Less than two months ago, Roderick McDavis was fulfilling his service as provost at Virginia Commonwealth University. Today, he is situated in his Cutler Hall office, overseeing the university from which he earned his bachelor's degree 34 years ago.
McDavis, who began his duties as Ohio University's 20th President on July 1, has begun to outline plans for every aspect of OU -from increasing diversity to further renovation of residence halls -some of which extend as far as 2024. And while Robert Glidden, OU's 19th president, will be remembered for technology improvements and a large number of construction projects during his 10 years as OU's leader, McDavis has focused his efforts on very different goals.
I want to improve our national reputation academically
through research and through athletics McDavis said. We will enhance the academic enterprise we will enhance the research enterprise and we will enhance our athletics program.
McDavis' specific goals include building OU's reputation as a national research institution, increasing out-of-state enrollment -in part to aid the school's budget -and recruiting more minority students, specifically from urban areas such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.
Building diversity
During an open forum in May, before he was hired as OU's president, McDavis addressed diversity at length and said he guaranteed the school would become more diverse. Last year, OU had 6 percent minority enrollment; McDavis' last school, Virginia Commonwealth, had 39 percent minority enrollment.
Increasing the number of students of color at Ohio University is a job for all of us
McDavis said, from our Board of Trustees to the administration
to the faculty
to the current students who are here. All of us have to have an attitude of 'What can I do?'
While he was a student at OU from 1966 until 1970, the school had about 18 percent minority enrollment, McDavis said.
I'll be honest
I don't know (why it has decreased)
he said. But you have to keep paying attention to it. It's not the sort of thing you can relax on
or ignore and say
'Well
we'll get our share of minority students
