McDavis met with Sen. Rob Portman and other Ohio representatives to discuss college affordability and OU's Guarantee Tuition program.
As students at Ohio University began their third week of classes, OU President Roderick McDavis traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Ohio politicians.
McDavis met with Sen. Rob Portman and several Ohio representatives to provide updates on the university and the start of the 2015-16 academic year, OU spokeswoman Katie Quaranta said in an email.
“Their discussion of federal higher education focused on college affordability, federal financial aid, campus security and patent reform, among other issues,” Quaranta said.
McDavis met with Portman in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, where the two discussed the Ohio Guarantee Tuition program, which offers a flat, four-year tuition rate to new students starting this year.
“I appreciated the chance to meet with President McDavis and to learn more about OU’s new tuition guarantee program,” Portman said in an email. “We should strive to keep tuition costs low for Ohio students, and I will continue to work with OU and other universities on creative approaches to make college more affordable.”
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The Ohio Guarantee raised tuition for incoming students by 5.1 percent, according to a previous Post report. During the summer, the Ohio biennial state budget froze tuition at the university for at least two years.
McDavis also met individually with Congressman Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington district, Congressman Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, D-Jefferson Township.
Stivers was in Athens last Thursday for a tour of OU's Innovation Center.
“Dr. McDavis hosted a forum for congressional staffers and Ohio alumni working on Capitol Hill. The forum featured a roundtable discussion of policy issues,” Quaranta said. “Dr. McDavis also took the opportunity to share Ohio University points of pride with forum attendees.”
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