| | State of the University Address
January 31st, 2008
Margaret M. Walter Hall Rotunda
Delivered by President Roderick J. McDavis
Members of the Ohio University community, thank you for joining me today to reflect on all that we have accomplished over the last year and to discuss the long-term course that we have charted together—as a university community—for our beloved Ohio University.
As I have said repeatedly since being appointed, there is no greater honor than to serve as president of my alma mater and to work alongside some of the most dedicated, generous, innovative, and passionate people with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working. You are the heart of Ohio University!
Here, we care very deeply about our community and are mindful of how each decision made at the unit or department level—all the way up to the president’s office—may affect those we work with each day.
I have great respect for that commitment and that compassion. It is why Ohio University is a “singular place.”
We are blessed to be a university that feels like a college.
We are blessed to have the fabric of the Athens community and the university community woven together.
We are blessed to have a culture that is bustling with creativity equal to the energy surging through a cosmopolitan city. The difference is that we don’t have to deal with the traffic!
I am very happy to report to you today that the state of our university is strong.
With our recent marketing campaign, “The Promise,” we showcased some of Ohio University’s best and brightest students and the faculty who work each day to ensure their success.
One of our best and brightest students is Bob Arnold, who has been named a 2008 Marshall Scholar. He is the only 2008 Marshall Scholar from an Ohio institution—and he is a Bobcat! I know Bob will continue to make us proud and to showcase a world-class Ohio University education in London next year.
Last academic year, our students earned 50 nationally and internationally competitive awards, making us elite among universities in the state.
This past fall quarter, our women’s athletic teams had great success. Two teams were nationally ranked—our women’s volleyball and field hockey. And along with the women’s cross country team, those teams captured their respective Mid-American Conference regular season championships.
Our student-athletes’ success also extends to the classroom. The fact that our student-athletes’ graduation success rate is six points higher than the national Division I institutional average is a tremendous point of pride for Ohio University.
During the fall quarter, we held the grand opening of the Faculty Commons in Alden Library. This space provides a place for faculty to gather. It hosts services that will help faculty advance their teaching and research goals.
For the first time in more than 30 years, Ohio University students moved into a new residence hall—Adams Hall—this past fall.
On September 29, 2007, we broke ground on the new Academic & Research Center, a collaborative effort between the Russ College of Engineering and Technology and the College of Osteopathic Medicine. It’s the first building to be constructed primarily with private gifts since Cutler Hall was built in 1819.
Among our regional campuses, Ohio University Eastern Campus is celebrating 50 years of educating students. Thousands of Ohio University alumni earned their degrees at the Eastern Campus in St. Clairsville and we celebrate this half-century mark with them.
Last May, I announced a new restructuring to bring coherence to our academic mission. Dr. Kathy Krendl was elevated to executive vice president and provost and she assumed direct oversight for the Office of Research; the Office of University Outreach; the Office of Diversity, Access and Equity; and our regional campuses.
I have relied on Dr. Krendl, working closely with our academic deans, to achieve detailed and ambitious new goals for our academic work, goals that are consistent with our strategic priorities.
I am very pleased with their work to date.
We have seen an increase in our applications for admission for fall 2008 quarter, specifically in areas where we have targeted resources and efforts. Some of those areas include attracting multicultural, out-of-state, and international students.
Multicultural applications are up by 21 percent. Out-of-state applications currently are up by 8 percent. International applications are up by 109, which is a 97 percent increase.
Applause is welcomed.
A little coaching never hurts.
In geographic areas where we ran “The Promise” campaign, we have seen a bump in applications as well.
To help increase the number of transfer students attending Ohio University, I signed a memorandum of understanding with Washington State Community College this past fall. The MOU is similar to another agreement I signed with Hocking College last spring. Next week, I plan to sign another such agreement with the president of Columbus State Community College in Columbus.
We also are intensively pursing partnership agreements with Lorain Community College, Lakewood Community College, and Cuyahoga Community College. Developing partnerships with these community colleges opens up great opportunities to help us promote diversity on our campus and significantly increase the number of transfer students who attend our university.
These agreements also will help us work with these colleges to provide wider access throughout Ohio to educational opportunities—including the completion of bachelor’s degrees—for those students who may not be able to pursue a traditional on-campus education. I know that our Office of University Outreach is working very hard on these initiatives.
Other intentional efforts are being directed toward the improvement of student academic success. Let me share with you one telling example of that effort—the impact of learning communities.
