Professor Cheena Srinivasan Receives President and Provost's Award for Distinguished Faculty Service

Professor K. (Cheena) Srinivasan has been awarded the President and Provost's Award for Distinguished Faculty Service. Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee presented the award to Professor Srinivasan, who is also the Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, at a department meeting on February 16. He is the first person within the department to receive the prestigious university award.



The nomination for Professor Srinivasan's award included the following statement issued by Professor Mo Samimy, "Cheena Srinivasan has performed distinguished service to Ohio State in a variety of capacities and at all levels of the University, service that has advanced the common good and ensured the continuing vitality of the institution."

Several fellow faculty members who served on various committees with Srinivasan affirmed that his common sense approach to decision making, and his collegial and respectful manner in engaging others in policy concerns has positively influenced their interest in and commitment to university affairs.

Srinivasan received his faculty appointment at Ohio State in 1979. His interest in governance at the departmental and college level began shortly after, accepting a 1984-1987 term as chair of the College of Engineering's Coordinating Committee for the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program, and later chair for the department's Graduate Studies Committee. Srinivasan also led the university-wide task force that developed recommendations in 2006 – 07 for the enhancement of quality doctoral program. The task force's report “Funding Models for Doctoral Education Based Upon Quality” in March 2007 stimulated a university-wide review of the 91 doctoral programs on campus and catalyzed significant changes in the administration of doctoral programs. From 2007 to 2008 he chaired the University Senate Fiscal Committee, the group whose task it is to assess how effectively Ohio State's budget system supports the academic plan, aligns resources and commitments with college and unit activities, and provides central funding to optimize academic excellence and the services that support it.

Immediately upon being named a department chair in 2000, Srinivasan oversaw the integration of the applied mechanics program with the mechanical engineering department. He also oversaw the merger of the aerospace engineering department with mechanical engineering in 2010. Securing private gifts and donations toward the construction of Scott Lab, which opened in 2006, has also been a major milestone of his career. Prior to his selection as department chair, he served for two years as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering.

Over the past two years, Professor Srinivasan has served as a member of the Committee for Evaluation of Central Administrators, which performs periodic evaluation of selected central administrators and their offices at Ohio State. He is also a member of the College of Engineering's Action Learning Team, a group composed of department chairs who are dedicated to enhancing and evolving the culture of the college from within.

Professor Srinivasan has authored more than 70 refereed publications, and has served as dissertation adviser for 13 doctoral students and 36 masters’ students. He is a Fellow of two professional societies, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He is a recipient of department-level awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching as well as the Clara M. and Peter L. Scott Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education, awarded annually to a single senior faculty member in the College of Engineering for excellence in research and education.

About the Distinguished Faculty Service Award
Each year, the university recognizes up to three faculty members who have made extensive contributions to the development and implementation of university policies and programs. Nominees for the award must have proven to provide effective teaching and have maintained an active program of research, scholarship, or creative work. Award recipients are 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. 

More information about the award and previous recipients can be found at www.osu.edu/universityawards.