Correction appended.
During the Board of Trustees sessions on Friday, board members met to discuss issues from student-athletes’ mental health to strategic planning for the regional campuses.
Main board meeting
During the main board meeting, Board of Trustees members discussed the long-term strategy for Regional Higher Education, the approval of a 3.5 percent tuition increase, new construction plans and the search for the next general counsel. Two percent of that tuition increase is contingent upon it being allowed under the next state budget.
During the presentation on Regional Higher Education, board members and administrative personnel discussed the Regional Higher Education Study Committee report that addresses the regional campuses and the main campus as “one university with many locations,” according to Dean of Ohio University Southern Nicole Pennington.
“(The regional campuses) over the last five years have exhausted almost every traditional means to impact their bottom line,” Vice President for Finance and Administration Deb Shaffer said. “They have been very aggressive at looking at cost reduction and efficiencies within the model that has existed historically at Ohio University.”
Next, the Board approved construction of a new building for the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and tuition and fee changes.
The tuition and fee changes will be a 3.5 percent increase for the incoming Fall 2019 cohort.
“We’ve really held the line over the past four years as far as tuition increases, so we’re hopeful that there’ll be an understanding of the importance of increasing the investment,” President Duane Nellis said.
During Nellis’ presidential report, he announced the retirement of General Counsel John Biancamano and the first steps toward filling that position.
Administrators are currently in the process of developing a search committee.
“We hope to gear that search process up very, very quickly and move forward in that context,” Nellis said.
Governance and Compensation Committee
The Governance and Compensation Committee heard from Faculty Athletic Representatives Thomas Vander Ven and Heather Lawrence-Benedict about Ohio University student athletes mental health and success.
The role of Faculty Athletic Representatives, FARs, is to support and guide the athletes, Vander Ven said.
“Our role serves two functions,” Vander Ven said. “One is support, one is control.”
FARs have helped student athletes by encouraging them to bond with academic advisors and to be active in their major, not just their sport. The mental well-being of athletes has also been a big concern for FARs.
There is currently a mental health professional who sees student athletes in The Convo. This is a valuable resource for student athletes who may be afraid of the stigma of going to other on-campus mental health resources or fear being recognized seeking out these resources by peers, Lawrence-Benedict said.
At the meeting, trustees heard several written testimonies from student athletes about how valuable having a mental health professional in The Convo has been for them.
“It gave me a little bit of chills to think about how great it is that student athletes have that resource,” Lawrence-Benedict said.
Trustees also chose not to object to changes to the Student Senate constitution that allow Student Senate to make constitutional changes without approval from the Board of Trustees.
Student Senate President Maddie Sloat, Vice President Hannah Burke and Treasurer Lydia Ramlo were all present at the meeting to hear the board’s decision.
“You are obviously our most important constituents,” Chair of the Governance Committee N. Victor Goodman said. “That’s why we’re here.”
The amendment allows for greater collaboration for Graduate Student Senate and Student Senate if passed, Vice President for Student Affairs Jason Pina said.
“This resolution allows both student bodies to work together,” Pina said.
The trustees approved the amendment at the main board meeting.
Ellis Hall Grand Opening
After months of construction and planning, the Ellis Hall building was completed and unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday. President Duane Nellis along with Joe Shields, interim dean of the college of arts and sciences, and Rep. Jay Edwards.
According to the University of Communications and Marketing, the $13 million construction project lasted from October of 2018 to November of 2018. Included in the renovations were improved lecture halls, an entry hallway, and a student publishing space. Ellis Hall, last renovated in 1906, now also has more accessibility upgrades as well.
Edwards, a former student, said he wished he could take another English class, so he could once again study in Ellis Hall.
Erin Franzcak, Abby Miller and Sarah Penix contributed to this report.
Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the cost of the Ellis Hall construction project was $13 billion. The correct cost is $13 million. The story has also been updated to clarify information related to the tuition increase and amendments to the Student Senate constitution.
