIA Request

The request is broad and detailed and is looking for all manners of communication that would have occurred between athletic director Gene Smith and president-elect Kristina Johnson with Big Ten representatives.

Under Ohio Open Records Law, OSU’s response falls under a rather ambiguous “reasonable period of time,” meaning it could be longer than other Big Ten schools and states that have a specific timeframe assigned their applicable legislation.

We’ll have much more on the status of all of this over the next few days.

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Michael Drake takes post as University of California president

Former Ohio State president Michael Drake has been named as the new president of the University of California system.

Former Ohio State president Michael Drake has accepted the president position within the University of California per multiple reports. He will be the university’s first Black president.

Drake became the fifteenth president of Ohio State on June 30, 2014 after spending nine years as the president of UC Irvine. His time at Ohio State was one that polarized many. From academic policy to the handling of the Urban Meyer suspension stemming from the Zach Smith domestic violence investigation, the critics were many. Yet, his peers and academia have high esteem for him to this day.

Drake was planning to stay at Ohio State as president emeritus as Kristina Johnson takes on the presidency at OSU, but instead will be taking on a more visible role at another large institution of higher learning. For him, it is going home in a sense. Before his time at UC Irvine, Drake served as the vice chancellor for health affairs at Cal.

A little unlike Ohio State, the University of California system has several more significant satellites rather than one main campus as the priority. He will be in charge of ten campuses and all the surrounding support, disciplines, and various centers of study.

“Dr. Drake personifies the qualities we looked for in selecting a new president,” said John A. Pérez, chair of the UC Board of Regents in a statement. “He is committed to seeing the whole student and to supporting all our students. He recognizes the incalculable value of faculty and staff to the University’s mission, and he understands the importance of the public and private partnerships that help us achieve that mission. As the first person of color to serve as UC president, Dr. Drake returns to UC at an important point in the University’s journey. This is a homecoming the University of California is very excited to be celebrating early.”

 

Kristina Johnson named new Ohio State president

Ohio State has named its new president. Former SUNY chancellor Kristina Johnson will be the 16th president in the University’s history.

The Ohio State University has its new president.

Kristina Johnson, formerly the State University of New York Chancellor was, officially named to the post by the Ohio State Board of Trustees on Wednesday morning.

The search for the replacement of retiring current president Michael Drake was long and extensive, and at the end of it, OSU will usher in its second-ever female president to run the show. Her tenure is set to begin on September 1.

“We are pleased beyond measure to welcome Dr. Johnson to Ohio State,” said board chair Gary R. Heminger in a statement. “Her range of knowledge, service and accomplishments across sectors and throughout her career is nothing short of remarkable.

“She is uniquely positioned to make an immediate impact – building on Ohio State’s momentum and advancing our mission to uplift lives through academic excellence.”

Johnson’s credentials and experience are impressive and varied. Prior to acting as the chancellor to SUNY, she was the Secretary of Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. She also held the CEO position at Cube Hydro Partners, a company that builds and operates hydropower plants in North America.

Johnson has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford, and has a career in academia in her background. She was the dean of Duke University’s engineering school for eight years, as well as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University.

Despite her varied stops around the country, she does have some significant ties to the University. Her grandfather played right guard on the Ohio State football team — graduating in 1896 (when Michigan was dominant in football). Also, according the news release by OSU, her extended earlier family traces back to some of the first families in Ohio.

Johnson has been a longtime advocate for women, and it’ll be exciting and interesting to see kind of initiatives and direction she leads Ohio State in the near future.