Last year, nearly 15 percent of University College’s students were on academic probation. This year that is down by almost half that number. Credit for this drop certainly goes to the staff of University College and the fact that for the first time, all incoming University College students were required to participate in a learning community this year.
The significant drop in the academic probation rate corresponds with other information we know about the positive effects of learning communities, including improved first-year retention rates and higher grade-point averages of learning community participants over nonparticipants. These communities are important and a good step towards improving student quality, retention, and academic success.
In support of graduate education, last September Dr. Krendl announced the establishment of a graduate college. Expected to be fully operational by fall 2008, this graduate college is an important initiative because it provides the best structure for advocacy of our graduate programs and our graduate students.
Other accomplishments include:
- Creation of an enhanced bachelor of business administration degree on our regional campuses by the College of Business
- Establishment of a program to assist students placed on academic probation after fall quarter in the University College and the College of Arts and Sciences
- Creation of a digital media sequence in the Scripps College of Communication
- Focused diversity recruiting strategies in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology
- Development of a student alcohol prevention and outreach program in the College of Education
- Facilitation of a record number of grant submissions by the College of Health and Human Services to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation
- Expanded health services to the region by the College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Innovative recruiting materials in the Honors Tutorial College
- And the doubling of funding amounts made available for College of Fine Arts Faculty Creative Research Awards
It is very clear that Dr. Krendl and our deans have been extremely busy. In partnership with the faculty, staff, and students in their colleges, they have accomplished much to further our academic mission in a short amount of time. I would ask that they please stand to be acknowledged. Academic deans and Dr. Krendl, thank you very much for your commitment and hard work! I look forward to continued progress on the goals that were outlined in May.
In order to support our academic mission, I made private fund-raising a top priority in the past year. And I am very proud to report that we are making great progress. Already, we have secured $14.6 million in gifts toward our 2008 fiscal year goal of $18 million. And, we are on pace to have an outstanding fund-raising year!
FOX News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, a 1962 graduate of Ohio University, made a generous contribution to the Scripps College of Communication to provide significant support for a new, technologically advanced newsroom.
I anticipate making more exciting announcements in coming months regarding more gifts in support of the new building for the Scripps College of Communication.
In November, the university received an $850,000 gift to support our Urban Scholars from the estate of alumnus James Bartholomew.
A 1970 alumna recently committed to a $1 million bequest that will support scholarships in the Department of Mathematics.
We raised $1.4 million for an Operational Endowment for Intercollegiate Athletics. This effort is led by President Emeritus Vern Alden’s $600,000 challenge gift. In addition, we have received commitments of $250,000 each from Robert and Peggy Walter, from Alan and Ruby Riedel, and from an anonymous alumni donor.
The legacy of our dear late friend Beth K. Stocker continues at Ohio University. Today, I am very pleased to announce publicly for the first time that the university and our Russ College of Engineering and Technology recently received $5 million from her estate. This gift is the culmination of more than 50 years of philanthropy and brings the total giving from Beth and her husband, the late C. Paul Stocker, to $31.9 million.
I can think of no better illustration of the value of our relationships with alumni and friends and the bonds that these two individuals have established with this university.
This month, Ohio University lost another dear friend, Dolores Russ. The Russ Family has been near and dear to our university since the 1970s—and their influence is evidenced by the naming of our Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology.
We have learned that the Russes have generously provided for Ohio University in their estate. The conservative estimate is that the university and our Russ College will receive $80 million in securities and real estate.
There are many details yet to be finalized, but I wanted to share news of this transformational gift for our university and our Russ College with you today. I look forward to sharing additional details with you as they become available.
There are many other wonderful gifts in the works—and suffice it to say, I am working closely with our Division of University Advancement and our boards to bring additional significant private support to our great university!
I also have reached out to our elected representatives in Congress and made the case for financial support of important research and outreach programs at Ohio University.
Thanks to the support from Senators Voinovich and Brown along with Representatives Wilson, Space, and Hobson, this year, we have secured federal appropriations totaling more than $2.3 million. These funds will support university economic development initiatives, improvements to the Ohio University airport, health care outreach headed by our College of Osteopathic Medicine, and research in our Russ College.
These are but a few examples of the amazing work happening on our campuses. Although this list only begins to skim the surface, we all should be very proud of our collective accomplishments!
