Ohio college and university presidents convened in Columbus on Tuesday for a summit with the governor as they analyzed the trend of rising college costs.
Gov. John Kasich announced the creation of a commission that will define a new higher-education funding process.
“The exponential effect of having all (state colleges and universities) rowing with the same boat could be enormous for our state,” Kasich said during the news conference.
The commission, chaired by Ohio State University President Gordon Gee, is tasked with changing the way state schools are funded in Ohio.
The current model the state uses for funding higher education is strongly based on enrollment rather than graduation and retention rates, Kasich said, adding that he hopes to reverse that trend.
The specific formula that will drive the new model is not complete.
Gee plans to have the formula developed and on the governor’s desk by Thanksgiving. At the conference, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis said he is on board.
“We’re committed to helping with economic development in the state of Ohio, because we believe in Ohio,” McDavis said, stressing that higher education degrees, research and commercialization at school helps improve the economic condition of the state.
McDavis said he believes OU is well positioned to benefit from a formula reflecting Kasich’s goal of increased emphasis on graduation rates.
“Every year, this provides state funding for the university, so it is absolutely critical,” McDavis said. “It’s the primary funding we rely on from the state.”
This funding model would affect the main budgets of public Ohio schools, which constitutes much of OU’s general operations budget.
The formula change would not affect the budget for capital projects, McDavis said, adding that the formula for capital funding may also change in the next year.
“We believe that the collective resources we bring to this effort … will make our state better,” McDavis said to the governor. “We thank you for your faith in us, and we will deliver on our commitment of giving you back a formula that works for Ohio.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
