Ohio State to streamline regional campus operations

COLUMBUS -- A commission analyzing The Ohio State University’s regional campuses has recommended that the university pursue a more clearly defined “system” approach to the admissions policies, curriculum offerings, student services and governance practices across the campuses.

“We are describing the approach as ‘one university with many locations,’” said Bobby Moser, vice president for agricultural administration and university outreach, who chaired the Presidential Commission on the Regional Campuses. Moser presented the commission’s recommendations to the Board of Trustees on Friday (6/7).

Under proposed new practices, Ohio State’s Columbus campus and the four regional campuses – in Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark – will function better as a system and more effectively convey the multiple learning opportunities offered at Ohio State, Moser said. In fact, one commission recommendation calls for a revision of the university vision statement to elaborate on the regional campuses’ role in expanding Ohio State’s reach and service as a resource across the state.

Other proposals include creating a seamless admissions process to the entire university, offering different academic programs at campuses based in part on local demand, and enhancing student services on each campus – including building Ohio State-owned and -managed housing.

“In addition to charting the course for the university system’s future, this process gave us the opportunity to reinforce how important it is that we have these regional campuses in the first place,” Moser said. “They expand access to the university in a dramatic way, and provide a more intimate learning environment for those who need it. They also extend Ohio State’s geographical presence, broadening its political base, enhancing economic development across the state, and strengthening learning opportunities in local communities through outreach and engagement.”

Prospective students applying to Ohio State for autumn quarter 2003 will see one of the first recommendations likely to be put into practice: Applicants will be asked to indicate both a first choice and alternate choice campus, easing the admissions process for applicants guided to attend a regional campus for at least their first one or two years of college. In enrolling approximately 6,000 freshmen each autumn on the Columbus campus from an applicant pool of almost 21,000, Ohio State admits students to Columbus through a competitive process that takes into account a number of each applicant’s academic credentials. Students whose credentials do not meet Columbus campus criteria are offered access to any Ohio State regional campus, all of which maintain open admissions policies for Ohio applicants and competitive admissions policies for nonresidents. Under the revised application process, options will be stated more clearly.

“We’re not closing anybody out of this land-grant institution, and we need to communicate effectively with our applicants that there are many ways to access the university,” Moser said. “The most important thing is to get a degree from Ohio State, and helping our students find their place in the system will be key to making sure they’re successful.”

The commission also recommends revising the policy outlining how students move from regional campuses to the Columbus campus to require that regional campus students earn 45 credit hours – as opposed to the current 30 required – before being permitted to move to Columbus. “Research shows that students who earn 45 hours or more before they change campuses are more likely to graduate than those who change earlier,” W. Randy Smith, a commission member and vice provost for curriculum and institutional relations, told trustees.

Related recommendations encourage marketing and recruitment efforts that evolve along with academic, residential and co-curricular opportunities at regional campuses. And because enrollment at regional campuses stands to increase for a variety of reasons, the commission advises that a sophisticated regional campus enrollment projection process be put in place.

Ohio State officials acknowledge that the revised admissions program will translate into higher demand for student housing on the regional campuses, and the commission recommends that the university own and operate housing on each campus – a project already in motion at most campuses. Trustees in November granted approval to Ohio State Marion and Ohio State Newark to hire architects for the design of such facilities, and Ohio State Lima was granted permission in August to proceed with a residence hall. Ohio State Mansfield has had privately owned apartments for student housing since 1998, and the university is negotiating to purchase a privately owned apartment complex just north of the Newark campus.

Student activities that contribute to life outside the classroom are also to be enhanced under the commission’s recommendations.

The 17-member commission includes trustees, administrators, faculty, staff and students, eight of whom are based at regional campuses. The group was convened a year ago and began meeting in June 2001. Its activities included visits to each regional campus, meetings with Ohio Board of Regents representatives and co-located college presidents, and interviews of regional campus administrators at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of South Carolina. The commission’s final report is expected to be completed by mid-June.