September 10, 2003

Athens, Ohio -- William Byham, Bob Goldberg, and Philip Gordon were designated Distinguished Alumni in recognition of professional accomplishment, outstanding service to academic departments or the College, or demonstrated leadership in community service. Eric Wagner, professor emeritus of sociology, received the Outstanding Friend of the College Award for his leadership, service, and commitment to the College and University during his faculty tenure at Ohio University.

In addition to the Outstanding Friend of the College award, Eric Wagner was also honored with the Ohio University Founders Citation. The Founders Citation is the highest honor presented by the Ohio University Board of Trustees. The first citation was presented in 1961 to President Emeritus John Baker; only five other citations have been awarded since and none after 1977. The trustees decided that as part of the University's 200th birthday celebration, it would be appropriate to again award this prestigious honor. Thirteen citations will be presented during the bicentennial year.

Founders Citation recipients have distinguished themselves through exemplary service to Ohio University as members of the faculty or administration, loyal alumni, devoted volunteers or generous philanthropists. Honored with the citation in the past were, in addition to Baker, President Emeritus Vernon Alden; Robert Morton, distinguished professor emeritus of education; and former Ohio University Board of trustees members John Galbreath, Edwin Kennedy, and Fred Johnson.

This distinction has been awarded to Eric Wagner for his caring and committed teaching, strong campus leadership and loyal support of Ohio University as an institution of higher education.

The Wilfred R. and Ann Lee Konneker Award for Distinguished and Enduring Service was awarded to Jeanette Grasselli Brown. The Konneker award recognizes those individuals who have demonstrated remarkable achievements in their professional endeavors, community service, and a solid, selfless, unflagging dedication to the college and its students over a period of years. This is the highest award the College gives.

William Byham, a native of Parkersburg, W.Va., graduated from Ohio University in 1958 with a bachelor's in zoology and in 1960 with a master's in psychology. He earned a Ph.D. in industrial organizational psychology from Purdue University in 1962. He is honored by the College of Arts and Sciences for his leadership in assisting businesses reach their potential through recruiting, training, and evaluating employees.

Byham, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Development Dimensions International (DDI) based in Bridgeville, Pa., is principal researcher and developer of the Assessment Center Method. Byham's 190+ publications include two books that have become standard texts for teaching the Assessment Center Method in colleges and universities. "Zapp!® The Lightning of Empowerment," co-authored by Byham, has sold more than 4.5 million copies since it was published in 1988. He writes and presents programs about ways companies can make meaningful decisions, improve leadership skills and work effectively in teams. Other Ohio University recognitions include the Medal of Merit from the Alumni Association in 1984 and the Award for Achievement in Business from the College of Business in 1994. For more information see www.assessmentcenters.org/pages/byhambio.htm.

Bob Goldberg graduated from Ohio University in 1966 with a bachelor's in botany. After earning a master's and Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Arizona, he joined the faculty at UCLA in 1976. Goldberg is one of the nation's best-known plant molecular biologists. However his reputation in research is matched by his talent for innovative undergraduate teaching. Goldberg's numerous research and teaching awards include selection as one of the top 20 professors in UCLA history. He was among 20 professors in the nation to receive a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve undergraduate teaching in the sciences in October 2002.

In 2001, Goldberg was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences – one of the highest honors that can be accorded an American scientist or engineer. His research has been supported continuously for the last 25 years by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy and several biotechnology companies. He is founding editor and editor-in-chief of The Plant Cell, a leading journal in the area of plant molecular biology. Goldberg received an Ohio University Medal of Merit in 1986 and the Ohio University Phi Beta Kappa Award in 1989. For more information see www.hhmi.org/news/professor-goldbergb.html or www.aspb.org/hotnews/goldberg.cfm.

Philip Gordon earned undergraduate degrees in French and philosophy from Ohio University in 1984. Gordon went on to complete a master's and Ph.D. in European studies and international economics from Johns Hopkins University. Gordon held teaching and research positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., the European Institute of Business Administration in Fontainebleau, France, and the German Society for Foreign Affairs in Bonn. As former director of European Affairs for the National Security Council, he contributed his expertise on foreign policy issues involving France, Germany, Greece, the Middle East, NATO and the United States.

Only ten years after graduating from Ohio University, he joined the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London as senior fellow for U.S. Strategic Studies and editor of Survival. Currently, Gordon is senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and director of the Brookings Center on the United States and France. He is a regular commentator on major television and radio networks in international affairs and U.S. foreign policy.

He contributes frequently to the op-ed pages of major newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times and Le Monde. Gordon speaks French, Italian, German and some Spanish and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of the U.S. Committee on NATO, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. A productive scholar, he has published eight books and many articles on the subject of international diplomacy and strategic relationships. For more information see www.brook.edu/scholars/pgordon.htm or www.brook.edu/fp/information.htm or www.brook.edu/fp/commentary/gordon/index.htm.