I recently came across a collection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermons, speeches, and writings. One in particular that struck me was entitled “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.”
In it, Dr. King shared Washington Irving’s classic story of Rip Van Winkle. As you may remember, in the story, Rip Van Winkle went up the mountain to take a nap. He ended up sleeping for 20 years! And when he awoke and came down from the mountain, he not only had a very long beard, but he found a very changed world.
As Dr. King points out, this story teaches us a lesson about living in a world where change constantly occurs. He said, “whenever anything new comes into history it brings with it new challenges and new opportunities.”
I share it with you today, because the world around Ohio University is changing dramatically. We are facing a number of external challenges. And we cannot afford to find ourselves asleep while others are rapidly adapting.
One significant challenge we face is the downturn of our economy.
Last week, Governor Ted Strickland revealed projections of a $733 million to a $1.9 billion budget shortfall in the next year and a half. That is not good news for our state or for Ohioans.
This news is unfortunate because public higher education made dramatic gains in the current state budget.
In Governor Strickland’s State of the State Address last year, he promised Ohioans a solution to college affordability. And thanks to his leadership and that of Speaker Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris, they delivered.
The state made a sizable financial commitment that backed a two-year zero percent tuition freeze for our students. The governor announced this morning he will hold this commitment harmless from targeted cuts to address the state’s projected budget shortfall.
Needless to say, our CFO Bill Decatur was happy to hear that news.
Chancellor Eric Fingerhut made clear that he expects public universities to “find ways to operate more efficiently.” We will seize the opportunity to improve efficiency and productivity in all areas of our university.
One of the ways we will do that is by establishing shared services centers that specialize in meeting the business needs of our academic and academic support units. We also will implement a smarter approach to purchasing. These efforts will not only save money, they also will improve service.
We will continue to watch the situation in Columbus closely but are mindful of our reality as a public institution in a state facing economic difficulties. We will do our part to be responsive to the call from the governor.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.”
Other challenges we face call on us to be more strategic and more creative as we “think anew.”
It is no secret that higher education has become highly competitive. Within our own state, our sister schools are aspiring to attract the kind of elite student that is traditionally drawn to Ohio University and they are succeeding. The Ohio State University mapped an aggressive path for improvements a decade ago and the transformation that has unfolded has been startling.
A shift in demographics will continue to increase competition within our state. Experts project high school graduates in Ohio will peak this year and then fall by 10,000 or nearly 9 percent in the next five years. This is a sharp decrease and it will challenge us to become even smarter at our recruiting efforts.
I know that our state leaders are doing what they can to stop the drain of citizens from our state. And it is clear that the State of Ohio and Ohioans value higher education. The creation of The University System of Ohio and the elevation of Chancellor Fingerhut’s role to a cabinet level position is proof of that commitment.
They value higher education because they understand the state’s colleges and universities are the hope for the future of Ohio. With our state’s shift away from a manufacturing economy, Ohio needs to increase the number of residents with college degrees so that we are competitive in the global economy.
As a public trust, Ohio University needs to find ways to address that important need and increase accessibility and affordability.
Our regional campuses and the programs offered by University Outreach are making a significant contribution in that area.
By connecting Ohio University with as many Ohioans as possible, those campuses and outreach programs serve long-term statewide economic development, professional development, and work force entry programs—all of which are crucial to the future viability of our state.
Those programs are the key to raising Ohio’s degree production and completion rates and helping the state become more competitive in the national arena.
But we must do more if we are going to succeed against a struggling economy, encroaching competition, and shifting demographics. And I believe we are up to the challenge.
Our history teaches us that our university is resilient. Carved out of the frontiers of the Northwest Territory, we have confronted change in a manner worthy of any pioneer.
We weathered tough times because we addressed each challenge as a community and embraced them as opportunities. And today, once again, we are rising to the occasion, determined not to sleep on the mountain as Rip Van Winkle did.
We have spent a great deal of time assessing and refining our institutional priorities.
Those priorities were built by applying our core values. Why? Because we hold true to our core values.
We value student engagement.
We value collaboration and partnership with members of our own community and colleagues at other institutions.
We value our beautiful campuses and sound infrastructure, which offers the tools and facilities that students, faculty, and staff need to be successful.
We value our deep commitment to our region.
Most importantly, we value our people for their knowledge, skills, and determination. Our university is bursting with caring people who think big thoughts and dream big dreams.
