OHIO Board of Trustees hears update on Faculty Development Certification, approves the establishment of the Ohio Academic Health Science Center during January Board meetings

During its meetings Thursday, Jan. 15 and Friday, Jan. 16, the Ohio University Board of Trustees learned about the Teaching and Assessing Experiential Learning Certification – an innovative program that is fostering transformative, hands-on experiences for faculty to help students apply their academic knowledge to the real-world. The Board also passed a resolution to formally recognize the OHIO Academic Health Sciences Center, which would provide a coordinated approach to improving health outcomes through education, research translation and partnerships.

Additionally, President Lori Stewart Gonzalez and Vice President of Health Affairs Ken Johnson, D.O., announced a new partnership with Kettering Health, which will expand OHIO’s collaborative network alongside organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic, OhioHealth and others.

Executive Vice President and Provost Donald J. Leo also presented to the Board an update on the shared governance working group, which is examining governance structures for non-union faculty members. The group is focused on understanding the terms and conditions for approximately 300 full-time faculty not included in the union and defining what shared governance will look like. Co-led by Janet Simon and Susan Williams, the working group includes faculty representatives and has made strong progress, holding multiple listening sessions with faculty across the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Health Science and Professions and have begun developing recommendations.

During the meetings, the Board also received a Community Standards update from Scott J. Bye, assistant dean of Students and director of Community Standards & Student Responsibility, who noted that the University saw cases that involved threats or harm decrease by almost half over the past two years. They also received a financial update from Vice President of Finance & Administration, CFO, and Treasurer David Moore.

Additional highlights from the January 2026 Board of Trustees meetings include:

President’s Report
President Lori Stewart Gonzalez highlighted several University accomplishments, including how OHIO was recently named a 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement (CE) Classification, making it one of only two R1 institutions in the nation that are simultaneously profession-focused, community-engaged and opportunity-driven. She also noted how the launch of the Center for Community Impact this fall further strengthens this work by coordinating and measuring the University’s community engagement across Athens, regional campuses and surrounding communities. Led by Nukhet Sandal, the Center will focus on assessing the meaningful impact of these efforts on both community partners and students.

Gonzalez also shared results from a University-wide workplace survey conducted by ModernThink. The survey identified key strengths, including a welcoming environment, meaningful work, empowered employees, strong work-life balance and a mission-driven culture, as well as highlighted areas for improvement in which the University will focus on including promotion and recognition, cross-institution collaboration and strengthening trust and communication with leadership.

In addition, she highlighted the celebration of fall commencement, where approximately 1,000 students earned their degrees, continued athletic success with the football team’s seventh consecutive bowl victory and the hiring of new head football coach John Hauser.

Teaching@OHIO Faculty Development Certification
Leo and Melinda Rhodes-DiSalvo, executive director for the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, shared with the Board an update on the faculty development certification, specifically highlighting the Teaching and Assessing Experiential Learning certification. This program is designed to strengthen Ohio University’s longstanding commitment to experiential, hands-on education. Created in response to the University’s Dynamic Strategy priorities, the certification supports faculty in designing, implementing and assessing experiential learning across curricula through a structured, self-paced program focused on knowledge acquisition, implementation, assessment and reflection. A panel of faculty who have completed the certification also presented to the Board how they were able to use this to amplify their students’ experiential learning opportunities and how it has changed the way they teach.

Leo and DiSalvo highlighted the strong faculty engagement and progress toward program goals, noting that more than 150 faculty members from across the University are currently enrolled. As of December 2025, more than 20 faculty had completed the certification and submitted plans for course implementation, with most participants expected to finish in the spring as they complete and assess course changes. The update also noted how the program’s use of OHIO faculty exemplars and collaboration with campus partners, including the Office of Instructional Design and the Office of Information Technology, among others, helps advance a culture of teaching excellence and connects instructional innovation to measurable student learning outcomes.

Enrollment Update
Vice President for Enrollment Management Candace J. Boeninger shared with the Board an update on in-progress spring 2026 enrollment. According to Boeninger, total enrollment likely will land 1-2% ahead of spring 2025 levels, continuing a pattern of year-over-year growth for the spring semester. This continued growth is supported by strong fall-to-spring return rate of first-year students and continued persistence among the Athens undergraduate population. She noted increases in some graduate programs, while online and regional campus enrollment remains relatively steady.

Boeninger also provided an early look at fall 2026 application trends, highlighting graduate enrollment as a key focus area amid national declines driven by federal policy changes. While graduate applications are down year over year for some programs, OHIO continues to see strength in graduate online programs, a trend the University is closely monitoring as it develops strategies to respond to broader shifts in higher education. She also noted ongoing changes in the federal financial aid landscape affecting both undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition, Boeninger outlined how enrollment planning is being aligned with broader student success priorities, including retention, graduation rates and career outcomes and how the University is refining both short- and long-term enrollment projections to guide resource planning and ensure a holistic approach to supporting students.

