Ohio University’s Board of Trustees will convene at Ohio’s first capital, Chillicothe, Thursday and Friday to discuss the guaranteed tuition model, debt and various construction projects.
There will also be a joint presentation given by Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit and Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding, said Ann Fidler, chief of staff for the provost and chief financial officer.
“The Resources Committee will discuss the University Debt Capacity to analyze how much debt the university will take on and plans to take on,” Fidler said. “We are not getting as much money from the state.”
The OU executives will discuss guaranteed tuition, an alternative tuition concept that was implemented in January at the University of Dayton.
“Guaranteed tuition is a rate for undergraduate students for four years that remains the same,” Benoit said in a previous Post article.
Benoit and Golding presented guaranteed tuition at Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting as well.
Although the University of Dayton has a guaranteed tuition model, a similar transition at OU would require legislative action since the university is public, said Jennifer Kirksey, chief of staff to OU President Roderick McDavis.
“A benefit of guaranteed tuition is predictability, which would not only help the university plan its budget, but help students plan ahead too,” Kirksey said.
Trustees will vote on a handful of resolutions at the meetings as well.
One resolution being brought forward includes construction projects in excess of $500,000 in total project costs, according to the agenda.
These include the Housing Development Plan, the replacement of Peden Stadium’s turf, the renovation of the third floor of the Hudson Health Building, an electrical upgrade at the Computer Service Center and the renovation of OU’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Dublin extension campus.
Two resolutions were created to enact name changes.
The College of Business’ Management Systems Department would be changed to the Management Department. The Industrial Hygiene Program within the Department of Social and Public Health in the College of Health Sciences and Professions would be changed to the Occupational Hygiene & Safety Program and the associated degree will be changed from a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Hygiene to a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Hygiene & Safety.
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