Professor Bob Gustafson receives Ohio State award for distinguished service

Bob Gustafson's impressive and considerable contributions to The Ohio State University have resulted in a 2013 President and Provost's Award for Distinguished Faculty Service.

Gustafson is a professor in the department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Director of the Engineering Education Innovation Center.

His colleagues across the university note that whether he has been charged with reviewing the undergraduate curriculum, the structure of a college or the university budgeting model, he does so with polished instincts, wisdom and civility that make him an invaluable member of any committee.

The President and Provost's Award for Distinguished Faculty Service honors faculty members whose contributions to the development and implementation of university policies and programs through non-administrative roles have been extensive and have made documentable impact on the quality of the university. Recipients are nominated by members of the university community and selected by a committee of faculty, administrators, and previous recipients. They receive both a cash award of $3,000 and an increase of $1,200 to their base salaries from the Office of Academic Affairs.

Since 1993, Gustafson has held a continuous thread of elected and appointed positions including multiple terms on University Senate and two terms on the senate Steering Committee. His chairmanship of the Council on Enrollment and Student Progress was transformational; the senate had debated its abolishment until he took the committee through an extensive strategic planning process that reaffirmed its role and function. His ad-hoc committee work spans general education, budgeting and academic structure.

Gustafson also was the College of Engineering representative on the 2001-02 General Education Review Committee that restructured the GEC for the 21st century. He followed that immediately by serving on the committee whose work eventually led the re-consolidating of the arts and sciences into one college.

"Bob's career at Ohio State embodies dedication to university service at all levels," a colleague wrote. "He has made the university a better place to work and study through his gentle approach and wry smile, and we are all better faculty and staff for having worked with him."