Looking to expand its brand beyond the southeast part of the state, Ohio University has acquired almost 7,500 square feet of property to bring more students into the fold.
OU spent $800,000 at the end of 2012 to purchase a building in Cambridge, Ohio, near Interstate 70 to increase access and visibility and to allow students to complete a year of credits away from the Athens campus.
During the September 2012 Board of Trustees meeting, trustees discussed the plan, which was later approved by the Ohio Controlling Board Dec. 17. The purchase was completed the following day, according to Donna Goss, OU's director of real estate management, community engagement and economic development.
The rental of space from Zane State College in Cambridge, Ohio, has allowed OU Zanesville in Cambridge to function, according to documents provided to The Post by the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, along with a desire to relocate OU Zanesville in Cambridge to a more permanent location.
The new facility will offer a bachelor's degree of applied management, the “First Year of Ohio University in Cambridge,” expanded enrollment options for those in high school wishing to take college courses and an expansion of support to non-traditional, working students, according to the documents.
OU used to offer a social work degree at the Ohio University campus in Zanesville but stopped doing so in 1997 — a degree offering OU administrators would like to return to the branch campus, according to the documents.
The documents project an enrollment of 300 the first year, yielding $32,500 in tuition and $65,000 with state subsidy included.
Richard Greenlee, Dean of OU’s Zanesville campus and Eastern campus, could not immediately be reached for comment.
dd195710@ohiou.edu
