Dr. Jeremy Webster, the dean of Ohio University Zanesville, has been named one of three fellows for the Society for College and University Planning on Friday.
The program chooses new members annually and supports year-long research programs related to campus planning. The program centers on collaborative planning with colleges in Ohio that share locations.
“Ohio University is continuously looking for ways to make our regional campuses more efficient and effective for our students, and I anticipate Dr. Webster’s research will contribute greatly to that effort,” Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education Bill Willan said in a university press release.
Webster has worked to improve operations, including business operations, in conjunction with Zane State College, OU President Duane Nellis said in a university press release.
The project originates from a task force established in 2016 by the Ohio General Assembly that created shared governance for Ohio’s seven co-located campuses. That partnership includes OU’s Zanesville and Eastern campuses, which respectively have shared governance with Zane State College and Belmont College.
The Zanesville and Zane State campuses share a bookstore, library, maintenance facilities and utilities.
As a fellow, Webster will focus on whether or not co-located campuses can use “collaborative planning.” That planning process uses partnership, stakeholder involvement, collaboration and consensus-oriented decision-making as core decision making principles.
“I hope to learn effective planning strategies for collaborative projects with Zane State College,” Webster said in a university press release. “I am especially interested in developing expertise that will lead to innovative solutions for surmounting the obstacles that inhibit collaboration and shared governance.”
