President Roderick J. McDavis presented the board with a new approach for implementation of the Five Year Vision Ohio plan. Meetings during the recent break with executive staff and deans as well as constituent groups resulted in six revised Vision Ohio goals and drew attention to the need for measurable initiatives, or objectives, to outline the ways in which the university could achieve those goals, he said.

McDavis outlined the strengthening of undergraduate education, making targeted investments in graduate education and research, and improved recruiting and retention of students as the areas deemed to have the highest priority. A series of 21 prioritized implementation objectives have been established.

"The question is, where do we begin," McDavis said, noting that objectives were prioritized based on what must be achieved initially to ensure the success of the entire plan.

McDavis identified the next steps in the Vision Ohio plan as determining first-year funding strategies and focusing efforts to develop a final plan for the 2008-09 academic year, which is to be presented to the board at the April 18 meeting.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Bill Decatur briefly outlined plans to fund the first year of the plan through institutional reserves and one-time money. In subsequent years, he said, the funding would come from increased revenue generation, additional productivity and efficiencies, and academic and support unit prioritization.

Chair C. Daniel DeLawder, stressing the importance of the Vision Ohio Plan, described it as a "defining document" and a "road map" for the university's future. Members of the board commended those who contributed to the plan for looking at the concrete dollar amounts required to fund projects. They called for increased attention to measurable ways in which the progress of the plan could be tracked.

Executive Vice President and Provost Kathy Krendl was unable to attend the meeting, and McDavis presented Krendl's report on her behalf. The report highlighted the areas in which Ohio University already has begun to manifest the goals of the Vision Ohio strategic plan.

Krendl's report cited increased applications for next academic year as evidence of success in student recruitment. To date, the university has seen a 9 percent increase in overall applications, a 21 percent increase in applications from multicultural students, a 9 percent increase in out-of-state applications and a 97 percent increase in applications from prospective international students.

Student retention efforts have benefited from new programs and initiatives within the various colleges as well as from seven new universitywide efforts. Fall-to-winter data for the current academic year indicates 75 fewer students were on probation compared to the same period in the 2006-07 school year.

Krendl's report also touched on the success of "The Promise" marketing campaign, citing the continuation of the campaign as a strategy to be employed by the university as it continues to pursue its enrollment and retention goals. Other strategies included offering new high-demand programs and the continued pursuit of out-of-state and international students.

The report noted the importance of continuing key pursuits, including the expansion of learning communities, improvement in academic advising, increased faculty lines in targeted areas and increased instruction resources for general education.

The provost also highlighted the university's efforts to develop partnerships and reach out to other educational institutions as well as corporate partners, drawing specific attention to Ohio's relationship with the American Hydrogen Corp. through the work of faculty member Gerardine Botte and the joint degree initiatives already in place with Columbus State Community College, Washington State Community College and Hocking College.

During his report to the board, Trustee Larry Schey, chair of the University Resources Committee, presented a resolution to authorize leasing university land on Stimson Avenue to National Church Residencies for a retirement community. Schey said members of the committee had thoroughly discussed the resolution during an executive session on Thursday and believe that it address all concerns that have been raised.

The resolution also gave McDavis and his executive officers the authority to negotiate terms of the lease and to determine a fair price for the land. After a brief discussion, the trustees approved the resolution unanimously. The lease ultimately is subject to the approval of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.

During a press conference after the meeting, Decatur said the lease price will be based on the determined market value of the land minus the in-kind value of the facility to the university in terms of its use for academic programs and other needs.

Trustee Sandra Anderson, chair of the ad-hoc committee charged with revising the board's procedures for evaluating the university president, presented the committee's findings to the board. She also put forth a resolution to accept the new policy, which was unanimously approved by the board. (See related story.)

