Correction appended.
The Ohio University Board of Trustees met in Walter Hall on Thursday to hear presentations concerning the new “Go OHIO” app and also passed resolutions recommending Peggy Viehweger as Chair of the Board and Steve Casciani as Vice Chair of the Board.
Academics and Student Success Committee
During the Academics and Student Success Committee, the Board heard updates about experiential learning in the College of Arts and Sciences, OU’s Online Class Strategies, and the new Go OHIO app.
Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Sarah Poggione, said the college is the largest and most diverse college on OU’s Athens Campus with 19 academic departments.
Four students in the College of Arts and Sciences presented their experiences with experiential learning opportunities like Quarter after Eight, Mock Trial, The Edwards Accelerator Lab, and The Center for Intervention Research in Schools, or CIRS.
Riley Sargent, a sophomore studying political science, spoke on her experience as part of OU’s Mock Trial team, which provides undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in stimulated courtroom litigation.
“Through this experience, Mock Trial has aided me and helped me get comfortable using legal language or etiquette (and) has introduced me to the rules of evidence,” Sargent said. “It has also aided me with public speaking, time management, (and) critical and textual analysis.”
Chief Information Officer Chris Ament presented the “Go OHIO” app to the Board. “Go OHIO” is a mobile and web app, which is currently in its beta phase, that will help students connect with faculty advisers and academic and campus services.
With the app, students will no longer have to visit multiple different web pages to view their GPAs, tuition statements, courses and other academic information, Ament said.
“In addition to academic resources, the “Go OHIO” app also provides a unified experience for trying to connect with campus life,” Ament said. “Students can see things like shuttle information, real-time locations, meal plans, dining hall menus, place orders for food … and connect with resources for mental health and safety.”
The app is expected to officially launch later this year.
Governance and Compensation Committee
During the Governance and Compensation Committee, two resolutions were considered concerning the Chair and Vice Chair for the upcoming year.
The committee voted in favor of recommending Peggy Viehweger as Chair of the Board beginning May 14, 2023 until May 13, 2024. Then, the committee voted in favor of recommending Steve Kashani as Vice Chair of the Board for the same time frame. Both resolutions will be presented to the full Board for consideration on Friday.
Audit and Risk Management Committee
The Audit and Risk Management Committee heard from Chief Audit Officer Marion Candrea about two standard departmental audits that had been completed since the last Audit and Risk Management Committee meeting.
The first audit was within the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, and the second was within the Office of Instructional Innovation. Both audits’ results were well controlled with minor opportunities for improvement, Candrea said.
Candrea then discussed the FY2023 annual audit plan. Currently, the plan is trending as expected; however, the audit of cost transfers will be deferred until FY2024, Candrea said.
Following Candrea’s audit discussion, the committee heard multiple presentations on topics such as an external audit update, university compliance and athletics compliance.
Christine Torres, an auditor in charge of OU’s external audit and related entities, and Jonathan Schultz, engagement manager, gave an update on the external audit plan and gave an outline of expectations for the audit.
After the audit is completed, the state of Ohio is also required to review the audit.
Then, Laura Myers, the director of university compliance, presented updates on internal policies, contracts, and other rules and procedures of the university. Since last July, 11 projects were brought up as issues of concern to compliance staff.
Additionally, the presentation focused on the consistent issues that compliance staff face, including keeping up with new compliance regulations and the prevention of those compliance issues.
To conclude the meeting, Julie Cromer, director of athletics, and Mary Ann Boyle, senior associate athletics director for internal operations and chief financial administrative officer, presented the athletic compliance update. Athletic compliance includes limiting the number of NCAA violations OU athletes receive.
Madison Kennedy, Paige Fisher and Lydia Colvin contributed to this report.
Correction appended: A previous version of this article stated the incorrect spelling of Steve Casciani’s last name. This article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
