Board of Trustees to vote on two new programs, hear about experiential learning

The Ohio University Board of Trustees will receive an update on the Housing Master Plan and consider two new degree programs during its meetings June 13-14.

Representatives from the Scripps College of Communication will share how they incorporate experiential learning throughout the curriculum, especially in the esports program. The Board also will hear updates on fall 2022 enrollment and recommendations for a revised College Credit Plus strategy, as well as a new health care brand campaign proposal.

The Board will vote on a resolution to appoint Janelle Coleman to serve as a National Trustee for a term that begins July 1, 2022, through June 23, 2023. The Board will meet from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, June 13, and 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, June 14, for its regular meetings in Walter Hall on the Athens Campus.

Items on the Board agenda include:

Scripps’ experiential learning strategy in the GRID Lab and OHIO Esports Arena
Academics and Student Success Committee, 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 13 Walter Hall 104

Scripps College of Communication students and faculty will join Dean Scott Titsworth to discuss the College’s emphasis on experiential learning opportunities, highlighting the Game Research Immersive Design (GRID) Lab and the new OHIO Esports Arena. They will discuss how the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies is a key collaborator with other academic units to expand the learning opportunities available at OHIO, particularly in esports. The presentation will include the myriad ways experiential learning fosters life-long curiosity and problem-solving, as well as how the Scripps College is addressing emerging student interests and industry trends.

The Board also will take a tour of the new OHIO Esports Arena during the lunch hour on June 13. The Arena will have its grand opening in Fall Semester 2022.

The OHIO Esports Arena will expand students’ opportunities for curricular and co-curricular experiential learning with its state-of-the-art esports arena that houses 30 high-end gaming PCs available for both classroom instruction and student co-curricular use, 12 high-end gaming PCs for use in competition, and a broadcasting facility designed to stream competitive events to Twitch, YouTube, and other contemporary streaming platforms.

Health care brand campaign development
Academics and Student Success Committee, 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 13 Walter Hall 104

University Communications and Marketing Vice President Robin Oliver will share an update on the development of a new branding campaign promoting Ohio University’s leadership in preparing students for careers in health care.

Following research and conversations with academic leadership, Ohio University has decided to pursue a phased approach to highlight key areas of academic excellence, beginning with health care education and service. University Communications and Marketing has developed the direction for the health care brand campaign with input from College of Health Sciences and Professions Interim Dean John McCarthy, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service Dean Mark Weinberg, and Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Executive Dean and OHIO Chief Medical Affairs Officer Ken Johnson. The goal is to launch the health care campaign this fall.

New degrees
Academics and Student Success Committee, 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 13 Walter Hall 104

Two new degrees, one in the College of Fine Arts and the other in the College of Health Sciences and Professions, will be considered for approval for Fall Semester 2022.

A Master of Arts in Applied Arts in Health in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts in the College of Fine Arts is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in fine arts who want to expand their practice to safely and effectively engage within the arts in health care and community environments post-graduation. The Master of Applied Arts in Health is a 30-credit hour, hybrid, one-year program and would be one of only two programs in the country to offer this type of degree.

A unique interdisciplinary degree that incorporates electives outside of fine arts, the program would be the only one in the country with a core curriculum designed and taught by fine arts clinicians and scholars who have knowledge and extensive expertise in arts in health disciplines and developed exclusively for fine arts students.

The Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Studies in the School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness in the College of Health Sciences and Professions is a 120-credit hour undergraduate program that would connect what people eat to how they live through the nutrition foundations; contemporary food awareness; cultural, social and political aspects of food systems; and environment and sustainability. Students will interact with faculty in as many as five colleges and a dozen or more departments in this multi-disciplinary program.

Fee changes
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 14 Walter Hall 104

The Board will consider changes to several broad-based and course fees as well as the program fee for a graduate program and eCampus rates.

• Bobcat Student Orientation will increase the one-day and two-day guest fees from $20 to $35 for one day and $60 for two days.
• A Language Exam Proctoring fee will be established as a $5 optional fee for students that want to take a proctored exam to demonstrate competency to test out of language requirements.
• Ohio University Lancaster will implement course fees for the new nursing program associated with certification testing.
• Aviation courses will see an increase to existing course fees associated with fuel and flight instructor cost. These course fees have not changed in 10 years.
• The Master of Engineering Management proposes a change in its program fee from $192 to $217 per credit hour. This request reflects the first increase since FY2020. The proposed total cost per credit hour, after the increase, will remain 38% below in-state competition.
• OHIO Online will increase its instructional fees from $237 per credit hour to $304 per credit hour. The non-resident fee will increase from $3 per credit hour to $5 per credit hour. Online program pricing has not been changed since the quarter-to-semester conversion in FY13. There will also be a $25 per credit hour program fee for the nine core courses in the new online Bachelor of Science in Business.

Capital budget
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 14 Walter Hall 104

The Board will consider several capital expenses to address deferred maintenance concerns and align the function of spaces with current programming needs.

The projects include:

• Stocker Center deferred maintenance and programmatic renovation ($14.7 million): This project would be a combination of two projects approved in the FY23-28 Capital Improvement Plan: Stocker HVAC Phase 1 and Stocker Plumbing, HVAC, Programmatic Phase 2. This project’s initial phase will fix/stabilize systems that exist within the building while paralleling that work with a design effort coordinated with the provost, Russ College of Engineering and Technology, University Planning, Design and Construction and Facilities Maintenance to determine the future intent of spaces within the building.
• Boyd, Sargent, Treudley, and Tiffin lobbies renovation ($6.5 million): This project would renovate the lobbies of Boyd Hall, Sargent Hall, Treudley Hall, and Tiffin Hall to improve the functionality of the spaces and upgrade the aesthetics. 
• Ohio University Lancaster HVAC and Energy Improvements Phase III ($2.36 million): This project addresses essential building mechanical systems which have reached or exceeded their useful life and are critical in maintaining building integrity.
• Ohio University Lancaster Brasee Hall Nursing Renovations Phase I ($602,500): This project will allow development of a new academic program to fit market demands, respond to community and regional needs, provide future growth, and increase RHE enrollments and revenues. The renovation will include parts of the fourth and fifth floor for two instructional nursing labs, two observation/testing rooms, and an administrative space for the new program. 

Capital Improvement Plan
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 14 Walter Hall 104

Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration, CFO and Treasurer Joseph Trubacz and Chief Facility Officer and Senior Associate Vice President Steve Wood will present an update for the FY23 Annual Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The annual CIP represents prioritized projects expected to commence over the next year, including projects currently in design and construction with expected expenditures in FY23. 

As part of the annual CIP update process, leadership considered factors such as deferred maintenance needs, programmatic priorities, critical emerging needs, and operating budget constraints. As a result, the University is considering $160.7 million in new project starts and continuing $239.8 million of projects in progress. The University will seek approval on $11.1 million of Century Bond 2023 funds for deferred maintenance priorities.

Housing Master Plan Update
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 14 Walter Hall 104

Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Terry Hogan and contracted consultants will provide an update on the Housing Master Plan, including a review of key plan drivers such as quantity and location of housing, target market and programmatic requirements informed by peer and student/parent survey results, financial accessibility and quality reconciliation and financial performance and capabilities. The update will include investment and funding approaches that meet identified strategy and goals.

The full Board of Trustees agenda is available at https://www.ohio.edu/trustees. The June 13 committee meetings will be streamed at this link, and the June 14 meetings will be streamed at this link.