Editor’s note: This story is the third in a five-part series about the provost’s annual evaluations of deans on Ohio University’s Athens campus.
After what was called a year of “notable progress,” the dean of Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine received the same high overall marks from his faculty and staff as last year.
Faculty and staff respondents gave Dean Jack Brose overall ratings of 89 percent and 100 percent, respectively, the same as last year.
In her report, Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit commended Brose for a successful year, which culminated in the receipt of a $105 million gift for the college from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations.
“While I have broken out in my assessment some of those areas in which notable progress was made, it is important to recognize the most significant accomplishment of all which occurred after your evaluation survey was completed — the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations’ extraordinary gift of $105 million,” Benoit wrote in her review.
The grant agreement is still being processed for the gift, which Brose said is just one part of the college’s advancement efforts.
“As wonderful as the gift is from the foundations, it’s only a piece of what we want to do,” Brose said. “We’re going to be out as much as ever raising money.”
One of the first initiatives that will be funded by the gift will be the creation of an extension campus in Columbus. This project concerned several faculty members, according to their evaluations comments.
“… why are we soliciting money for a Columbus campus when we don’t have the personnel to do what we need to do to run our Athens campus?” one faculty evaluator wrote. “Why couldn’t the grant go to imaginative new plans and programs and curricular offerings here in Athens?”
In response, Brose said that 75 percent of the grant would go toward Athens programs and improvements, which include diabetes and neuromuscular-skeletal centers.
“(The central Ohio facility) has drawn everyone’s attention and garnered the attention of our funding agencies,” he said.
Of the 96 faculty members asked to review Brose, 27 of them, or 28 percent, responded, compared to 27 percent last year. Brose said he did not know why the response rate wasn’t higher.
Faculty gave Brose 100 percent ratings in the areas of fiscal management, student orientation, external relations and partnerships. His lowest rating, 81 percent, was in the area of research.
Brose said the college’s atmosphere made it difficult to complete as much research as faculty wanted.
“Most faculty have a large number of teaching hours, which makes it difficult to allow them the amount of time to do research they might want,” he said.
“That said, the research they do is amazing,” Brose added. “I think we’re at the top of medical schools for creative activity.”
One faculty member in the Heritage College said she was satisfied with Brose’s work as dean.
“I’ve been impressed with his leadership,” said Allison Batchelor, an associate professor of geriatric medicine. “I think he’s very effective and very involved.”
Several other faculty and staff members in the college declined to comment.
This year, 24 Heritage College staff members were asked to review Brose, and 13 of them, or 54 percent, turned in evaluations, compared to 67 percent last year.
The staff surveyed gave Brose 99 or 100 percent in all areas of evaluation, including fiscal management, affirmative action and interpersonal relationships.
Brose said it is important to him to reach out to the classified and administrative staff in the Heritage College.
“I’ve always been incredibly impressed by the wisdom of the staff members,” he said. “The talent of the people here, as well as their work ethic, is the best I’ve ever seen.”
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