Students in Ohio University’s Class of 2021 could see a tuition increase of approximately 3.3 percent if the Board of Trustees moves forward with a resolution examined at Thursday’s Joint Academics and Resources Committee meeting.

The increase, considered to be a part of the OHIO Guarantee, would tack an additional $388 per year for in-state students onto the current tuition rate of $11,744 for an expected total of $12,132. The class of 2020 saw an increase of about $200 over the previous year's guaranteed tuition rate.

Guaranteed tuition means students pay a flat rate fee for their entire time at OU.

Joint Academics and Resources Committee

The meeting began with a presentation from a group of individuals associated with the upcoming OhioHealth Physician Group Heritage College, a project in collaboration with OU's University Medical Associates.

“This is not your usual practice,” Kenneth Johnson, executive dean of OU’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, said. “This is the combination of a major healthcare entity and a college coming together.”

Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit discussed the positive effects of the Common Application, a college application service the university joined earlier this year, which aims to streamline the process for prospective students.

Deborah Shaffer, vice president for Finance and Administration, said state appropriations are consistent with the amount originally budgeted. For the upcoming financial year, Shaffer said she assumes the state will maintain its current support, although numerous university presidents throughout Ohio, including OU President Roderick McDavis, have been lobbying for a 4 percent increase in funding on a state level.

“We are cautiously optimistic that we can persuade the governor and legislature to invest in higher education,” McDavis said. “But the reality is … we’re going to fight to keep what we have. We’re going to continue to fight to get more for higher education.”

Academics Committee

OU’s Academics Committee session discussed spring enrollment growth, student-athletes’ increased average GPA and an upcoming revamp of OU-HCOM.

Craig Cornell, the senior vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management, said there was a 2.4 percent increase in spring enrollment, bringing retention rates up to 81.4 percent.

Additionally, the university saw an all-time record number of applications with 23,206. That is 5,242, or 29 percent, more applications received at the same point last year. The number is also 2,206, or 10.5 percent, more applications than the all-time record of 21,000 in fall 2015.

In the athletics update, representatives from OU’s athletics department noted a record high 96.5 percent retention rate among student-athletes and an average GPA of about 3.2.

Johnson introduced a restructured curriculum for the college, formulated in response to “external changes in the healthcare environment.”

In addition to a new layout of courses, the college is partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to develop a cohort track that would allow a select group of students to enter a streamlined path into a primary care residency program. Students participating in the program would see a 25 percent decrease in tuition, along with a more condensed training experience.

“The demonstration project is the only of its kind in the nation,” Johnson said. “We believe it’s a better way to train physicians.”

The committee also moved forward with a series of six resolutions to be voted on at Friday’s board meeting.

Resources Committee

Later in the day, trustees moved forward a resolution on tuition increases for next year’s incoming class to Friday’s executive meeting.

Tuition could also increase for students in the class of 2018, the only class that will not be on guaranteed tuition next academic year.

Trustees will vote to approve the increases at the executive board meeting Friday.

The board also heard presentations on the university's construction and renovation projects.

Some of the projects include renovations to classrooms in Walter and Porter halls. 

Peden Stadium could also see updates to its scoreboard and to its masonry after a masonry panel fell over the summer.

If approved, the new scoreboard would cost $715,000, which would come from athletics’ reserves. The masonry project would cost about $622,000.

The trustees also heard presentations on the university’s financial strategy and debt in addition to endowments and the century bond.

Audit Committee

Jeff Davis, OU's certified public accountant, updated the trustees on completed, in-progress and planned audits, as well as construction audits. Completed construction audits included Jefferson Hall and the Back South demolition.

He gave a report on the NCAA Agreed-Upon Procedures. He said that helps “keep us engaged with athletics on a regular basis.”

They also discussed continuing business with Plante Moran, an accounting and consulting firm, for an additional two years. Board Chair David Wolfort said he supports continuing business with the firm because new audit firms would most likely have a “three-year kickback.”

Governance Committee

John Biancamano, OU’s general counsel, helped present the first annual report of the Affiliated Entities Policy Annual Report to the board during the Governance meeting.

OU’s Board of Trustees voted on June 26, 2015, to create separate "affiliated entities" to serve OU's goals. The affiliated entities allow the university to create non-profit corporations that are separate from the university to pursue “business-related activities” that support the university’s goals.

The committee voted to amend bylaws to change the names of some Board of Trustees committees.

— Maddie Capron, Kaitlin Coward, Lauren Fisher, Bailey Gallion, Megan Henry, Margaret Mary Hicks and Jonny Palermo contributed to this report.