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Janetta King, OU President Roderick McDavis and Sandra Anderson listen to a presentation on finances during the Board of Trustees meeting Jan. 21, 2016. (FILE)

OU Board of Trustees discusses enrollment, future of Park Place

Correction appended. 

Despite having record-breaking enrollment classes for the past several years, Ohio University's Board of Trustees announced this year's freshman enrollment had decreased.

During the Board meeting at OU’s Dublin campus, Trustee Victor Goodman said retention rates, or the rate of students continuing at OU from freshman to sophomore year, has gone up two percent in the past year — a number that OU President Roderick McDavis said is “huge” in comparison to other universities.

Though McDavis confirmed enrollment for the incoming class is down compared to last year, he also noted that the current freshman class of about 4,300 student is the third largest in the university's history.

University officials did not give specific enrollment numbers for the freshman class at the meeting.

“Enrollment data coming in will be down a trifle of freshmen on the Athens campus due, as I understand it, because we have fewer folks from out of state,” Goodman said during the meeting.

Trustees spent most of Thursday approving construction projects and discussing university budgets and renovations. 

The board discussed the Park Place Planning Strategy, which outlines recommendations for improving Park Place, including making the street more pedestrian-oriented, improving pedestrian safety, expanding outdoor activities with student-centric spaces and partnering with the city of Athens to assess traffic flow.

They also passed a resolution regarding funding for various building upgrades on campus including Clippinger Hall, James Hall and Gamertsfelder Hall.

During the Joint Committee meeting, Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost, and Deborah Shaffer, vice president for Finance and Administration, presented on the university’s Capital Improvement Plan and the Governor’s Task Force.

The Capital Improvement Plan includes a list of projects that are expected to be completed in upcoming years and how the university expects to pay for them. Officials are seeking approval for the next six years of the plan, spanning from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2022.

“The Capital Improvement Plan includes a lot of investments, and we have to understand where we can increase square footage,Shawna Bolin, director of University Planning and Space Management, said.

Bolin spoke about improvements to the university, including the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s future move to Union Street from West Green.

“Currently they’re located in old dorm facilities, and they’re undersized,” she said, adding that the space left vacant by the college could open space for other facilities.

Bolin mentioned other projects, such as the Alden Library renovations, Clippinger Hall upgrades and other renovations that will require deferred maintenance in the near future.

In addition, Bolin presented a draft plan for the future of OU’s Dublin campus, including considerations for future buildings, parking, walkability and more. Board members previously voiced concerns for the draft plan, but those concerns were mostly resolved because the plan will now allow revisions until “everyone is happy,” Bolin said.

“I was hesitant to vote in favor of the resolution because I saw mandates that would affect our successors down the road,” Trustee Goodman said. “I appreciate the fact that … the document is to be modified in a way that will still express the vision that you and our consultants have for future development.”

@dinaberliner

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Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified an agenda item as a resolution. The board discussed the Park Place Planning Strategy but did not pass it. The article has been updated to show the most accurate information.

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