Former US Senator George Voinovich has traded his Senate seat for a classroom desk. Voinovich was the mayor of Cleveland from 1979 to 1989; the 65th governor of Ohio, serving from 1991 to 1998; and most recently, represented Ohio from 1999 through 2010 in the Senate. The astute, longtime politician will join the administration at Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
"We are thrilled that someone who has helped shape the history of Cleveland and Ohio will be joining the university and participating in important research," says CSU President Ronald M. Berkman. "The senator has been highly respected on both sides of the aisle throughout his career and will bring a wealth of knowledge and insight to both campuses." Voinovich is the only person to serve as president of the National League of Cities and chairman of the National Governors Association.
Voinovich has also joined the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University. Voinovich is acting as a consultant and advisor on major research projects at both universities. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Ohio University in 1981 and an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Cleveland State University in December 2004.
As mayor, Voinovich oversaw, while working with the private sector, a renaissance in the City of Cleveland. Cleveland is the only city to receive three All-American City Awards within a five-year period. As governor, he spearheaded the creation of more than 500,000 new jobs in Ohio, resulting in a 25-year low in unemployment. The prosperity prompted Site Selection Magazine to choose Ohio as the nation's leading state for new and expanding business facilities.
As Senator, Voinovich chaired the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, chaired the Oversight of Government, the Federal Workforce and District of Columbia subcommittee in the Government Affairs and Homeland Security Committee. He also chaired the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Environment and Public Works Committee. He was also a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Appropriations Committee.
Voinovich is a Cleveland native who earned his bachelor's degree in government from Ohio University in 1958 and received a law degree in 1961 from the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University. In 1998, the Ohio University Board of Trustees voted to rename its Center for Public and Environmental Affairs after the former senator and expand the center to include executive leadership and entrepreneurship programs. It is known today as the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
George Voinovich was selected Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine in 1995. He is one of only 15 persons in Ohio history to serve as governor and a US Senator, and one of only two persons to be mayor of Cleveland, governor of Ohio and Ohio senator (the other was Frank Lausche).
