Dr. Dorothy Sack
The Ohio University Geography Department has much to celebrate. Not only was the department nominated for the American Association of Geographers 2019 program excellence award, we were selected as one of three finalists for that honor. Although our department did not receive the award, we are very proud to have been considered as a finalist for it.
Another exciting occasion to celebrate is coming up this fall. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Ohio University Department of Geography. We hope that many of the department’s alumni and friends—including you—will be able to join us on Friday and/or Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, 2019, to help commemorate this milestone. Plans include JobQuest panels, networking opportunities for alumni and current students, a keynote speaker, and a Friday evening reception. On Saturday Nov. 16, we plan to host 15- to 20-minute, conference-style presentations for folks to share their perspectives on the past, present, and future of geography. More information on this event will be available online. In the meantime, feel free to pass this information along to other alumni who may not be receiving this newsletter, and to contact me (sack@ohio.edu) directly with any questions, comments, or tentative plans you may have.
The department ended spring semester of 2019 with 205 majors plus numerous minors and certificate students. Graduating students headed off to such opportunities as internships, professional positions, law school, and master’s and doctoral programs. We’ve successfully launched the graduate online certificate in GIS and Cartography, and are launching the second one, Geospatial Analysis and Programming soon. Each certificate consists of three online, graduate courses covering the latest in geospatial techniques. For additional information on the certificates, contact Dr. Gaurav Sinha (sinhag@ohio.edu).
We are celebrating special achievements by three of our current faculty. Dr. Amy Lynch has received the College of Arts & Sciences 2019-20 Grasselli Brown teaching award, increasing even further the large percentage of our department’s faculty who have been recognized for their outstanding teaching. Dr. Jana Houser is being awarded promotion and tenure, has been named a University Professor for 2019-20, and, as if that weren’t enough, is also receiving the college’s 2019-20 outstanding research award. Finally, best wishes to Dr. Jim Lein on retiring at the end of spring semester from his full-time faculty position after 31 years of service to the department. Jim will continue to teach remote sensing each spring on the early retirement program. Congratulations to you all!
Dr. Dorothy Sack
Professor and Chair of Geography
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