Student experience improving despite fewer resources

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State University continues to provide a quality educational experience despite fewer resources when compared with top public institutions in other states and other universities in Ohio, Senior Vice President for Business and Finance William J. Shkurti told the university’s Board of Trustees on March 4.

Shkurti presented trustees with an annual financial benchmark report, which measures the university’s revenues and spending compared with benchmark institutions, a group of universities that are similar to Ohio State in mission, size and scope, but which are ranked higher academically. The benchmark institutions are the universities of Arizona, California at Los Angeles, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas at Austin, Washington and Wisconsin.

However, Shkurti said the university’s progress could stall if state support continues to lag.

“When compared with our benchmark institutions, Ohio State has 14.7 percent less resources per student, yet the quality of our academics continues to improve,” Shkurti said. “This university continues to be a good value for students and Ohio taxpayers.”

With resources of $33,600 per student, Ohio State receives 14.7 percent fewer resources per student than the $39,402 benchmark average, and is well below the benchmark high of $50,266 per student at the University of Michigan.

Ohio State has steadily improved its financial standing in relationship to the benchmark schools since 1993, and achieved a 2.2 percent improvement over FY2002. The university still significantly trails the benchmark institutions in major categories of current funds revenue per student, except for tuition and fees.

“Because of reductions in state support and an increased reliance on tuition and fees, resident undergraduate tuition and fees at Ohio State are 12 percent above the benchmark average,” Shkurti said. “Yet Ohio State’s resident undergraduate tuition and fees remain the second lowest among Ohio’s public four-year universities with selective admissions.”

Resident undergraduate tuition and fees at Ohio State range from $6,828 for a continuing student to $7,542 for an incoming freshman, just above the benchmark average of $6,460, but well below Michigan’s high tuition of $8,722. Among Ohio institutions, Ohio State’s tuition is just ahead of Kent State, and trails Ohio University, Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Miami, which has the state’s highest tuition at $9,042.

Shkurti also pointed out that the university is ranked 22nd among the nation’s top public universities and is the state’s best public university. Eight of Ohio State’s graduate programs and six of its Ph.D. programs are ranked among the nation’s top 25.

“The university has made slow but steady progress since the early 1990s in closing this gap, especially in resources per student and in some key programmatic areas like student services,” Shkurti said. “But in order to continue to move forward, we will need to manage our resources effectively and expand and diversify our resource base. Chances of more state budget cuts continue to be a major cause for concern.”