Eric Wagner, now a professor emeritus, joined Ohio University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology in 1968. During his tenure as a professor on the Athens campus, he was a loyal friend to his students, his colleagues, his college and his university. And although he is retired, he remains close to the institution at which he taught nearly 16,000 students for 30 years. Wagner won numerous teaching awards, including two University Professor Awards, the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award, the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Outstanding Teacher Award and the Class of 1950 Faculty Excellence Award.

Under Wagner's leadership, faculty and staff contributed $3.6 million during the University's Third Century Campaign. He currently serves on the College's Campaign Advancement Committee for the Bicentennial Campaign and has made a challenge pledge that, when fulfilled, will establish a professorship in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In addition, Wagner has visited a number of alumni and is, in part, responsible for the College of Arts and Sciences being the recipient of a $500,000 estate gift. Wagner also has been generous in giving donations to other areas of the University, including athletics and the library.

Through the years, he has willingly donated his time to campus organizations, serving on more than 100 department, college and university committees. Wagner believes in community service. He received the Fuerst Award for Outstanding Community Leadership in 1996 and was instrumental in getting a Planned Parenthood Center in Athens.

Robert Glidden, president of Ohio University, states that "Eric Wagner was a model university citizen throughout his tenure at Ohio University. His students loved him, and he had many professional and scholarly accomplishments. In addition, his colleagues always knew that Eric would come through on any task that needed to be done for the University. Too often a professor's university citizenship is overlooked by students or by people outside the institution, but one's colleagues recognize those who give of themselves on a consistent basis. Eric was the epitome of service to the University."

"I first took Professor Wagner's Introduction to Sociology course as a 19-year-old freshman. I didn't pay much attention at first, as I had only taken it because a person I was seeing wanted me to take it with her. As sometimes happens, however, we stopped seeing each other shortly after the course began, and so I stopped exchanging notes with her in the margins of my notebook and started paying attention. What I discovered was a brilliant and engaging professor who brought every concept to life with a plethora of immensely entertaining stories, stories which themselves carried lessons quite beyond sociology and into the experience of life itself. Professor Wagner became my adviser. I took several of his courses, and he encouraged me to apply to graduate school. I did, and I now find myself back at Ohio University, standing on the other side of the podium and imitating the teaching style that so influenced the course of my life. In so doing, I can only hope that I may open the minds of my students as much as Professor Wagner opened mine."

-- Anthony Vigorito, visiting assistant professor of Sociology and Anthropology

"Eric Wagner was a consistent and passionate advocate for student learning. Our mission to our students was always emphasized by Eric, who was an extremely popular and highly-recognized teacher. Eric always found time for both students and faculty despite a hectic workload. On any given day, he was likely to spend an hour or more chatting with some of his many students. He was interested in their education and in their lives. His commitment to his students is the stuff legends are made of. One quarter, for instance, when one of Eric's students had consistent problems making it to his early morning SOC 101 class, Eric helped him out by dropping by to wake him up and make sure he got to class on time! Eric has a way of making people feel appreciated and important. He had a deep impact on at least hundreds of students in his career, and he influenced thousands more."

--Leon Anderson, professor and chair of Sociology and Anthropology

Jeanette Grasselli Brown is an extraordinary supporter of her alma mater. When Brown arrived at Ohio University in 1946 as a freshman from Cleveland's inner city, she began a lifelong association that has produced one of the University's most ardent champions.

Brown earned a bachelor's in chemistry in 1950 and was granted an honorary doctorate from Ohio University in 1978. In addition to a master's degree from Case Western Reserve University, she also holds 11 honorary doctoral degrees from colleges and universities throughout the country and in Hungary. She was presented with a Medal of Merit award by the Ohio University Alumni Association in 1965 and was honored as Alumna of the Year in 1989.

Her 38-year career at Standard Oil (later BP America) led to her appointment as director of corporate research and environmental and analytical sciences, making her the oil giant's highest-ranking female employee. She published eight books and 76 articles, registered a patent, and presented hundreds of lectures and speeches.

Brown served on Ohio University's Board of Trustees for 10 years and was board chair for part of that period. She was recently given the Ohio University Foundation Board's highest honor, the John C. Baker Award, for remarkable contributions and service since 1991. She has sponsored Cutler Scholarships, Frontiers in Science Lectureships, a chair, scholarships, fellowships, research awards and an Arts and Sciences endowment.

Brown was appointed to the Ohio Board of Regents in 1995, serving a term as board chair. She is an active member of community boards ranging from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Great Lakes Science Center to the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Scholarship Program. Crain's Cleveland Business and Cleveland Magazine selected her as one of 29 most influential women in northeast Ohio in 1997.