The Ohio University Emeriti Association’s monthly luncheon ended with an extensive question and answer session with one of OU’s top administrators.
About 70 people at the OU Inn gathered and asked Pam Benoit, OU’s executive vice president and provost, several questions relating to the university’s economic state and student enrollment.
“We must be flexible to meet the needs and demands of students,” Benoit said.
Benoit also spoke on OU’s growing opportunities for nontraditional students, college affordability and recruiting a new generation of faculty.
After the initial speech the floor opened up to a question and answer discussion between Benoit and the Emeriti faculty.
One question regarded guaranteed tuition, which offers students a set tuition price for each of their four years at the university.
“It allows student and their parents to know upfront what the cost will be for the next four years,” Benoit said. She continued to discuss how the situation is a gamble. Since the university has to predict the expenses in advance, they have to be sure that all its costs will be covered within this guaranteed tuition.
The hope is to encourage students to finish their education within four years so they will not have to pay more their fifth year, Benoit said.
There will be exceptions to this rule, such as people in military training and students with disabilities preventing them from finishing within four years.
A highly discussed topic was the university’s increase in online education and whether this has a negative effect on students. Benoit stressed the importance of furthering the availability and quality of online education, while also providing structured workshops for professors interested in moving online.
Benoit was asked whether or not an online degree has a value equal to that of a face-to-face degree. She responded by saying that if the online degree is received from a quality and well-known institution, then it does hold an equivalent value.
“One in three students will have an online class in a given semester,” Benoit said. "The online presence is important for the university to keep up with the high demands."
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