TUESDAY
CAMPUS CLIMATE
THURSDAY
P2
Ohio State releases annual Campus Climate Survey as part of a national sexual misconduct research effort.
INSECTARY
P2
Biological Sciences Greenhouses educates public on insects with traveling outreach program.
BREAKFAST
P4
Brekkie Shack brings childhood dreams to fruition.
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
Adams-Gaston ‘the right choice’ as Norfolk State University president for future growth EDWARD SUTELAN Editor-in-Chief sutelan.1@osu.edu
Astra Armstrong had seen many presidential candidates walk into the Norfolk State University conference room, all carrying with them different personalities and entrances, prepped with different resumes. And while Armstrong, the Student Government Association president, was impressed already by the resume of the next candidate to enter the room, it was more how Ohio State’s Senior Vice President for Student Life graced the room that attracted her attention than anything else. A smile, a firm handshake and a confident, executive demeanor all complemented the simple touch Javaune Adams-Gaston added to her interview: she knew Armstrong’s name. “You can judge someone by how they present themselves when they come into a large room,” she said. “Without me really having to say anything, she knew my name. So therefore, she did her research to see, ‘OK, this is the SGA President. She is a representative of the Board of Visitors.’ That really meant a lot to me.” As Adams-Gaston sat facing the crowd of the Norfolk State Presidential Search Committee, she captivated the wide range of members. When the long list of candidates had been narrowed down to four semifinalists and was handed to the Board of Visitors, the decision was unanimous: Adams-Gaston would become the seventh president at Norfolk State. The hire was made official Feb. 22.
“Her experience from a student perspective in student affairs, life of a student, how to build campuses that help to provide an environment that incubates success, that all played very strongly in our decision.” JOAN WILMER Rector of the Board of Visitors
In picking Adams-Gaston to become the university’s next president, Joan Wilmer, rector of the Board of Visitors, said Norfolk State is hiring for the future. It is bringing in a president ready to lead the university through a period of growth. “We are wanting to grow. We are positioned for growth. We have done a lot internally to stand up that way,” Wilmer said. “Now we just need to know how to get that done, and she’s
P8
Season-opening win proves vital to Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament bid.
THE LANTERN
CHANGING STATES
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
MARCH MADNESS
The student voice of the Ohio State University
Year 139, Issue No. 16
OPINION
Speaker choice is inconsistent with Ohio State’s values ZACH VARDA Campus Editor varda.6@osu.edu Fareed Zakaria will be Ohio State’s spring commencement speaker come May 5 when students, friends and family fill Ohio Stadium to gather for graduation. Zakaria is certainly accomplished; he hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS (Global Public Square) for CNN Worldwide, while also working as a columnist for The Washington Post, a contributing editor for The Atlantic, and is an author of three New York Times best-selling books.
PHOTO BY: CASEY CASCALDO DESIGN BY: JACK WESTERHEIDE
Ohio State Senior Vice President for Student Life, Javaune Adams-Gaston, was hired as the next university president at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.
absolutely the right choice.” The search for the new president began shortly after former-president Eddie Moore announced in September 2017 that he would be retiring. Vice Rector of the Board Melvin Stith stepped in effective Jan. 1, 2018 to become interim president while a search began. Norfolk State then hired a search firm, Greenwood/Asher & Associates, to compile a list of candidates that fit the profile. Wilmer said that profile covered everything from “executive and operational experience” to various leadership and character traits to the skills and abilities required to be a national president. The firm then hosted listening sessions where students, faculty and other members of the community provided input as to what they were looking for in the next president. From there, a search committee comprised of a diverse panel of members of the Norfolk State community was brought together. There were several members of the Board, NSU Foundation, faculty senate and alumni association, as well as a representative from the student government, a community leader, administrative and faculty representative, and classified staff representative. Jean Cunningham, a member of the search committee and representative of the Board, said it was critical to ensure the committee had voices from all over the Norfolk State community given the impact the new president will have.
That array of voices ensured no stone was left unturned in the questioning of Adams-Gaston for the post of president. During the interview, she fielded questions about how she will work with the student body, what type of fundraising impact she will have on the university, how she can increase academic enrollment and how athletics play a role in the university environment. Additionally, she was asked about how to deal with skepticism about the needs of historically black colleges and how she would run a modern HBCU where students compete worldwide, B.K. Fulton, member of the search committee and Board representative, said. All the questions, she handled with aplomb. “She said that the world is not a perfect place, so you have a standard of excellence and then you prepare people to deal with the world that they’re in and then also to shape the world you want to see,” Fulton said. “We were unanimously supportive of her candidacy.” Cunningham said what stood out most to her about Adams-Gaston was her familiarity with HBCUs, “and what appeared to be a true passion or interest in coming in and doing what she can do to keep Norfolk State on course.” In staying on course, Norfolk State would be increasing both its graduation and retention rates, Cunningham said. According to the State Council of Higher Education for
ADAMS-GASTON CONTINUES ON 3
“The committee and I believe his issues were a long time ago, that they were a mistake that was corrected, and he’s one of the nation and world’s most active political thinkers, and he’ll give a stirring and exciting talk and that’s why he’s coming.” MICHAEL DRAKE University President
“An award-winning journalist and best-selling author, Dr. Zakaria is a leading voice in our national discourse on global and domestic affairs,” University President Michael Drake said in the announcement of Zakaria as commencement speaker. “His extensive knowledge of our broader world will enrich and inspire our graduates as they embark to make a meaningful difference in communities near and far.” But also looming in Zakaria’s past alongside those three best-sellers is a suspension in 2012 for plagiarism. Zakaria admitted to lifting part of a New Yorker article for use in his own column published by Time Magazine and CNN and was subsequently suspended by the two organizations. SPEAKER CONTINUES ON 3