POSITION: President
INSTITUTION: Ohio University
LOCATION: Athens, Ohio

INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND

Ohio University was chartered by the State of Ohio in 1804 and is the oldest institution of higher learning in the original Northwest Territory. Located in the scenic Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio, its classic residential campus is one of the most attractive in the nation. The charm of tree-lined brick walkways on the University’s College Green gives one the feeling of being at a small college rather than a large university.

Ohio University’s roots are in post-Revolutionary War America. In 1786 a group of veterans petitioned Congress to purchase one and one-half million acres north and west of the Ohio River. The University opened in 1808 with three students and awarded its first degrees in 1815. Today, the University enrolls more than 28,000 students, with 20,000 on the main campus in Athens, and an additional 8,400 on five regional campuses.

The University is currently celebrating its bicentennial. The celebration is expected to end with the announcement of the successful completion of the University’s $200 million Bicentennial Capital Campaign.

FACULTY AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Ohio University is designated a Doctoral/Research University–Extensive by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is one of only 151 schools which share this classification, defined by a wide range of baccalaureate programs, a commitment to graduate education through the doctorate, and the awarding of 50 or more doctoral degrees per year across at least 15 disciplines.

Ohio University offers 276 undergraduate majors through nine colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication, Education, Engineering and Technology, Fine Arts, Health and Human Services, Honors Tutorial, and University. Master’s degrees are available in more than 50 areas, doctoral degrees in 25, and the College of Osteopathic Medicine offers the D.O. degree. On the undergraduate level, the University has a number of widely respected programs including biological and natural sciences, business, dance, education, engineering, health and human services, journalism, social sciences and humanities, telecommunications, and visual arts. At the graduate level, traditional academic programs are offered along with professional programs such as the Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Education, Master of Fine Arts, and Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Ohio University is recognized as a center for scholarship, research, and creative activity. Faculty scholarship is especially noteworthy in avionics, biochemistry, contemporary history, education, communication disorders, creative writing, film, theater, health psychology, health communication, journalism, mathematics, molecular and cellular biology, nanoscience, and neuroscience.

Ohio University is a member of the Internet 2 project supported by the National Science Foundation. This project represents the joining together of academic, government and industry partners to create a separate Internet to meet academic requirements in research, teaching and learning. To facilitate goal attainment for the Internet 2 Project, as well as to ensure that the efficiencies and productivity characteristics of a high performing IT organization are realized, a comprehensive study of Ohio University’s Information Technology Organization was launched in the fall of 2003. This study will guide a strategic planning process, which will focus on establishing IT priorities, improving service gradients and advancing the integration, efficiency and service platform for IT at Ohio University. This service platform will ensure reliable access to IT resources required to perform daily academic and administrative functions more efficiently and effectively.

Ohio University employs a total of 1,056 full-time and 734 part-time faculty, including 138 full-time and 382 part-time faculty on its regional campuses. On the main campus in Athens, 66 percent of tenured or tenure-track faculty hold the rank of full or associate professor.

STUDENT PROFILE

Undergraduate admission on the Athens campus is selective. The average freshman class includes approximately 3,700 students from an applicant pool of 13,000. Most first-year students are in the top quarter of their high school graduating class and 37 percent rank in the top 12 percent. The average incoming GPA is 3.3/4.0, the freshmen composite ACT score ranges from 21–26, and the combined SAT is 1000–1210. The University’s retention rate of 84 percent is among the highest in the nation for large, public institutions. The six-year graduation rate is 70 percent. At the graduate level the University has approximately 3,500 students, 425 of whom are enrolled in the Medical School. Approximately 85 percent of all students are Ohio residents, although the student population comes from all 50 states. Six percent are students of color. Nearly 1,100 international students from 100 different countries are enrolled.

Ohio University is the only institution in the United States with a degree-granting Honors college incorporating all the essential features of the traditional British tutorial system. The Honors Tutorial College currently offers 27 major areas of study to approximately 250 students. A high percentage of its graduates go on to either professional or graduate school. Honors College students compete for national honors and have won the prestigious Marshall and Goldwater Awards in recent years.

The student-centered philosophy inherent in the University’s mission is evident by the numerous ways in which students contribute to the campus community. The campus boasts over 360 registered student organizations including clubs, sororities, fraternities, and student chapters of professional organizations. Additionally, students play an important part in the governance of the University. The Student Senate and Graduate Student Senate are recognized by the Board of Trustees as part of the University's formal governance structure (along with Faculty Senate, Administrative Senate, and Classified Senate). In addition, two students serve as non-voting members of the Board of Trustees. Ohio University competes athletically in the Mid-American Conference at the NCAA Division IA level. Ohio University athletes compete in ten women’s and eight men’s sports as well as Intramural Sports. Approximately 15 percent of the student body participates in the Greek System.

Ohio University’s 1300-acre main campus in Athens is largely residential. Most students live on or near campus. All first- and second-year students live in one of the university's 41 residence halls. Ninety percent of all students living in the residence halls stay on campus over the weekend. The campus includes 201 buildings. Most notably, the campus boasts a new life sciences building, a new lecture hall, and a new student recreation center.

