Those were just a few of the topics Chillicothe campus employees raised during Thursday's discussion with Executive Vice President and Provost Kathy Krendl when she and others from the Athens campus visited Ohio University-Chillicothe.

The entourage is aiming to visit all regional campuses this quarter to engage faculty and staff in discussions about a report compiled in May by the Task Force for the Future of Regional Campuses. The final trip is scheduled for the Eastern campus on Nov. 13.

"This is an opportunity to engage the broader community in the conversation," Krendl said.

After a brief overview of initiatives around the university, each campus discussion begins with the main topics covered in the overall report: finance, faculty relationships with departments in Athens, academic program development, auxiliary and student services, and administrative and reporting structure.

Once discussion gets started, however, any topic is on the table, from the quarters to semesters transition and the best approach for tenure of regional campus faculty, to what methods would best facilitate communication between the Athens and regional campuses.

Krendl called the discussions a "middle step" in the process initiated by the task force's work earlier this year. She said the visits help her to figure "what we can do in the short term and were we want to go in the longer term."

"Are they hitting on the right things?" Krendl asked during her stop at the Lancaster campus earlier this month, referring to suggestions made by the task force. "Are they making recommendations that are possible, realistic and desirable?"

Some of the items cited in the report can be implemented right away, she said. After her campus visits, Krendl will work with the task force and others on items that need further study or implementation planning.