Board of Trustees to meet with alumni, attend CoLab opening ceremony during October meetings

The Ohio University Board of Trustees will convene Oct. 18 and 19 for meetings in Walter Hall on the Athens Campus.

Key agenda items, efforts and initiatives that OHIO’s Board and senior leadership are scheduled to discuss include:

Richland Avenue easement
When: Resources, Facilities and Affordability Committee, 1:15 p.m. Oct. 18, Walter Hall 104

The Board of Trustees will consider a resolution that would grant the City of Athens an easement for the construction of a roadway and pedestrian passageway on University land under Richland Avenue.

The proposed roadway and pedestrian passageway would provide significant benefits to the University and its students, including improved traffic flow and enhanced safety for pedestrians and drivers. The passageway would be between Porter and Sargent halls on West Green.

Undergraduate Scholarship Match Program

When: Resources, Facilities and Affordability Committee, 1:15 p.m. Oct. 18, Walter Hall 104

University administrators will present proposed revisions to the Undergraduate Scholarship Match Program to provide for more flexibility in meeting student needs.

The changes include:

• Abolishing a rule that limits available match funding to pre-determined colleges, instead opening up to a first-come, first-served basis.
• Donors would be able to designate a preference for scholarship funds to be directed to particular academic departments, programs or majors. However, if students who meet the donor’s preference cannot be identified in a given year, the University would be able to utilize the scholarship dollars for other eligible Ohio University students.
• Other donor preferences, such as geographic restrictions, may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Those preference must be broad enough to ensure an ample number of eligible recipients.

Capital Projects

When: Resources, Facilities and Affordability Committee, 1:15 p.m. Oct. 18, Walter Hall 104

The Board will consider several capital project budget expenditures.

The projects include:

• Herrold Hall (Zanesville), infrastructure and interior improvements, which would cost $1.046 million. This is the second phase of renovation to Herrold Hall, and includes updates to the HVAC, electrical, lighting and interiors in the library area.
• Ryors Hall lobby renovation, which would cost $800,000. This would update the lobby of Ryors Hall on West Green, including office renovations and new furniture.
• An additional $400,000 is being requested for repairs to the West Green Chilled Water Pump System. The improvements in the design of the plant would allow for automated operation, which will improve energy efficiency, function, and operating efficiency.

OHIO Honors Program Progress

When: Main Board Meeting, 9 a.m. Oct. 19, Walter Hall 104

During the Presidential Spotlight portion of Dr. M. Duane Nellis’ report to the Board of Trustees, representatives from the OHIO Honors Program will highlight the early progress of the program. The new OHIO Honors Program, created to offer innovative honors learning experiences to undergraduates from all Ohio University majors, accepted its first cohort this fall semester.

The OHIO Honors Program offers an alternative to HTC’s 38 tutorial-based degree programs that enable students to become accomplished artists, scholars and professionals. Honors Tutorial students take a small group or one-on-one tutorial with a faculty member each term and produce a thesis, creative, or professional project that makes an original contribution to their discipline.

The new OHIO Honors Program is designed to supplement undergraduate study in any non-tutorial degree program, allowing highly engaged students to focus on experiential learning and application. With the guidance of an OHIO Honors advisor, students choose honors-level courses and out-of-class opportunities that facilitate a deep exploration of the relationship between theory and practice. OHIO Honors students who complete between six (transfer students) and 14 honors experiences over the course of their undergraduate careers at Ohio University receive an honors designation on their transcript and diploma.

Presidential Spotlight presenters include: Interim Dean of the Honors Tutorial College Cary Frith, Director of the Cutler Scholars Program and OHIO Honors Program Margaux Cowden, Associate Director of the OHIO Honors Program Christy Zempter, and OHIO Honors students Sam Carryer and Jordan Lumbatis.

Enrollment update
When: Academics and Student Success Committee, 9 a.m. Oct. 18, Walter Hall 104

Administrators will present an update on enrollment data for the Fall 2018 semester as compared to previous years. The discussion will include a number of enrollment milestones and records set this year across all campuses and educational offerings at Ohio University, as well as planning efforts across all student groups to continually adapt to an ever-changing marketplace.

Among the highlights, OHIO’s incoming freshman class includes the University’s highest-ever percentage of students from diverse backgrounds, and more than a quarter of those freshmen are first-generation students. The numbers also reflect an increase in the freshman class out-of-state students and international students. The percentage of freshmen from Appalachian counties and first-generation students are also records for more recent years.

Support for first-generation students
When: Academics and Student Success Committee, 9 a.m. Oct. 18, Walter Hall 104

Executive Vice President and Provost Chaden Djalali and University College Dean and Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success Elizabeth Sayrs will provide an overview of mentoring programs designed to support first-generation students. A significant percentage of first-year students on the Athens Campus have reported being first-generation students, defined as neither parent having completed a bachelor’s degree.

While OHIO outperforms the national average for persistent and completion-rate gaps between first-generation students and the overall population, OHIO is committed to closing the gap completely as part of the overall goal of improving student success, persistence and graduation across the University.

The presentation is expected to include information about the College Achievement Program and OHIO First Scholars, as well as information from faculty and staff members and students with which they work.

Community Standards and Student Responsibility Update
When: Academics and Student Success Committee, 9 a.m. Oct. 18, Walter Hall 104

University administrators will provide an annual update on the four-year comparison of student conduct cases and conduct offenses. The total number of cases decreased for the second year in a row, and by 21 percent over the past four years.

The number of charges for damage to property, harmful behavior and misuse or unauthorized use of University facilities also dropped.

The Board was informed that Ohio University timely filed the annual Clery Act compliance report, which was released on Oct. 1.

The report is available on the Ohio University Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance (ECRC) website at: https://www.ohio.edu/equity-civil-rights/clery/.

The Annual Security Report contains information regarding campus security and personal safety including such topics as crime prevention, local law-enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures and other matters of importance related to security on campus. It also contains crime statistics on the Athens, Regional and extension campuses for the calendar years 2015, 2016 and 2017. Crime statistics include reported crimes that occurred in off-campus buildings owned or controlled by Ohio University, and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.

CoLab tour

When: Lunchtime, 11:30 a.m. Oct. 18, CoLab/Alden Library

The Board of Trustees will tour the CoLab, a new space designed as a physical hub for student innovation and entrepreneurship activities. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will also be included as part of the CoLab’s grand opening that day.

The CoLab aligns with Dr. Nellis’ strategic pathway of incentivizing interdisciplinary collaborations to enhance the University’s research and creative profile. The CoLab will support campus-wide student innovation, creativity, and social and public innovation efforts that will have a broader impact on Ohio University and the community.

The Board of Trustees will also attend an alumni reception that evening, followed by a luncheon and strategic planning session with alumni on Oct. 19.

The full agenda for the October Board of Trustees meeting can be found on the Trustees’ website.