Ohio State’s Faculty. Marion’s Questions.
First: our faculty go out. Professor Anna Willow has talked about the prairie at Rotary, and Associate Professor Margaret Sumner, about Marion's history. Professor Sara Crosby and Assistant Professor Amanda Respess contributed to the Lifelong Learning Series at Marion Public Library. We've led sessions for the Chamber of Commerce on design thinking and on work-life balance. When a service club, congregation, historical society, or business group asks for someone who knows a subject, we try hard to say yes.
Second: we bring people in. Ohio State Marion convenes researchers from across the university, including the Columbus campus and the Wexner Medical Center. For example, Dr. Douglas Scharre spoke here on Alzheimer's disease and cognitive aging, presented with SAGE.
Third: sometimes the expert is already in Marion. Jill Frey, CEO of Cummins and a leader who works seriously with artificial intelligence, joined the dean in conversation about what AI actually means for work in this region. This was a natural fit with Ohio State's AI Fluency initiative, and a reminder that this campus is not always the place where big ideas begin.
No enrollment. No prior reading. Come your questions. Reach out to suggest a speaker or recommend a topic. And keep an eye on our event calendar for upcoming speakers.