Trustees hear update on future of The Ridges

The Ohio University Board of Trustees discussed a wide range of topics with a focus on reviewing the progress of major planning efforts surrounding The Ridges and the fiscal year 2016 budget.  

Director of University Planning and Space Management Shawna Bolin and Vice President for Research and Creative Activity and Dean of the Graduate College Joseph Shields, co-chairs of the Ridges Master Plan Committee, walked the trustees through the University’s accomplishments to date in updating the Ridges Master Plan. The Ridges already serves as home to University entities including the Voinovich School, the Child Development Center and the Kennedy Museum of Art. However, nearly 65 percent of the buildings are unoccupied and in need of renovation to varying degrees in order to see new uses.

The University’s goals are to create practical recommendations for utilizing The Ridges in ways that advance the academic mission of OHIO, optimize the space for existing tenants, preserve historically significant buildings and enrich the surrounding community.

The Ridges Master Plan Committee is in charge of coordinating the overall planning process. An advisory committee, made up of both University employees and city and community members, is tasked with reviewing and providing feedback on the plans generated. The community has also had the opportunity to provide feedback at public forums.

The master plan committee and consultant team are in the process of refining the ideas generated in early phases of the project. Possibilities include adapting the primary buildings into a campus green including mixed-use occupants and developing parts of the land in support of University sustainability, research and revenue generation goals. Next steps consist of determining the financial feasibility of various concepts, creating a draft of the updated master plan for review and finalizing the document to act as a blueprint for future development.

The factors shaping the FY 2016 budget were another topic that the Board discussed in depth. University priorities – including affordability, capital improvement and employee compensation – in concert with individual college investment needs will serve as the key drivers in building the institution’s multi-year budget strategy. Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding detailed the anticipated costs of supporting these priorities over time and outlined the primary revenue sources available to provide the necessary funds.  

Long-term planning is of particular importance this year since next fall’s incoming freshman class will be the first cohort under The OHIO Guarantee. This means that the Athens Campus tuition and fee rates established at the time of enrollment will stay the same for 12 consecutive semesters for all incoming degree-seeking undergraduate students. Continuing students will not be under The OHIO Guarantee, and will pay tuition and fees as they have under the current model.

In order to give the Office of Admissions enough time to educate incoming students about the unique tuition and fee program, Board members plan to approve pricing for the first cohort at their next meeting in January.

Board members also participated in an interactive Passport to The OHIO Guarantee event on Thursday morning. Trustees had the opportunity to talk with representatives from several University offices and to ask questions from the perspective of students trying to learn more about the new tuition and fee structure.

“The Passport to The OHIO Guarantee event provided a great opportunity to gain insight about this educational process from a student’s perspective,” said Ohio University Board of Trustees Chair David Brightbill. “The event was well-organized, and the participants were friendly and helpful. Face-to-face interaction is a valuable tool in educating the University community about The OHIO Guarantee and its benefits.”

In other business, the Board approved:

• A resolution to accept the 2013-2014 Review of Centers and Institutes. The review recommends the continuation of the Contemporary History Institute; the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE), the Ohio Coal Research Center (OCRC) and the Center for Air Quality (CAQ); the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment (ORITE); the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI); the Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre; the Institute for Democracy in Education (IDE); and the Charles J. Ping Institute. The review also granted a one-year extension to the African American Research and Service institute and recommended the discontinuation of the Ohio University Cartographic Center, the Ohio University Insurance Center and the Scripps Survey Research Center.
• A resolution to offer the Wealth and Poverty Certificate by the Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences.
• A resolution to approve University policies of support and assistance to veterans and service members. This is in accordance with the requirements of the Ohio General Assembly Amended Substitute H.B. 488.
• A resolution to adopt the proposed Century Bond Guiding Principles. The principles outline details about the management of the bonds, the operation of the Central Bank funding model and the role of the Board of Trustees.
• A resolution to authorize and approve the new employee compensation structure developed as a result of the COMP 2014 initiative.
• A resolution to authorize the University to undertake schematic design for the Jefferson Hall renovation.
• A resolution to proceed with construction for the Boyd Dining Hall renovation.
• A resolution to designate several University-owned parcels of land on East State Street as surplus property and to allow the president or his designee to negotiate, evaluate and dispose of these properties in a manner consistent with Ohio law.
• Resolutions to confer the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters to Sam Crowl and the honorary degree of Doctor of Science to James E. Hansen.
• A resolution to approve an amendment to the Board Policy for Annual and Comprehensive Presidential Performance Reviews that will give the Board greater flexibility in scheduling the president’s reviews.
• A resolution to accept the annual financial statements and footnotes as presented by management of the University, Foundation and subsidiaries including Plante Moran’s audit opinions and reports thereon as of and for the year ended June 30.