ATHENS, Ohio - Six Ohio University graduates received Distinguished Alumni Awards from the College of Arts and Sciences in a recent ceremony on campus. Receiving the alumni awards were Patrick A. Jackson, Jeffrey S. Jones, Janis Baker Jones, Roger Nasci, Ronald Tompkins and Nancy M. Haag.

Jackson is a production and exploration geophysicist with Shell Oil. From 1993 to 1996, he identified, drilled and brought into production more than 20 million barrels of oil from the Gulf of Mexico. He recently was transferred to the Netherlands to oversee a new exploration venture in the Sakhalin Islands in Russia's far eastern region. Jackson received his bachelor's and master's degrees in geological sciences from Ohio University in 1981 and 1983, respectively.

Jeffrey Jones is founder, president and CEO of Great Northern Consulting Services in Columbus, Ohio. The company has provided computing solutions to medium and large businesses in the areas of information infrastructure, data storage and management, and electronic commerce since 1993. Jones graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Ohio University in computer science in 1981. He received his master's degree in computer and information science from the Ohio State University in 1988.

Janis Baker Jones is director and co-owner of Great Northern Consulting Services where she manages daily operations and oversees all major corporate events. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Ohio University in mathematics in 1979. She received her master's degree in computer and information science from the Ohio State University in 1986.

Nasci, a research entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Fort Collins, Colo., has played key roles in the CDC's investigations, management and surveillance of major mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. He has been involved closely with the CDC's investigation of the West Nile virus outbreak. Nasci received his bachelor's and master's degrees in zoology from Ohio University in 1974 and 1976, respectively, and his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1980.

Dr. Tompkins spent his career as a gastroenterologic surgeon, professor of surgery and director of surgical education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine. He retired from clinical practice last year but remains editor-in-chief of the journal World of Surgery and director of the International Society of Surgery Foundation, a group that awards travel scholarships to international students so that they may attend medical conferences. Tompkins received his bachelor's degree with highest honors and honors in chemistry from Ohio University in 1956. He earned his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1960.

Haag is vice president and western region manager for the Archon Group, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs & Co., where she recently was named a partner. She is the first woman to hold such a distinction and she is one of only 12 partners in a firm that employs more than 600 people. She was featured in a Los Angeles Business Journal article, "Who's Who in Real Estate, Big League Buyers." Of the top 25 listed in the article, Haag was the only woman. Haag graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1978. She earned a master's degree in urban community planning from the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning in 1980.

The six award recipients were nominated by the chairs of the 19 academic programs in the college and selected by the Dean's Advisory Council, a group made up of alumni from the College of Arts and Sciences.