Potential enterprise-university legislation and “green” job opportunities were explored during the Ohio Board of Regents meeting on OU’s campus today.
Sloan Spalding, deputy chancellor and general counsel, shared legislation updates with the Board of Regents.
The Ohio Board of Education is making moves in legislation to establish charter universities, or “enterprise universities,” in higher education. The state will reward institutions carrying this label with a release of mandates and scholarship incentives, Spalding said.
“While they may not pass, they're interesting concepts that could re-emerge in future legislation,” Spalding said of the bills.
Spalding said the enterprise plan has been filed and that the Board of Regents should expect the plan to mature and change as it continues through the legislation process.
House Bill 313 is would allow more flexible agreements between universities and law-enforcement agencies.
Universities will be able to opt out of current agreements with law-enforcement agencies and make contracts with new ones, Spalding said. He added that HB 313 is expected to pass completely through the legislature.
Stacia Edwards, director of Workforce Development, spoke about Ohio’s energy summit and updated the regents on energy developments.
Edwards focused on green-job opportunities and on research supporting energy advancements. There is an estimated 280,000 potential green jobs available in the state of Ohio, she said.
“Our green economy is based on what we make and what we discover,” she said.
Edwards also discussed hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a process that involves removing natural gas from Utica and Marcellus shale, which run through the Appalachian Mountains.
There are countless job opportunities available with this natural-gas project, Edwards said.
Welders, engineers and geologists are needed for the process of drilling for this gas. Many universities provide short-term training for these jobs, but few actually take advantage of these programs, Edwards said.
“It's tricky to show people this is a long-term industry,” Edwards said. “We need to work on the recruitment for these types of programs.”
aw317609@ohiou.edu
