I think we should all quiet down on the merger talk, unless we are ready to be known as Ohio State - Athens Campus.

But seriously, I just don't ever see that happening.

I do find the huge Stark State College building going up a few miles from the University of Akron interesting. If politicians are letting that happen, then why would they ever consider consolidating higher education?

OUPride:

Semi-related . . . I was at an OHIO mathematics award dinner last evening. I was there because there is a graduate scholarship awarded every year named after my father. It is an endowed scholarship. I got to greet and congratulate the recipient. The first woman to be awarded this scholarship. She has her masters and is starting in the Ph.D. program in the fall.
What was interesting is that the mathematics Ph.D. program is growing and doing very well. They are awarding six Ph.D.s this year (assuming the one who has yet to defend his dissertation is successful), and anticipate six next year. I talked with a number of faculty members, including the chairman, and they all said that the quality of their graduate students has been getting better in recent years.

I'm certainly not an unbiased reporter here, as the Ph.D. program in mathematics was begun when my father was the department chairman, however, I think it is accurate to say that this Ph.D. program is doing well and a credit to "olde OHIO."

Thanks.

One thing I didn't mention was that most of the current crop of mathematics Ph.D.s who were introduced last night are U.S. nationals. A few years ago there were many stories lamenting the disproportionate number of foreign nationals receiving advanced degrees in the U.S. in the STEM subjects. At, OHIO, at least that trend seems to be reversing.