OU Trustees to take their final vote on switch to semesters
By Nick Claussen
October 2, 2008
The Ohio University Board of Trustees is expected to vote Friday to formally approve the switch to semesters.
The Trustees also plan to discuss several other issues during their committee meetings today and full board meeting Friday, such as renovation projects for Hudson Health Center and Parks Hall, the evaluation of OU President Roderick McDavis, enrollment trends and the budget situation.
OU is one of four state universities in Ohio still on quarters, and the new University System of Ohio Strategic Plan recommends that all state institutions use the same academic calendar. McDavis and Provost/Executive Vice President Kathy Krendl have both recommended that OU switch to semesters, and a transition team is already meeting on campus to help plan for the switch from quarters to semesters.
The switch, though, has not yet been formally approved by the Board of Trustees.
A resolution on the Trustees’ agenda calls for the university to convert to the semester system in the beginning of the 2012-2013 academic year. The resolution will be voted on Friday.
The agenda packet for the meeting includes information on the switch to semesters, and explains several reasons for the switch.
The packet states that while future OU students “will not enjoy the advantages of shorter periods of instruction or a long winter break,” they will have opportunities that current OU students do not have, such as additional class time to explore different subjects, the chance to move into internships and job positions earlier because the academic year ends earlier, and greater ease of transferring to other institutions in Ohio and around the country that are on semesters.
The renovation of Hudson Health Center will also be discussed during the meeting. During the 2007-2008 academic year, OU officials were proposing to close Hudson Health Center and build a new health center that would combine the services of the current Hudson Health Center and the Parks Hall medical offices.
Plans for the new facility proved to be too expensive, though, so now OU is looking at plans to renovate Hudson Health Center. Information in the agenda packet states that the facility is being evaluated for renovation, an architect is being retained to provide more information on costs and programming possibilities, and the project may be included in the 10-year capital planning process.
The agenda packet information also states that the OU College of Osteopathic Medicine and University Medical Associates are evaluating Parks Hall for renovation, and are also “exploring partnerships with non-university related entities.”
OU recently received a cut in state funding as part of statewide budget cuts, and the Trustees plan to discuss those cuts. In addition, a report will be given on planning for the 2010 fiscal year budget (which will begin in July 2009).
Enrollment figures also will be discussed during the meeting, and information from Krendl in the agenda packet states that early enrollment figures for this year are promising. She hopes to have final enrollment figures in time for the meeting.
The agenda packet information also states, however, that a decade-long demographic decline in high-school graduates in Ohio is being predicted, which will make recruiting even more competitive between colleges and universities in Ohio.
The comprehensive evaluation of McDavis will be discussed in an Executive Committee meeting. No other information is given in the agenda packet on whether the evaluation is continuing or has already been completed. McDavis was given a 29 percent raise worth $85,000 at the Board of Trustees’ June meeting, and was also given a five-year contract. During that meeting, the Trustee Chair C. Daniel Delawder announced that a comprehensive evaluation of McDavis would be completed.
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