The Ohio University Board of Trustees Chair Dave Scholl and Vice Chair Janelle Coleman opened Faculty Senate’s meeting Monday night to discuss regional higher education updates and concerns.
Scholl and Coleman addressed the roles and challenges of regional higher education in regards to efficiency and uniting regional campus with the Athens campus to create a “One Ohio model.”
“I do believe it’s important to get the sense that when you’re on these regional campuses that it really is Ohio University. It really has its standards of a major research university,” said Scholl.
According to Scholl, public service outreach is one engagement that should be encouraged.
“The goal is to keep students from transferring because they don’t think they’re at a major university,” said Scholl.
A resolution’s first reading was brought forward by Sarah Wyatt speaking on behalf of the Professional Relations Committee. The resolution seeks to clarify the process for disqualification and recusal from the College Professional Ethics committees.
The process states when an allegation of a violation of professional ethics is received by the chair of the College Professional Ethics Committee, the committee chair will inform the members of the committee of the pending case. Any committee member who is from the same department shall be disqualified from service including someone who has close personal or professional relationships with the faculty member (accused or complainant), according to the resolution.
“The dean or the Faculty Senate Chair, depending on who nominated that person, will pick from another college to fill that recusal,” said Wyatt.
The second resolution clarifies the process for investigating and reviewing allegations of misconduct not involving sexual misconduct, discrimination or research misconduct.
According to Wyatt, the investigation starts at the department level and will minimally include interviews with the accused and complainant, and may include, but is not limited to written statements or other documentation provided by the accused and complainant(s) regarding the activities in question and interviews or statements from possible witnesses.
The next meeting will be held Feb. 4 at 7:10 p.m. in Walter Hall 235.