In other highlights, the board:

• Approved the creation of a bachelor of science degree in neuroscience, a graduate certificate in environmental sustainability, an undergraduate certificate in Jewish studies and an undergraduate certificate in construction management
  
  
• Approved changing the name of the School of Telecommunications to the School of Media Arts and Studies
  
  
• Accepted the academic program reviews of the Department of Classics and World Religions, the Department of African American Studies and Military Science (Army ROTC)
  
  
• Awarded emeritus status to John F. Burns, former director of legal affairs, and Alan H. Geiger, former assistant to the president and secretary to the Board of Trustees
  
  
• Approved the purchase of the HDL Center, which houses several university offices, effective July 1. Schey said the Resources Committee had examined several alternatives to the purchase, but they were deemed less suitable and more costly. Purchasing the building will save the university money while creating future opportunities for generating revenue, he said. The price and terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
  
  
• Appointed DeLawder to the board of The Ohio University Foundation for a term retroactive to May 14, 2007, and ending May 13, 2009
  
  
• Amended their bylaws to reflect the current standing committee structure and responsibilities
  
  
• Approved a resolution of appreciation to pay special recognition to John F. Burns for his many years of service to the university.
  
  
• Indicated that that they will gather more information regarding the proposed new student health center and address the issue in more depth at the April board meeting. (See related story.)

Several committees of the board met Thursday afternoon. Highlights of the Resources Committee meeting included:

• Decatur presented information on the fiscal 2009 budget. Based on current budgetary assumptions, Decatur said he expects the university to produce a balanced budget while still supporting current base investments and funding first-year priorities of the Five Year Vision Ohio Implementation Plan. Given the uncertain economic environment in Ohio, the Budget Planning Council will continue to develop contingency plans based on a variety of possible state budget scenarios, he said.
  
  
• Vice President for University Advancement Howard Lipman gave an overview of university development efforts, saying he expected most fund-raising goals for the current fiscal year to be met or exceeded. Lipman said the university is working with estate planners to finalize arrangements for the estimated $80 million in securities and real estate that longtime benefactor Dolores H. Russ recently left the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.
  
  
• Chris Clifford, senior associate vice president for finance, presented highlights from the FY07 audited financial statements and gave an analysis of the university's preliminary FY07 Senate Bill 6 ratios. Ohio University's SB6 composite score, a state-mandated measure of financial strength, improved from two to three since FY06. The university hopes to continue that progress through strategic financial planning and continued debt reduction, Clifford said.
  
  
• Director of Budget Planning and Analysis Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings presented an analysis of the interim financial reports through November 2007, including a summary of revenues and expenditures as well as estimated fall-quarter enrollment numbers.
  
  
• Decatur also presented an update on the Early Retirement Incentive Plan. Of the 328 total administrators and classified staff members who were eligible for ERIP, 132 (40 percent) chose to take advantage of the program. Forty-two of the vacated positions have been abolished, which will result in an annual savings of $2.45 million. The status of 21 of the vacated positions has not yet been determined. The estimated total number of abolished positions will likely number close to 60.

In the Audit Committee meeting:

• Director of Internal Audit Kathy Gilmore and committee members discussed the selection process that will used to identify an independent public accountant to conduct state-mandated annual external audits of the university. After the completion of the selection process in April, the university will sign a five-year contract with the chosen firm to provide external auditing services from fiscal 2008 through fiscal 2012.

In the Governance Committee meeting:

• The committee voted to accept updates to existing bylaws, including revisions to Article VI of the bylaws, detailing the responsibilities of five standing or special committees: Academics, Resources, Executive, Audit and Governance, making the responsibilities of each committee more streamlined for board operations.
  
  
• The committee sent back to Graduate Student Senate (GSS) a resolution to approve amendments to Article X of the GSS constitution, which specifies protocol for making amendments to the document. At the general board meeting, committee Chair Ned Dewire said the committee supported a portion of the constitutional amendment -- that after a two-thirds vote by the GSS, proposed constitutional amendments would be put to a vote of all graduate students and enacted with a majority vote. However, the committee did not endorse the fourth item, which would remove the requirement for board approval to amend the GSS constitution.