The state of the university is strong, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis told assembled faculty and staff Wednesday.
In his final State of the University speech at the Margaret M. Walter Memorial Hall, McDavis recounted his accomplishments as president for not just the previous year, but also during his entire 12-year term as president.
“Forgive me if this speech is a bit more sentimental and nostalgic than my previous state of the university addresses,” McDavis said. “Serving as president has been my life’s greatest achievement. That is not an exaggeration. That is a fact.”
Ohio University continues to see record-breaking enrollment numbers even as enrollment at other universities fall, McDavis said.
“Our peers are knocking at our door, asking for the recipe to our secret sauce,” McDavis said. “It’s you, and they can’t have you.”
McDavis said OU has received “plenty of national recognition” during his term, citing programs including OU’s nationally ranked sport administration program, its graduate ceramics program and the Scripps School of Communication, a center of excellence. He said the Marching 110 was recognized as “the best college marching band” and that the OU campus was the most beautiful campus in the United States.
McDavis also said the administration’s enrollment strategies have brought increased diversity to the university.
Enrollment of black students at OU has increased over 100 percent, McDavis said. He said enrollment of all minority students has increased 170 percent, and international student enrollment has increased 73 percent — making OU the most diverse it’s ever been, he said.
Most universities "fall short,” at increasing diversity, McDavis said. “Not Ohio University.”
McDavis said OU had a solid financial foundation for the future, thanks to increased state funding and programs like the Promise Lives Campaign, which brought $500 million to the university.
“That was one of the proudest moments of my career,” McDavis said.
He hinted that more changes and initiatives would come from his office in the future, but he didn’t go into detail.
“I have no plans to coast during my last year,” McDavis said. “It’s going to be a busy ten months.”
Jason B. Pina, OU’s new vice president of Student Affairs, said he knew quite a bit about OU’s legacy before being hired by the university, but he gained a new perspective after hearing McDavis speak.
“It just really inspires you to want to do a bit more, dig a little bit deeper in terms of the work you produce,” Pina said. “I would definitely say it’s intimidating. You do, as a new person, say, 'Well, what am I going to add?' ”
The speech reminded him that working at OU gives him an opportunity to leave a legacy, he said.
“Especially when we work with students, we think of the students who are right in front of us,” Pina said. “But I try to make more room in my head for the students we won’t ever meet — thirty, forty years from now.”
