Fairchild celebrates 15 years of college history during 2022 State of the College

In her 2022 State of the College address, Dean Amy Fairchild celebrated 15 years of the College of Public Health, applauded efforts and awards in the CPH community and unveiled the college’s newly designed official seal.

Fairchild began her address with thoughts from those who were at Ohio State when the School of Public Health gained autonomy from the College of Medicine and became its own college:

• Stan Lemeshow, founding dean: “The hope was to double our faculty size during my first five-year term of service and to get our own building so that everyone could work under one roof…We also needed to increase the size and quality of our student body.  We had to strengthen our doctoral programs and start an undergraduate major.  None of this was easy.” Starting out with a small faculty and support staff, a lack of diversity, and a culture that wasn’t yet where it should be when it came to teaching, research, and service were all challenges, he shared. “The picture at all levels is totally different today. We’ve come a long way. I’m very proud to have helped set the college on the right path to be where it is today.”
• Amy Ferketich, professor and interim co-chair of epidemiology: “As a teacher, I am most proud of how we have expanded our academic programs. We have added MPH specializations, interdisciplinary PhD programs, and undergraduate majors and minors. Today we look very different in terms of who we are educating and how we are doing it!”
• Eric Seiber, professor of health services management and policy and director of the Center for HOPES: “The most impactful change has been the growth of the undergraduate program. When we started as a college, we were a relatively small professional program. Now, our impact in public health has multiplied through the hundreds of undergraduates that we have connected to the field of public health.”
• Sarah Anderson, professor of epidemiology: “It was an exciting time. I was part of the hiring that came with being a college. I have enjoyed working with excellent colleagues and students these last 15 years. When I think about all that has changed since 2007, there has been a lot accomplished and I am glad that I could be part of it.”

Fairchild went on to share a lengthy list of honors received by the college and its faculty and staff, including the welcome news that the college had jumped in national rankings. 

“I was thrilled to see our jump in the national rankings this spring. Our college is now ranked first in Ohio and 19th in the nation among 190 public health schools and programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2023 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools,” she said. 

“The college previously ranked 24th in the nation. This improvement in our ranking is a reflection not only of the stellar education students can expect here but of the work we’ve done to engage deeply in important, often difficult, national conversations about pressing public health issues.” 

Fairchild provided an overview of college finances, enrollment, demographics, research accomplishments, community outreach and engagement efforts, and strides on the development front, offering deep thanks to donors who make it possible for the college’s students and researchers to thrive. 

“I want to let you know not just how grateful I am, but how grateful we all are for this steadfast commitment and, as important, thoughtful engagement,” Fairchild said. 

“You aren’t just making gifts. You are having conversations about the needs of the college, our students, and our field. You are changing the trajectory of our students’ lives, our research, and the lives of the community.” 

Fairchild ended her annual address by sharing the college’s new official seal — a project that came about during construction of Ohio State’s new 100,000 square foot Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center, where official seals from all of the seven health sciences are to be displayed inside the building. 

“The only hitch? The College of Public Health didn’t have a seal,” Fairchild said, adding that dozens of members of the college community contributed to the new seal design earlier this year.

“I’m tremendously proud of the thought this group put into our seal,” Fairchild said, explaining the symbolism of each element: 

• The Buckeye leaf, an element that proved beloved during research for the seal design, one which sets the college apart nationally.
• The shield — symbolizing the protection of the public that is central to the college’s mission.
• The lines atop the shield, which can be seen to represent both a book — illustrating the college’s deep commitment to teaching and learning — and rays, like the sun, reaching out beyond the college and campus and into the world.
• The globe at the base of the Buckeye, which illustrates the worldwide reach of the work that happens at the college. 

Watch the full State of the College address here.