ALUMNI

Ohio University has more than 175,000 alumni living throughout the world. Over 50 percent of graduates live in the State of Ohio. Beyond Ohio, alumni are concentrated primarily on the East Coast in New York, Washington and Boston, and in the Midwest in the greater Chicago area. In addition, the cities of Charlotte, North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, and San Francisco all have significant alumni populations. Ohio University’s graduates also have a global presence through a network of 60, U.S.-based regional chapters and twenty-five alumni societies, affiliated with colleges, schools, and special interests.

The Ohio University Office of Alumni Relations (OUAA) and the Alumni Association are dedicated to maintaining active engagement and participation of all alumni. The OUAA is advised by a 24-member Board of Directors and is part of the division of University Advancement. Ohio University’s Vice President for University Advancement also serves as the Executive Director of the Ohio University Foundation. Established in 1945, the Ohio University Foundation is an institutionally-related non-profit 501(c)3 organization and is the repository for private gifts to Ohio University. The Foundation is governed by a 50-person board, comprised mostly of alumni. The Foundation is an active partner in the University's mission of education, research, and service, and works aggressively toward these ends. In the Fall of 2000, the University publicly announced the second major campaign in its history, the Bicentennial Campaign, which will raise more than $200 million in total gift commitments by June 30, 2004. The Campaign has raised more than $190 million toward its goal and will provide money for scholarships, endowed chairs and professorships, technological enhancements, innovative programs, and selected capital improvements. Today, The Ohio University Foundation raises $25 million annually from a loyal network of more than 25,000 donors who have helped the University's overall endowment reach almost $170 million.

The award-winning Ohio Today Magazine is the primary source of information for alumni. The 13-member Alumni Relations staff markets and communicates programs of interest to alumni through traditional mail, e-mail, listserves, and specialized online event registration tools. In addition, alumni can update their personal information and search for each other through a dynamic online directory.

THE ATHENS COMMUNITY

Athens is a distinctive, small college town whose character is shaped, to a large extent, by Ohio University. The University and the local community are located in the midst of picturesque, rural Appalachia. Athens’ identity is heavily influenced by the 20,000 students who join the 20,000 full-time residents for nine months each year, and the pace of the community reflects the ebb and flow of the University calendar. In a recent survey conducted by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Ohio University had more employees than the next nine employers on the list combined. In addition to providing most of the jobs in the area, the university also provides the best pay and the best benefits.

Because of its role as the dominant employer in the immediate community, Ohio University has taken an increasingly active role in community. Because of the unique character of the area, the institution fulfills a special service mission and also serves as a cultural center for the region. Many academic and research units work in partnership with communities and residents to address issues of mutual concern. For example, the region’s resources were depleted decades ago by the coal and timber industries. However, today that same landscape has become a learning laboratory for students and faculty studying watershed problems created by abandoned mines, developing alternative sources of energy, and researching herbal and medicinal plants that grow abundantly in the midst of the region’s hardwood forests. Efforts to improve educational opportunity and access throughout the region for at-risk children involve University students in after-school mentoring programs and literacy development efforts. One such endeavor is Kids on Campus -- a campus/community partnership in which approximately 800 children from the region receive academic, nutritional, recreational, and social enrichment on campus during a six-week summer program. Outreach programs such as the Voinovich Center’s Appalachian Regional Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Executive Leadership Institute, provide training and development programs to help residents develop leadership and business skills. A final example is Ohio University’s Innovation Center, founded in 1983 and recently re-located into a newly constructed facility, which houses biotechnology and information technology companies, as well as the institution’s Technology Transfer Office.

BUDGET AND FINANCE

The current annual budget at Ohio University is $525 million. Student tuition and fees account for approximately 39% of total revenues. Remaining funds come from state appropriations, grants and other external funding, and private support. Although the state funding environment for higher education continues to present challenges to public institutions, Ohio University remains financially sound. In comparison with peer institutions, the University boasts a strong balance sheet, stable operating budget, a carefully maintained physical plant, relatively low debt, and strong financial ratios. In short, the University is able to offer students a rare value – an exceptional education at a competitive tuition rate.

The University physical plant is valued at $1.2 billion. The state capital appropriations for the next biennium are expected to be in the range of $20 to $26 million buttressed by a biennial basic renovation fund of $5.6 million. Major renovations over the past five years include three large academic facilities, and new construction of research and instructional facilities. Planned construction includes rehabilitation of the heating plant and construction of a new student center.

As of June 30, 2003, the University had outstanding bonds and notes payable of $132,665,000 and plans to issue approximately $40 million in bonds in March, 2004, primarily to finance the new student center. Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s ratings are A1 and A+, respectively. Recent cuts in state funding have resulted in the implementation of a soft hiring freeze and budget reductions of 3.5% to academic units and 5.5% to administrative units. An Early Retirement Incentive Plan (ERIP) helped trim non-academic employee ranks.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS AND GOVERNANCE

The president is the chief executive officer of the University. As the leader of the University the President furthers the mission and exercises broad responsibilities for all aspects of the academic, student, financial, advancement and other administrative dimensions of the institution. The President reports to Board of Trustees whose members are appointed by the Governor of the State of Ohio. In addition, the Board of Trustees includes two non-voting student members, the chair of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and two national trustees, both of whom are Ohio University alumni. Each regional campus has a nine-member coordinating council whose members are appointed by the Board of Trustees. Constituent organizations including Administrative, Classified, Faculty, Graduate Student, and Student Senates also share in the University governance process.

