OHIO Board of Trustees engaged with intercollegiate athletic students and learned about their experiences at OHIO, received R1 status update

The Ohio University Board of Trustees learned about the academic successes and experiential learning opportunities within intercollegiate athletics, hearing directly from students, during their January meetings on the Athens campus.

President Lori Stewart Gonzalez also provided a Dynamic Strategy update, highlighting the work the leaders of each pillar have already accomplished including awarding initial funding for experiential learning, approving 15 tenure-track positions, launching an alumni mentoring pilot program and selecting a Modern Think survey to measure employee sentiment. She also shared how this spring, the Center for Community Impact will be launched to help connect students with non-profits and organizations across the region where they can volunteer and take part in community service.

During her President’s report, Gonzalez also shared that OHIO has joined JED Campus, a nationwide initiative designed to help schools evaluate and strengthen their student well-being and mental health programs.

Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Executive Dean and Chief Medical Affairs Officer Ken Johnson, D.O., and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation President Terri Donlin Huesman shared information with the Board about the $70 million planned gift, announced on Jan. 16, that will support research and scholarships.

Additionally, the Board of Trustees conferred upon Hugh D. Sherman, Ph.D., the status of President Emeritus and Trustee Professor for his dedication to the mission of Ohio University and his outstanding service and contributions including enhancing student success and campus collaboration, as well as his strategic initiatives that drove the University forward. 

Additional highlights from the Jan. 2025 Board of Trustees meetings included:

R1 Status Update
Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Don Leo and Vice President for Research and Creative Activity Dr. Eric Muth presented to the Board on the importance of OHIO achieving and maintaining the R1 classification in the Carnegie classification of higher education.

The Board learned about the importance of achieving this status, an explanation of OHIO’s research expenditures and an overview of the Carnegie methodology for this classification, including that to achieve R1 status, an institution must spend at least $50 million in research spending and award a minimum of 70 research doctoral degrees.

Dr. Leo and Dr. Muth also discussed the initiatives at OHIO that will help solidify the institution’s R1 status, including creating the separate Vice President for Research and Creative Activity position; the funding of 15 tenure-track faculty positions in areas that support the Dynamic Strategy such as health aging, energy and environment and AI; making enhancements to doctoral student tracking to measure and predict degree conferral and ensure we are meeting the minimum requirements to maintain status; and reinvestment analysis in the academic units to assess opportunities for investment in people and programs that will grow research and scholarship. 

Intercollegiate Athletics Update
The Board heard from Director of Athletics Julie Cromer, as well as current OHIO students Xander Karagosian, a senior finance major and redshirt sophomore football player who is a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee co-chair, Taja Booker, an experimental psychology graduate student on the Track and Field team who is a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee co-chair, Colin Bacon, a junior music production major who is a production assistant in athletics and Sydney Holl, a junior media production major who is a production assistant in athletics, on the continued academic success of these student leaders within the MAC.

Cromer discussed student-athletes’ academic outcomes and Graduation Success Rate (GSR), highlighting impressive academic statistics including OHIO being tied for second in the MAC in the GSR at 93%, how the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) is at 76% and how 18% of student-athletes are first generation college students, among other accolades. She also noted how there are over 620 students engaged with intercollegiate athletics, with 430 of those students being athletes.

Cromer and the panel of students also presented on the numerous experiential opportunities offered by intercollegiate athletics to both undergraduate and graduate students that fill a variety of roles to help provide meaningful career development experience and are integral to OHIO’s success on and off the field. Opportunities include gaining work experience directly in sporting events, coaching education, athletic training and more. Once particular area they highlighted were the students work in broadcast in intercollegiate athletics and the close relationship with the Scripps College of Communication to provide experience in production to students in the media field. Cromer explained how the experiences not only provide meaningful skills but allows students additional hourly opportunities across campus.  She also noted how intercollegiate athletics provides approximately 7,700 hours of experiential opportunities to students working on their broadcasts and productions.

Enrollment Update
Vice President for Enrollment Management Candace J. Boeninger provided an enrollment update to the Board, highlighting preliminary spring 2025 enrollment numbers, as well as 2025-2026 application trends. Boeninger shared that OHIO’s total enrollment is trending ahead of spring 2024 total enrollment by 3.6%, in advance of the preliminary census date, January 27. She attributed the institution’s continued enrollment successes to strong return rates for the large fall 2024 entering class, as well as strong persistence of continuing students in Athens. Other strengths include continued stabilization of the RN to BSN program, continued growth in non-nursing online undergraduate students, and stabilization in many regional campus and graduate programs.

