President McDavis shares proposed state higher education funding formula

On Friday, President Roderick J. McDavis sent the following email to the Ohio University community:


Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
 
I attended Governor John Kasich’s news conference this morning where he publicly accepted the recommendations submitted by the Ohio Higher Education Funding Commission. 

This Commission, on which I served, was created last September by the Governor and charged with developing a funding formula for higher education that would tie state funds to measurable outcomes.
 
The Commission accepted the Governor’s challenge and, over the past several months, its members met and worked to develop a formula. The proposed formula will be phased in with a two-step process. 

Based on current modeling projections, when we move from the current two-year averaging to three-year averaging, our modeling suggests there may be an impact on the University’s portion of State Share of Instruction (SSI) in the first year. However, any SSI we receive also will be dependent on our graduation rates, full-time enrollment headcount, and student completion when compared to all other publicly funded universities in the state. The new formula still needs to be included in the state operating budget bill and passed by the legislature before it can be fully implemented.
 
Governor Kasich has rightfully articulated the need for higher education to focus on degree attainment, and the proposed formula aligns with that desire. We believe that Ohio University and its
students will benefit in the long run from a funding formula focused on degree completion. Our focus at Ohio University is to fulfill our mission and vision of excellence and access, preserve academic quality, and serve as an economic engine and job creator within our region and state.
 
We will continue to monitor the progress of this formula and its impact on Ohio University as it moves through the budget approval process in the Governor’s Office and General Assembly. We also will
continue to work with our Inter-University Council colleagues to advocate for support of Ohio’s higher education system and continue to keep you apprised of this impact as the process moves forward.
 
Cordially,
 
Roderick J. McDavis
President