OHIO leaders discuss ongoing efforts to comply with new state laws, provide overview of University operating budget, Advancement fundraising during Dec. 3 ‘University Updates’

Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez hosted the third “University Updates” event of the academic year on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

University Updates are held throughout the year as part of OHIO’s ongoing efforts to further connections and dialogue throughout the University community. At each event, OHIO leaders provide information on current projects and initiatives through short presentations. All students, faculty and staff are invited to watch the events in person or via livestream.

The next University Updates event will be held in February 2026 at the Baker University Theater, and additional details will be shared closer to the event date. 

OHIO Leadership presentations

Ohio University Executive Vice President and Provost Don Leo discussed how state legislative activities over the last year have impacted the University’s academic affairs. Leo said the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act (AOHEA) (SB1) and the FY 26-27 State Appropriations (HB 96) contain broad higher education provisions, and he explained that they primarily serve to hold Ohio public universities accountable, create consistent policies across the state and increase Board of Trustees oversight. He also emphasized that OHIO is in compliance.

Leo said the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost has been working closely with faculty and academic leadership since June to create policies with the help of AOHEA Implementation Work Groups made up of stakeholders from across campus. The Ohio University Board of Trustees then passed the required AOHEA policies at its October meeting.

Leo said to operationalize these new policies, Vice Provost for Faculty Development Katie Hartman is working with the college associate deans to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) that explain the processes that flow from the required AOHEA policies. While AOHEA policies will take effect on December 24, 2025, additional work groups will continue into the spring.

Vice President for Finance and Administration David Moore provided an overview of Ohio University’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget. Moore noted that OHIO’s use of resources reflects the values of the University in fulfilling its mission to hold the door open to higher education, and that, through sound financial planning, the University strives to provide an affordable, high-quality education for students to achieve academic and research excellence. He continued his presentation by providing details about each category of expense and the resource budget.

Moore said that OHIO’s total expense budget amounts to $968.4 million over several different categories. He also addressed where the University’s $968.4 million in total resources come from and how they support the $968.4 million expense budget.

Vice President for University Advancement and CEO of the Ohio University Foundation Greg Simmons spoke about the role of the Division of University Advancement and the importance of alumni and donor relations. Simmons explained that the mission of Advancement is to build and strengthen relationships that inspire investment in Ohio University and its mission. He noted that Advancement accomplishes this by generating funds through philanthropy, fundraising, alumni engagement, endowments and investments.

Simmons shared that Advancement raised around $46.7 million in fiscal year 2025, compared to the goal of reaching $47.6 million in fiscal year 2026. To reach this goal and continue to elevate that platform, he noted the importance of working with campus partners to understand the donor and alumni experience, as well as utilizing data to reach more donors and generate more funds. Simmons was pleased to announce that the funds raised so far this year are trending ahead in both total donations and alumni donations.

Simmons also discussed Advancement’s role in connecting Bobcats to one another and the University through alumni events and programs. Lastly, he provided an update about the next University-wide campaign noting that it is currently in the “silent” phase, and more details are anticipated to be shared in early 2026

Additional details about OHIO’s University Updates series are available online.