Ohio University Board of Trustees to receive updates on The Ridges Development Plan, ASCENT program

Ohio University’s Board of Trustees will receive an update on The Ridges Development Plan during its meetings on Jan. 19-20 at Ohio University’s Athens campus.

The Board will also hear an update on the Intel Appalachian Semiconductor Education and Technical (ASCENT) Ecosystem program, as well as how OHIO’s Inclusive Access Textbook program is helping make course materials more affordable and accessible to students.

Additionally, Director of Athletics Julie Cromer will present to the Board an update on intercollegiate athletics, highlighting how student-athletes continue to achieve historic levels of academic success and how the college athletics landscape continues to change. Mark Heil, vice president for finance and administration and CFO, will also provide an update regarding the University’s FY23 financial forecast.

The Board will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, and from 9 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20, in Walter Hall 104 on the Athens Campus. 

Highlighted items on the Board agenda include:

The Ridges Development Plan
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 11:10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Walter Hall 104

Representatives from Ohio University and the Ridges Development Advisors, a partnership between Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Community Building Partners, will present an overview of The Ridges Development Plan to the Board of Trustees.

The presentation will share high level recommendations from The Ridges Development Advisors to use a New Community Authority (NCA) as the preferred strategy for both the adaptive rehabilitation and reuse of the historic buildings at The Ridges and to best identify opportunities for future development.

For the past 18 months, Ohio University and The Ridges Development Advisors, have engaged in numerous planning, research and stakeholder engagement activities to not only help identify the development opportunities that could be available at The Ridges, but to ensure they equally align with the needs of the larger community as well.

The overarching goal is to develop an economically viable strategy that meets the core objectives approved in the 2015 Ridges Framework plan, which prioritized buildings and land for University use and set aside a portion for external investment.

ASCENT program update
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 11:10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Walter Hall 104

The Board will hear from Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs, Eric Stinaff, professor and chair of physics and astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Avinash Karanth, chair and electrical engineering and computer science Joseph K. Jachinowski Professor in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, on the progress of the Appalachian Semiconductor Education and Technical (ASCENT) Ecosystem program, a grant for $3 million from Intel that is aimed at leading the effort to meet the need for a STEM-focused workforce to fuel the growing advanced manufacturing sector in Ohio. As the lead institution, Ohio University (including its Athens, Chillicothe, Eastern, Lancaster, Southern and Zanesville campuses), is partnering with Belmont College, Eastland-Fairfield Career Center, Hocking College, Marietta College, Mid-East Career and Technology Center, Shawnee State University, Tri-County Career Center and Zane State College on the ASCENT program.

The presentation will provide an update on the progress of ASCENT during the fall semester, including organization updates, marketing updates, the existing curriculum, curriculum development and a timeline for the program’s first year.

Capital budget
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 11:10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Walter Hall 104

The Board will consider several new capital projects, including:

• New Housing construction: The Board will consider approval for the design and planning of a $94.6 million project that will design and construct two new facilities to include 600 additional beds on South Green to meet residential capacity needs as outlined in the Housing Master Plan. The new facility will diversify housing offerings and improve the housing portfolio’s condition to enhance student engagement, wellbeing and learning. The design and planning phase is expected to cost approximately $14.2 million. The project is anticipated to be funded by the university’s internal bank financing and Housing departmental reserves.
• Putnam Hall windows replacement: The Board will consider approval of an additional $972,000 to complete the project, for which $525,000 was previously approved to replace windows on the south elevation only of Putnam Hall. The $1.5 million project will now replace windows on all four elevations. This project is expected to be funded by proceeds from the University’s century bond and state capital appropriations.
• Bentley Hall classroom refresh: The Board will consider this $548,000 project that will provide a space refresh for selected Bentley Hall classrooms to improve the student experience and enhance the quality of learning spaces. This project is anticipated to be funded by central university funding.

College of Fine Arts innovation and growth
Academics and Student Success Committee, 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Walter Hall 104

College of Fine Arts Dean Matthew Shaftel will present on the significant growth the College of Fine Arts has been experiencing over the last few years due to the innovation of its programming and academic offerings.

They will highlight the growth in enrollment, strategic engagements, the efficiency strategies around new programs, as well as the progress of space renewal projects. The Board will also hear about four of the fifteen new academic programs that have been implemented in the last few years, with highlighted programs to include the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film; the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater; the Master of Arts Administration; and the Master of Applied Arts and Health.

OHIO’s Inclusive Access Textbook Program
Academics and Student Success Committee, 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Walter Hall 104

Chief Information Officer Chris Ament and Enterprise Learning Systems and Academic Technology Services Manager Eszti Major-Rohrer will present to the Board on the impact of OHIO’s Inclusive Access Textbook Program. The program, launched in 2018, is aimed at supporting course material affordability and access equity for OHIO students by providing students access to commercial digital course materials on the first day of class, at a cost significantly lower than market price.

The program has saved $6.6 million for OHIO students since its launch, and an additional $4 million is estimated to be saved in course material costs by the end of the 25/26 academic year.

Use of land and buildings on OHIO’s Eastern and Lancaster campuses
Resources, Facilities, and Affordability Committee, 11:10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Walter Hall 104

The Board will review two resolutions regarding underutilized land and buildings on two of OHIO’s regional campuses to ensure they are best serving local communities.

The first resolution seeks approval for a surplus designation for the sale of the Health and Physical Education Center (HAPEC) and the Science and Engineering Building, and related parking areas and access road. Both buildings can potentially be better utilized by local community organizations. If approved, either building may be sold at either the respective appraised value to a governmental entity or through a competitive sealed bid auction.

It is anticipated that the sale of the HAPEC building will be conditioned on the following provisions: students and faculty are permitted to use gym equipment at HAPEC during regular operational hours; student groups are permitted to schedule use of the basketball court at HAPEC with advanced booking; and the University retains the use of HAPEC for graduation recognition ceremonies once a year.

Currently, the Science and Engineering Building is used solely by Belmont Technical College under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) allowing the use of the building through 2025 for its Industrial Trades program. This MOU would remain in place through any future purchase agreement.

The second resolution seeks approval for an amendment to authorize the sale of 6.678 acres of land on the Lancaster Campus that is adjacent to the Lancaster City School District for the district to use the land for a parking lot and practice field that would serve its new high school building. The land has no current or anticipated future academic or strategic plans for development and was previously approved for sale by the Board when it was estimated to be approximately four acres of land. A detailed survey calculated that the total acreage of land is 6.678 acres and appraised at $114,000, which would be the sale price pending Board approval.

Additional details and meeting links
The full Board of Trustees agenda is available here. The Jan. 19 committee meetings will be streamed at this link. The Jan. 20 meetings will be streamed at this link.

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