PRESIDENT’S PRIORITIES

Ohio University’s next President will have responsibility for addressing the following critical leadership issues:

• Developing and implementing a strategic planning process: The President will lead the University in a comprehensive strategic planning exercise, the result of which should be the identification of clear long- and short-term strategic priorities for the institution. Subsequently, the President will have responsibility for communicating these goals to the campus community and implementing them.

• Enhancing Ohio University’s academic quality: Ohio University is a comprehensive, national university offering distinctive undergraduate education and excellent graduate education. In 2003, U.S. News & World Report ranked Ohio University 45th in the nation for academic quality. The John Templeton Foundation has also recognized Ohio University as one of the top character–building institutions in the country. Ohio University is poised to move to the next level in academic competitiveness and is seeking strong leadership to achieve this goal.

• Increasing the national visibility, and profile of the University: Too often, Ohio University is referred to as a “well kept secret” in higher education. As Ohio University competes more aggressively with both large public universities and selective private schools, the benefits of an Ohio University education need to be better defined and, subsequently, communicated more effectively to internal and external audiences, including potential donors, prospective students and faculty, and opinion polls and ratings services.

• Generating resources to solidify the University’s position as an institution of the highest caliber: The University is currently observing its Bicentennial. Among the many accomplishments to be celebrated in conjunction with this notable marker will be the Bicentennial Campaign, currently underway and closing in on its $200 million goal. With over $190 million raised, the next President will arrive in the wake of the most successful fundraising drive in the institution’s history. Nevertheless, like many of its competitors, the University is facing rising costs. Of particular concern are questions regarding the levels and types of financial aid that should be offered by a selective state institution. The next president must capitalize on the momentum of the Bicentennial Campaign, to generate support for Ohio University’s pursuit of excellence from donors, grant agencies, legislators, corporate partners, and regents.

• Measurably improving diversity on campus: Integral to the mission of Ohio University is an effort to improve recruitment and admission of a multicultural student body of racially and ethnically diverse individuals from across the United States and the world, and to improve the campus climate in support of a multicultural community. The President of the University must voice a clear and strong commitment to diversity and work to institutionalize diversity enhancement programs with the support of the Board of Trustees and leaders from among the faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

• Establishing a strong partnership with the local community: Ohio University’s leadership must maintain an awareness of its central and critical position in the region. It must use its considerable strength for advancing its goals while communicating a consideration and respect for the community and its interests. It must maintain its forthright involvement in the larger community. This challenge, well met, will allow both the university and the community to continue their development and to realize their enormous potential.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

The President must have a distinguished record of accomplishment in higher education and/or other fields of professional endeavor and must have demonstrated significant leadership skills. The President also must have significant academic and administrative experience, preferably at a senior management level in a research university or comparable institution in business or government, and an appreciation of the values and objectives of a public research university dedicated to quality teaching and scholarship. A proven ability to work successfully with the internal and external constituencies of a large, complex organization such as Ohio University is essential. A doctorate or terminal professional degree is preferable; candidates must have strong academic credentials to validate their understanding of academic values.

The successful candidate must be committed to undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, and to shared academic governance and be able to:

• Work effectively with diverse populations, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, the Board of Trustees, and share a strong commitment to diversity;

• Attract, retain, and develop executive leaders;

• Represent the University effectively to internal and external audiences;

• Enhance funding from all sources;

• Communicate effectively with the Board of Trustees and implement the Board’s policies within the context of the University’s tradition of shared governance;

• Work in partnership with the provost and other appropriate University officers and faculty committees to develop and implement Ohio University’s comprehensive strategic plan;

• Serve as a spokesperson for higher education, nationally and internationally;

• Maintain visibility on campus;

• Oversee the University’s Division I, Intercollegiate Athletics program.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Additionally, the successful candidate will have the following personal qualifications and characteristics:

• Highest degree of personal integrity;

• Confidence and openness to challenge and critique;

• Ability to inspire people to strive for higher levels of achievement;

• Outstanding communication skills in addressing, listening, and responding to many different audiences both within and outside the University community;

• Ability to formulate, communicate, and build consensus for a clear academic and organizational vision for the University;

• A high level of energy to function effectively as a team player in a fast-paced environment; and,

• A strong, dynamic leadership style.

COMPENSATION
Open and competitive.

DEADLINE
The review of credentials begins immediately and will continue until February 5, 2004.

CONTACTS
Nominations and applications should be sent, preferably electronically, to:

Shelly Weiss Storbeck
Managing Director and Vice President
A.T. Kearney Education Practice
333 John Carlyle Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703/739-4613 Fax: 703/518-1782
Email : monisha.kaplan@es.atkearney.com

Ohio University is an equal opportunity employer. For more information about Ohio University, please visit its Web site: www.ohio.edu