In addition to enrollment numbers, she also spoke on how many of the FAFSA challenges that impacted institutions across the country last year have improved and how the University is already receiving FAFSA forms for the next academic year.

Boeninger also shared an update regarding the goals, objectives and high-level project framework for the University’s next Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP). The goals include to plan enrollment comprehensively, coordinated across all campuses, student populations, and modalities; facilitate improved budget planning alignment around projected enrollment, anticipated revenues and costs of delivery; advance OHIO’s R1 designation and support the research enterprise through modern, mature graduate enrollment strategies; continuously improve efforts to attract and retain well-qualified resident, non-resident, and international students, identify strategic enrollment opportunities for OHIO Online and regional campuses, linking enrollment efforts to workforce and state initiatives; and actively manage pricing and aid in a dynamic, highly competitive higher education landscape.

Enterprise Resource Planning Update
Chief Information Officer Chris Ament also shared an update on the University’s goal to further modernize its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) capabilities, in which the Board approved to proceed with phase one of the ERP digital modernization, a planned project that is estimated to cost $44 million. The project will deliver value across the University by providing flexibility to meet changing digital needs, modernizing and streamlining the user experience, retrieving valuable data insights and strengthening security.

According to Ament, the approved funding includes $35 million from IT reserves earmarked for this initiative. The remaining $9 million will be funded through $3 million in the University’s yearly budget designated for future ERP replacement in fiscal years 2026, 2027 and 2028, for a total of $44 million. 

He also noted that OHIO will now begin a collaborative process to select both an ERP technology vendor and an implementation partner to serve as an expert advisor. Implementation work is expected to begin in January 2026, with the new system launch planned for January 2028.

Capital Projects 
The Board approved seven new capital projects, including:

• Marching 110 Practice Field - The Board approved the funding for the design phase of a dedicated practice facility for the Ohio University Marching 110. The facility will include an artificial turf field, restroom facilities with a covered pavilion, director’s tower and field lighting. The full $3.5 million project will be funded with gift funding.
• Bird Arena Floor Replacement – The Board approved to replace the ice rink floor and dasher boards at Bird Arena. This $3.15 million project will be funded by a combination of department funding, Century Bond residual funding and reserves.
• Athens Campus Solar Energy Installation – The Board approved to install rooftop solar arrays on three facilities on the Athens campus, with a total anticipated capacity of one megawatt. These solar arrays will enable the University to generate renewable energy on-site, leading to cost savings in the utilities operating budget. The $2.06 million project will be funded by Internal Bank Financing.
• Grosvenor Hall Renovations Phase I - The Board approved to enhance building efficiency and occupant comfort by updating HVAC controls, electrical distribution equipment and life safety systems. This $2.03 million project will be funded by Century Bond residual funding.
• Pruitt Field Turf Replacement – The Board approved to replace the turf and shock absorbent subsurface at Pruitt Field to enhance athlete safety and ensure facility usability. The $1.96 million project will be funded with a combination of departmental and reserve funding.
• Convocation Center Floor Replacement – The Board approved to replace the existing floor and subfloor at the Convocation Center. The $600,000 project will be funded with a combination of departmental and reserve funding.
• Indoor Tennis Court Fabric Roof Replacement – The Board approved of the canvas roofing membrane of the tennis center, enabling continued indoor tennis activity year-round by the University and community. The $565,000 project will be funded by department reserves.

In other business, the Board also approved:

• The creation of the School of International Studies and Languages in the College of Arts and Sciences.
• The closure of the Physics-Meteorology program in the College of Arts and Sciences; however, students interested in pursuing this career will still have the opportunity to do so through the Geography major.
• The renaming of the sculpture studio in the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts to the Levy Ceramics Studio, in honor of Dave and Cathy Levy’s generosity.
• A resolution on potential collective bargaining by faculty.
• To authorize the Amended FY25 Annual Audit Plan.
• To increase the optional parent/guest housing fee for Bobcat Student Orientation from $30/bed or $60/room to $60/bed or $120/room effective Summer 2025, pending final approval of the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
• The election of David B. Moore, vice president for finance and administration, as Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. Moore is to immediately fill the position and will complete the current term which ends on June 30, 2025.
• The appointment of William F. Kent to serve as a National Trustee, immediately filling the open position beginning January 17, 2025, and expiring on June 30, 2025.