In response to recent feedback and concerns, I’m writing to provide clarity related to 29 Park Place and the broader topic of presidential housing. The decision to enter into a lease for the Coventry property was, in part, an immediate solution to a pressing need for accessible housing for Dr. and Mrs. McDavis. It is also a short-term solution to the need for space for presidential events until the Campus Master Planning exercise provides a more permanent answer.
There are also long-term considerations that need to be made. These will address the questions: 1) What is an appropriate presidential residence for OHIO? 2) What is the best use for 29 Park Place, if not as a presidential residence? The long-term considerations are not new nor are they about our current president. In fact, they are critical Campus Master Planning issues that have been topics of discussion for more than a year.
Preliminary discussion regarding 29 Park Place began with a presentation by the Director of University Planning and Space Management in March 2014 to the Board of Trustees. She observed at the time that the development of the new Baker Center has fundamentally changed the migration patterns of students. In effect, Park Place has evolved from a residential street to a major transportation corridor. Based upon these observations, she presented a future vision for Park Place as a Student Commons and set the stage for the Campus Master Planning exercises that have ensued.
One of the most interesting aspects of my job these last several months has been studying in great detail how the Athens campus has physically evolved over the last 211 years. Seeing the impact of prior decisions on the growth and expansion of this campus has allowed me to appreciate the strategic visionaries who understood the essence of OHIO’s special qualities and protected and enhanced them over time. But I can also see the implications of less well considered decisions that compromise what we can do today to enhance and promote our teaching, research and student-centric mission.
There are many critical institutional needs that 29 Park Place could help to address. Possibilities include a new home for the expanded Cutler Scholars Program within the Honors Tutorial College, new space for a college or department, or overflow space for student services programs that can no longer fit in new Baker. While I can’t predict the direction that the Campus Master Plan or our Board will take, I do know that decisions regarding the intended use of Park Place (as a corridor and as a campus resource) will have a profound impact on the future of the Athens campus.
I would also like to expressly address the option we hold for 31 Coventry Lane. Simply put, we are holding it but have not exercised it. If the Board of Trustees determines that 29 Park Place has a higher and better use and they want a future president to live in Athens (as opposed to a residence of his/her choosing), 31 Coventry Lane represents an option that can be exercised at the appropriate time. This option does not limit or determine our long-term plans. It is neither appropriate nor accurate to link a short-term board decision to address an immediate housing need with the long-term strategic decisions associated with our Campus Master Planning exercise.
Final Board determinations regarding OHIO’s presidential residence will help to define how the Athens campus needs to evolve and grow into its third century, while insuring it has the appropriate resources to recruit future generations of OHIO presidents. Our University Board of Trustees continues to wrestle with these decisions as a part of our broader Campus Master Planning exercise and welcomes the input of our campus community. To this end, we invite your attendance and ideas at Ohio University’s next Masterplan Public Meeting, to be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 14 at the Athens Community Center.
Stephen Golding is the vice president for Finance and Administration and treasurer of the Ohio University Foundation.
