Future construction projects at Ohio University, its financial appropriations for the next seven years and a shift in authority delegation policy will be addressed at today's Board of Trustees Executive Committee meeting in Walter Hall.
The board meets at 9:30 a.m. to discuss and approve a number of items from its priority agenda, a central issue being the capital improvement plans for fiscal years 2007 to 2012.
Capital improvement dollars are construction funds developed through a capital bill from the Ohio General Assembly.
For the fiscal year 2005-06, House Bill 16, the capital appropriations bill signed into law this July, appropriated about $20.9 million to OU. This is approximately 45 percent of the funding sufficient to accommodate the projected capital improvements, said John Kotowski, associate vice president of planning and implementation. The OU Board of Regents recommended last month that OU will need $23.4 million for capital improvement for the 2007-08 fiscal year.
The development was done with very much a team effort
Kotowski said at yesterday's Audit, Finance, Facilities and Investment Committee meeting. The president was very much involved as was (Provost Kathy Krendl).
Through these capital improvement dollars, OU is planning the construction and renovation of a number of facilities.
A new $24 million residence hall, tentatively slated to open fall 2007, will be on South Green and will have 350 beds in double rooms, with a shared bath between two rooms.
As part of Alden Library's Master Plan, new technology, interior upgrades and building reorganization are among the priorities for the $150,000 allocated to the improvements.
A 100,000-square-foot, $30 million Integrated Research Facility is set to open in September 2009. The facility will serve the colleges of fine arts, engineering, arts and sciences, health and human services and osteopathic medicine. Funding for the facility will come from a $5 million gift from the College of Engineering in addition to a $10 million grant from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation. During the next five years, the College of Engineering and University Advancement intends to raise the additional $15 million, according to the board agenda.
A $1.1 million animal holding addition to OU's Life Science Research Facility will contain five environmentally controlled animal holding rooms and is set to open August 2006.
The board also is considering a Center for Sports Administration, which would be a part of the College of Health and Human Services and serve faculty, students and alumni, connecting them to organizations and businesses in the sports industry.
Also at today's meeting, the Executive Committee will present a resolution that would give OU President Roderick McDavis the power to approve all OU policies and procedures.
This resolution is being presented before the board because McDavis wanted to have a more important role in the policy-making process, said Alan Geiger, secretary to the board of trustees and assistant to the president.
When its first draft was presented, there was a portion that included a provision for the president to alter the policies and procedures at his or her discretion.
Many faculty members were upset about this revision to the policy because they thought it would give the president too much power to change things without going through OU senates, said Phyllis Bernt, faculty senate chairwoman.
The provision for the president to alter all policies and procedures at his or her discretion will be removed from the final resolution presented today, Bernt said, adding she is relieved the final resolution will be changed.
This is a sign that shared government (between the president and the senates) is alive and well Bernt said.
OU's recently revised sexual harassment policy, which defines a uniform procedure for incident reports, also is being presented at the meeting.
If a student alleges a sexual assault, a faculty member is required to report it to the Ohio University Police Department, University Judiciaries and the Department of Health and Wellness.
Whether or not a survivor (of a sexual assault) wants criminal charges pursued an institutional investigation will still proceed
according to the Division of Student Affairs' Student Sexual Assault Reporting Protocol.
At the meeting, the board also will consider creating a new category in the OU Foundation's Board of Trustees that capitalizes on the higher profile and visibility of some alumni
according to a letter from Nicolette Dioguardi, associate director in the Office of Legal Affairs, in the board agenda. Presidential Trustees would host alumni events, foster student engagements and make charitable donations but not serve in a regular capacity on the foundation's board.
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by Anna Maria Georgalis and Emily Tudor