One Logo Project
Vice President for University Communications and Marketing Robin Oliver shared with the Board an overview of the 2026 One Logo Project, an initiative that will evolve Ohio University’s brand marks to a unified, one logo strategy across both academics and athletics. Oliver explained how many large institutions have adopted a single-logo approach in recent years to strengthen brand awareness and affinity; she also outlined how OHIO plans to build on existing recognition by embracing the arched OHIO mark as the University’s primary logo, with minor design updates.

The presentation introduced the new logo system and shared the planned timeline for implementation. In addition, Oliver discussed strategies for rolling out the one logo approach in a way that minimizes unnecessary costs while ensuring a smooth and cohesive transition across the University.

Academic Health Sciences Center
Johnson, College of Health Sciences and Professions Dean John McCarthy, Associate Dean for Research Janet Simon and Associate Vice President for Health Affairs Research Darlene Berryman presented to the Board a resolution to formally recognize the Ohio Academic Health Sciences Center (OHIO-AHSC), outlining how the initiative will address significant health challenges and health care workforce shortages across the state, particularly in rural and Appalachian communities. They explained how recognition of OHIO-AHSC will provide a coordinated approach to improving health outcomes through education, research translation and strategic partnerships, building on Ohio University’s existing strengths. These strengths include the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Health Sciences and Professions with its comprehensive portfolio of health professions programs and longstanding collaborations with major health systems that align with national standards defined by the Alliance of Academic Health Centers International.

Johnson and McCarthy emphasized the urgency of this effort to the Board by discussing broader trends in health across Ohio. They noted that the state faces ongoing challenges in achieving strong health outcomes despite significant health care spending, and that workforce shortages continue to limit access to care for many residents. These challenges are particularly pronounced in Appalachian Ohio, where communities often experience poorer overall health, higher prevalence of chronic conditions, and longstanding gaps in access to primary care services. According to Johnson and McCarthy, the OHIO-AHSC aligns directly with institutional priorities and offers a scalable, integrated model to strengthen research, clinical education and workforce development, community engagement and statewide impact.

The presentation of the AHSC also coincided with the announcement of a new partnership with Kettering Health, known for its innovative and integrated approach to acute and ambulatory care. The agreement will unite Kettering Health’s extensive clinical system with the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s nationally recognized leadership in osteopathic medical education and research. By combining expertise through a long-term collaborative model, the organizations aim to improve health outcomes by advancing whole-person care, accelerating medical training and supporting innovative health care solutions.

Facilities, Energy Management, Sustainability, and Safety Annual Update
Steve Mack, executive director of Facilities Management and Jon Cozad, senior advisor for Design and Construction shared with the Board an update on Facilities Operations, providing an in-depth overview of performance and progress across key operational metrics. The materials highlighted customer service ratings and work order backlog as primary key performance indicators, along with a fiscal year 2024 peer comparison using the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) Facility Performance Index. This comparison is augmented with internal data to demonstrate actual expenses for FY24 and FY25, as well as the FY25 budget.

The presentation also addressed operational efficiency through a detailed analysis of utility consumption, examining the impact of commodity costs, weather trends, changes to the campus footprint and steam plant operations. The update concluded with the Annual Sustainability Update provided by Sam Crowl, director of Sustainability, highlighting key accomplishments, updates on the Sustainability Hub, peer comparisons and recognition of Ohio University as the state’s top “Green School” by The Princeton Review and a recipient of the Green Achievement Award from Green Energy Ohio.

Capital Projects 
The Board approved several new capital projects, including:

• Central Food Facilities Roof Replacement – The Board approved a $3.4 million project to replace the existing roof with a new code-compliant roofing system, including roof deck repairs, added insulation to meet current energy code, new membrane and flashings and improved drainage to prevent ponding on the roof. The project is anticipated to be funded with departmental reserves.
• Fetter’s Run Erosion Control – The Board approved a $1 million project to repair eroded areas of the stream by restoring stable channel geometry and installing rock channel protection in critically damaged areas. The purpose of the project is to stabilize Fetters Run, reduce flood risk to Lancaster Campus facilities and public infrastructure and protect the City of Lancaster’s Heritage Trail from future flood-related damages. The project is anticipated to be funded with departmental reserves.

In other business, the Board also approved:

• The emeriti status for 16 faculty/staff upon their retirement from Ohio University.
• The inactivation and closure of the Aviation Flight Technology program in the Department of Aviation in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.
• The proposed mergers to establish four new programs and concentrations.
• An updated American Civics Literacy Course plan.
• An adoption of a curricular review process for the Board of Trustees.
• To increase the Bobcat Student Orientation guest fee.
• Amendments to the Retirement Plan.
• Program reviews for the following programs:
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies in the Scripps College of Communication
  • The School of Film in the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts
  • The Ohio Honors Program in the Honors Tutorial College
  • The Associates of Science and Arts (AA/AS), the Associate of Individualized Studies (AIS), and the Bachelor of Specialized Studies in University College