Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series examining Ohio University’s leadership structure. Go online each day this week for accompanying videos, and pick up Friday’s paper for the final story.
Ohio University’s funding from the state of Ohio has decreased drastically, requiring OU President Roderick McDavis to become what he calls a more “external” president.
During the last four years, McDavis has spent more time outside the university, seeking private funds to replace the lost State Share of Instruction money.
“I’m finding in the second half of my presidency — the last four-plus years — I’ve really spent a lot more time off campus raising money from donors and friends of the university,” McDavis said.
That contrasts the first four years of his term; when he arrived at OU in 2004, McDavis said, he spent more time on campus attending meetings and social events.
“I think when our (state) funding was more stable, … there was more of an inclination for presidents, especially of public universities, to be what we could call more internal presidents,” he said.
External development has led McDavis around the country, oftentimes using the OU airplane. In November, The Post reported he had used the university plane 300 times over the past five years.
But much of McDavis’ work is done in Columbus as well, he said, trying to convince state government to funnel more money toward higher education in Ohio. He helped craft a report for Ohio Gov. John Kasich — presented in late November — that proposed basing funding models primarily on graduation rates, instead of enrollment, as they currently are.
The changes in state funding have affected Ohio public universities to varying degrees, but Miami University’s President David Hodge said he, too, has become a more external president in recent years.
“I think in general, the data is pretty overwhelming that presidents are spending more time outside the university than they used to,” Hodge said.
Last year, Hodge said he spent 115 days outside of Miami University.
But he added that a president’s transition from an internal to an external focus isn’t just driven by a need for increased resources.
“I believe that when a president starts at a university, you want to make sure that everybody’s on the same page. … So there’s a natural tendency to spend more time at the beginning internally, because you want to make sure that we’re all going in the same direction internally,” Hodge said.
Last year, The Miami Student reported that Hodge’s salary was $380,000. If McDavis accepts a recent contract offer by the OU Board of Trustees, his base salary will be $415,000.
When a president begins spending more time externally, he or she must rely more on other top administrators to run the university. There are 14 members of Hodge’s executive cabinet, while McDavis meets weekly with his five vice presidents and biweekly with his other direct reports — including Renea Morris, executive director of Communications and Marketing, and Brice Bible, chief information officer.
“It stretches my time, but I always leave time to make sure there’s a certain portion of the week that I am on campus, that I’m out and about on campus, and that I do go to activities and events that occur in town,” McDavis said.
But no matter how long he makes his days, McDavis said he still has to delegate much of the responsibility to senior staff, such as Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit, and other vice presidents.
As the chief academic officer of the university, Benoit is responsible for hiring decisions, curricular issues, and other internal affairs. But her dual position as executive vice president widens the scope of her duties.
“The pieces that have to do with being executive vice president are more expansive,” Benoit said. “So, institutional research, institutional equity, enrollment management — all of those aspects are in this office as well,” Benoit said.
To ensure the administration is well represented among faculty and students, McDavis often sends Benoit, Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi, and Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding to senate meetings and other university functions.
“I’ve tried to utilize senior staff to provide that face-to-face and personal touch on campus and then manage the university through those senior leaders,” McDavis said.
bv111010@ohiou.edu
