The Joint Academics and Resources Committee of OU’s Board of Trustees met at Ohio University’s Southern Campus and discussed financial plans, an internal task force and future uses for The Ridges.
Ohio University’s Board of Trustees, accompanied by university administrators and faculty, met late Wednesday morning on OU’s Southern Campus for the quarterly Joint Academics and Resources Committee Meeting as part of this week’s Board of Trustees meetings.
OU President Roderick McDavis, seated in the center of a table of trustees and representatives, spent two hours listening to presentations and updates regarding the university’s upcoming fiscal year, the newly-assembled Governor’s Task Force on Affordability and Efficiency in Higher Education and development plans for the Ridges.
Fiscal Year 2016
Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost, and Steve Golding, vice president for finance and administration, outlined OU’s 2016 fiscal year with an emphasis on both the university’s Capital Improvement Plan and the Campus Master Plan, two plans that both seek to accomplish long-term growth for the university.
Benoit and Golding provided an update on construction projects that are now in their final stages or completed including renovations to Lindley Hall, the Bobcat Depot, the Allen Student Advising Center and the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Cleveland campus.
However, buildings that need future construction improvements include Schoonover Center, Jefferson Hall, McCracken Hall and Crawford Hall, in addition to other upkeep projects throughout the campus.
Other university-owned buildings were ranked on whether they were in need of immediate maintenance or if their renovations could be deferred to a later time.
“There are different phases between the master plan and capital improvement plan,” Benoit said. “One of the things that needs to be thought about is prioritizing projects.”
The presenters and committee also briefly discussed the issue of handicap accessibility and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements in these buildings.
“We're dealing with facilities that are 25 to 50 years old when, at the time they were built, (handicap accessibility was) not considered,” Golding said. “The age of the campus complicates the problem and we are trying to address it. We are also providing resources and other (financial) pools to meet the needs of students and faculty.”
Governor’s Task Force
Another topic of discussion at the meeting proved to be Ohio Governor John Kasich’s look into public universities in the Buckeye state. Mirroring what was happening at the state level, OU created an internal task force in February to report its findings to the governor by Oct. 1.
“We are challenging ourselves to state the course of our priorities and we are committed to do this,” McDavis said. “We're cognizant of what is happening on a state level, but we're going to continue moving forward.”
The task force aims to analyze the breakdown of the 2004 fiscal year and examine the school’s last decade for instances of growth. The task force will develop savings goals among other actions that look to increase efficiency and affordability while lowering student costs.
The Ridges
A report on the state of the Ridges and its 700-acre expanse was given by the co-chairs of the Ridges Framework Committee: Shawna Bolin, director of University Planning and Space Management, and Joseph Shields, vice president for research and creative activity and the dean of the Graduate College.
In accordance with the Ridges Framework Plan, the committee divided the land into five different zones that will serve different purposes, according to the presenters.
“We have a goal to create a mixed-use environment,” Bolin said. “Functions we put on the Ridges have to work well together.”
She also expressed the committee’s intent for the Ridges to be further integrated into the campus.
Bolin and Shields said they had used Grand Traverse Commons, a repurposed former state mental hospital in Traverse City, Michigan, as a model for the future development strategies of the Ridges.
“The bones are there,” Ben Stuart, an associate professor of civil engineering and faculty representative at his final Board of Trustees meeting, said. “If you're a fan of old architecture, there' a lot of potential, but there's also a price tag.”
According to a previous Post report, OU is also exploring using private partnerships to fund the renovation of the ridges.
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