OHIO leaders share answers to community questions from Feb. 18 ‘University Updates’

Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez hosted the fourth “University Updates” event of the academic year on Wednesday, Feb 18.

University Updates are held throughout the year as part of OHIO’s ongoing efforts to create 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. 

In addition to the three leadership presentations, Gonzalez highlighted several 2025 University accomplishments, including maintaining R1 status, earning additional Carnegie classifications, increasing graduation and retention and being named best value in Ohio for a sixth consecutive year. She also provided an update about where the state operating budget currently stands.

After each event, all members of the OHIO community can submit questions to each speaker based on their individual topics of discussion. Answers to the questions that were submitted during the Feb. 18 event are now available to view on the University Updates website.

Additional details for the next University Updates will be shared closer to the event date. 

OHIO Leadership Presentations

Interim Associate Vice President for Community Impact Nukhet Sandal discussed the role of the Center for Community Impact (CCI) in strengthening and expanding Ohio University’s community partnerships and identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent partnerships from thriving. Dr. Sandal said the CCI provides infrastructure, coordination and strategic alignment, connecting faculty, students, alumni and community partners around shared goals that strengthen Southeast Ohio and extend across the state and beyond—wherever social impact occurs.

Sandal also discussed the importance of OHIO’s 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. She said that this designation is not only a major milestone for the entire University, but also a commitment that OHIO will continue to honor. Sandal concluded by discussing three new future initiatives being spearheaded by the CCI, including an evaluation and alignment of current community impact, the establishment of an enhanced "front door” to the University to further encourage collaboration and partnerships and the introduction of a Community Service Leave policy that is currently under review.

Vice President for Health Affairs and Senior Strategist for Health Partnerships Ken Johnson provided an overview of the Ohio Academic Health Sciences Center (OHIO-AHSC). Johnson explained that OHIO-AHSC is a coordinated partnership between academic programs in medicine and the health professions, as well as external health care partners, to integrate ongoing work and advance health outcomes in Ohio and beyond.

OHIO-AHSC builds on Ohio University’s existing strengths, 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. Johnson explained that the framework for OHIO-AHSC will be defined with the help of a consultant with specific experience with academic health science centers, with the ultimate goal of creating the highest level of value for our students, faculty and partners and delivering the highest level of impact on improving health for the state. 

Johnson noted that Ohio University already has a significant impact on health through decades of collaboration and graduating thousands of physicians and healthcare workers per year who stay in the state, and that OHIO-AHSC will expand these efforts by offering a scalable, integrated model to strengthen research, clinical education and workforce development, community engagement and statewide impact.

Vice President for University Communications and Marketing Robin Oliver shared 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.

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