Correction appended.
Enrollment, scholarship funds and construction updates will help drive discussions and resolutions at the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting.
Here’s what to expect from the meeting on Aug. 21 and 22 on the Ohio University Dublin campus.
Cutting student costs
The Resources, Facilities and Affordability Committee will present updates on the five-year goal (fiscal year 2017-2021) for efficiency savings and reductions in direct student costs.
Those reductions come from OU’s investments aimed to increase the average financial aid per student and a scholarship leveraging strategy. That strategy redirects $2 million in additional scholarship funding for the fall 2018 freshman class, according to the Board of Trustees agenda.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Deborah Shaffer will also present investments and costs related to university partnerships and sponsorships, which include partnerships regarding co-located campuses and textbook affordability.
Construction updates
The Resources, Facilities and Affordability Committee will also bring capital project updates forward at the meeting.
Those proposed budget updates include demolition on South Green, a chilled water plant design around the Athens campus, construction at the Ridges and a roof replacement on the Lancaster campus, according to a university press release.
The total cost for updates is $11,377,000, according to the Board agenda for the upcoming meeting.
By the end of 2018, Weld, Armbruster, Atkinson and Smith halls could be no more if the Board agrees to allocate $3,000,000 for demolition. Otherwise, the updates are all upgrades or construction.
By 2020, there will be three brand-new chilled water plants around campus, situated on South and West greens. The committee is requesting a $4,650,000 budget increase for the project, which would drive the cost up to $30,850,000 with Board approval.
As part of the effort to restore the Ridges, Board is being asked for budget increases on the circle roadway to repair a boiler system upgrade at the Konneker Center, which are both projects for this year. The roadway repair would cost $702,000 and the boiler system upgrade could amount to $5,000,000.
On the Lancaster campus, Brasee Hall could see a roof replacement if the Board approves a budget increase of $575,000. That is scheduled to begin in 2018.
Enrollment projection
The Strategic Enrollment Executive Committee will launch this month as part of Nellis’ overarching Presidential Strategic Pathways. Budget and enrollment administrators are among those working to develop a system for multi-year enrollment projections and budget implications
The committee will determine that process by “establishing an effective enrollment projection model for more accurate revenue and budget forecasting in alignment with strategic recommendations,” the Board of Trustees agenda read.
Executive Vice President and Provost Chaden Djalali and Senior Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management Craig Cornell will present an enrollment update, including revenue forecasts and projected impact on the fiscal year 2019 budget based on projected fall 2018 enrollments, according to a university press release.
They will also present a resolution to phase out OU’s Academic Quality Improvement Program in order to convert to the Open Pathways accreditation cycle over the next two years, according to the agenda.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote from the Board of Trustees agenda. Additionally, an unconfirmed statistic was removed. The story has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