Ohio University’s core values and purpose have not and will not change. They are the fabric of our institution and serve as the guideposts for our academic priorities.
Think back with me, if you will, to three-and-a-half years ago.
Many of you may remember that acting on a directive from our Board of Trustees, I initiated a strategic planning process for our university in my Inaugural Address in September 2004.
I asked Dr. Krendl, then our interim provost, to chair a universitywide Presidential Task Force on the Future of Ohio University. The task force’s work led to the development of “Vision OHIO: An Academic Plan for Ohio University.”
Once the strategic plan was developed, it moved to the implementation teams, which were appointed to prioritize the objectives. The Vision OHIO Executive Steering Committee then continued the teams’ work and further narrowed the list of institutional priorities. The committee’s work was then shared with the Board of Trustees in spring 2007.
At its June meeting, the Board of Trustees asked me to create a Five Year Action Plan for implementing the goals of Vision OHIO. They asked to see an initial draft at their August retreat.
The executive staff worked with Dr. Krendl and me to prepare this draft and it was presented to the Board on August 3. We then spent the fall quarter vetting it with constituent groups.
During the recent winter break, the executive staff and academic deans worked with me, with open minds and in more than 20 hours of meetings, to revise the action plan.
Using the feedback and recommendations from the campus community during the vetting process, we identified three areas of high priority: strengthening undergraduate education, making targeted investments in graduate education and research, and enhancing the recruitment and retention of students.
The top 21 objectives outlined in the Five Year Vision OHIO Implementation Plan focus our attention on these areas for the next five years.
On January 16, Dr. Krendl and Vice President for Finance and Administration Bill Decatur shared the revised plan with the Five Year Plan Committee.
The committee reviewed this revised plan and had the opportunity to offer feedback and recommendations. Next week, at the Board of Trustees’ February 8th meeting, I will present the draft plan. This draft is reflective of the feedback received during this process.
I also will propose to our Board of Trustees that funding for next year’s initiatives come from institutional reserves and carryforward accounts. We want to move away from the past practice of cutting budgets to reallocate to strategic areas. Being able to do this depends in large part on the state’s financial situation.
Drafting of the Five Year Vision OHIO Implementation Plan is an important step. It will help us make strategic investments and position our university to turn our challenges into opportunities.
It also proves the promise that Vision OHIO is a living, breathing document. Through this strategic process, our six Vision OHIO goals were revised and an action plan, grounded in the academic plan, was developed. Vision OHIO has and will continue to change, grow, and develop.
Our next step is to continue to review and revise the document as necessary to make sure we are meeting important needs. We will continue to solicit feedback and recommendations from our campus community.
Responsibility for further work on the Five Year Vision OHIO Implementation Plan will be delegated to the executive staff and deans. It also will be delegated to the Budget Planning Council and the Vision OHIO Executive Steering Committee, which are broadly representative of our university community.
In the near future, we will begin to develop the set of strategic initiatives of high priority for years two through five, which will be shared with the campus community.
Thank you to all for your great work which has brought us to this point!
Sometimes we may ask ourselves, “Why are we working so hard to change our course and embrace a new direction for our university?”
It can be tough and frustrating to move out of what we have come to recognize as our comfort zone. But external realities pressing upon us make it imperative that we focus our efforts and sharpen our strengths. Our Five Year Plan will position us well to rise to these challenges.
An e-mail I recently received from one of our assistant professors reminded me of why we are working so hard to make our university a better place.
He wrote, “President McDavis: I received your e-mail regarding the State of the University Address as well as the Founders Day activities. Sadly, I will not be able to attend either as I am currently deployed to Iraq in service of our nation and the peoples of Iraq.
I wanted you to know how proud I am to be associated with OU, both as an alum and as a professor. I know that at times it must be difficult changing course and moving in new directions, but I wanted to encourage you in your efforts and let you know that I am very excited about the future of Ohio University!
Hopefully I will be able to read a transcript of your address and I wish you well in your efforts.”
So, whenever you wonder why we are moving in a new direction, I hope that you remember the words of this soldier. I believe that the reason we are working so hard is because we are doing it for our students, for our faculty, for our staff, and for all of those who will follow us. Indeed, our hard work is for a brighter future for Ohio University!
We are preserving our university’s legacy and making it even stronger for future generations. Let us continue working together to build a better tomorrow for Ohio University!
Go Bobcats!
Thank you very much. We're adjourned.
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