ZANESVILLE — Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit spoke about the results of an environmental scan at an Ohio University Board of Trustees meeting Friday.
A nine-person committee studied culture, demographics, economics, higher education, infrastructure, politics, regional problems and technology in Southeastern Ohio and at OU. From those studies, the committee created an improvement plan focusing on general education, globalization, technological resources, entrepreneurship and multi-modal academic programs, according to the presentation.
“How do we maintain quality as we go forward?” Benoit said. “Quality needs to be primary in our discussion.”
Benoit spoke on how general education needs to be more cost effective. She listed possible changes to general education, which could include fewer course options or a decrease in the number of courses students must take to graduate.
“General education programs need to be sustainable,” she said.
Benoit then moved on to talks about OU’s international partnerships and international student enrollment.
OU maintains “strong partnerships” with several international universities, Benoit said, adding that it is important to keep those connections that provide faculty and students the chance to learn about other cultures.
Benoit then discussed the shift in OU’s enrollment demographics. One-third of the university’s enrollment is on regional campuses, and OU has seen growth in non-traditional and minority enrollment.
OU needs to offer academic programs that can be used on multiple campuses and across multiple colleges, according to the presentation. The programs should also be geared toward OU’s increasingly diverse student population.
Benoit also briefly talked about how OU needs to recognize faculty’s technological needs and fulfill them.
“It would be an understatement to say that technology is ubiquitous,” said Benoit, who concluded her presentation by discussing invention and entrepreneurship.
Benoit said OU should continue to promote and reward innovation and entrepreneurship that addresses economic, cultural and humanitarian needs.
Following the presentation, Chair M. Marnette Perry asked Benoit what the board could do to help.
“When you think about affordability, limited resources, and educating our student population with the right to skills to be successful, that really is heavy, heavy lifting,” Perry said.
OU is facing a possible $27 million cut in state funding in addition to a $5.6 million increase in health care cost and utilities.
Benoit said the board can help by continuing to align OU’s budget priorities with its education priorities.
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