FOUR OHIO ALUMNI INDUCTED INTO HALL OF EXCELLENCE

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The 2005 Evening of Excellence to Honor Four Distinguished Alumni from Ohio’s Independent Colleges and Universities

April 2, 2005 - The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) will induct four distinguished alumni from Ohio’s independent colleges and universities into its Hall of Excellence on April 6, 2005, at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium.

This year’s inductees are pioneers and leaders in their fields, building on the educational foundation developed at a private college to make meaningful contributions to society and pave new paths for the students that will follow in their footsteps.

Hugh Downs, Bluffton University, Class of 1942, enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a reporter, newscaster, interviewer, narrator and host. He hosted the NBC “Today” program reporting world news and interviewing international statesmen then retired after 21 years as anchor of ABC News “20/20”. During the last decade of his career Mr. Downs focused on news features, educating audience on such diverse subjects as the arts, medicine, aeronautics, space exploration, ecology and aging. He is the author of ten books, lectures throughout the country and holds honorary doctoral degrees from several institutions.

Michael G. Hanna, Jr., Ph.D., Baldwin-Wallace College, Class of 1958, is internationally recognized as a premier scientist in cancer research. A former director of the National Cancer Institute, he consulted for NASA and worked with the Departments of Commerce and Defense. Dr. Hanna presently is Chairman, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Intracel Corporation, Inc., a leading biomedical research and development company that has developed and marketed major weapons against various types of cancer. He holds 27 patents, has published more than 300 manuscripts and edits several leading professional journals relating to immunobiology, immunopharmacology and cancer research.

Congressman David L. Hobson, Ohio Wesleyan University, Class of 1958, is a seven-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His career in public service has been characterized by efforts to control government spending, improve access to quality health care, strengthen national defense, and create jobs. Congressman Hobson has assisted in passage of reform health care and has worked diligently to ensure that military personnel have the equipment they need and that their families receive the pay, benefits and housing that they deserve. His top priority being service to his constituents, Congressman Hobson maintains two Ohio offices where constituents may be heard.

Renee Jones Weeks, Esq., Ursuline College, Class of 1970, holds membership in the American and New Jersey State Bar Associations as well as the National Bar Association, in which she has held several offices. A former State Deputy Attorney General, she is presently serving on the Superior Court of New Jersey Bench Chancery Division. Judge Weeks was co-incorporator of the Garden State Bar Association , and as an advocate of good education as the key to progress and a proponent of the advancement of minority women, she was co-founder and first president of the Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey.

These honorees were selected from nominations submitted by OFIC’s member institutions. A committee of OFIC board members and corporate leaders selects Hall of Excellence inductees whose lifetime achievements exemplify the traditions, ideals, strengths and values of private higher education. The 89 past Hall of Excellence inductees include Senator John Glenn, Jr. and his wife, Annie Glenn, Coretta Scott King, Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula, Bobby Rahal and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

The Evening of Excellence also honors donors, corporate and collegiate volunteers, and students.

OFIC is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 35 independent Ohio colleges and universities. OFIC member colleges collectively enroll more than 94,000 students and award one-third of all bachelor’s degrees in the state. For 54 years OFIC has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education and has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship commitments through funds raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in private higher education. OFIC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of Ohio’s corporate leaders, as well as presidents of the 35 member colleges.

The member colleges are: Antioch College, Ashland University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Bluffton University, Capital University, Cedarville University, University of Dayton, Defiance College, Denison University, The University of Findlay, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franklin University, Heidelberg College, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone College, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein College, Urbana University, Ursuline College, Walsh University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster.