The Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee held a meeting Thursday with the Ohio State board of trustees to discuss enrollment goal, an office in India, and other internal projects.

The trustees had a day filled with committee meetings at the Longaberger Alumni House located at 2200 Olentangy River Road. Ten board members and President E. Gordon Gee, Provost Joseph A. Alutto and three other faculty members were seated at tables formed into a circle to listen to presentations.

Enrollment

The first presentation of this committee meeting began just after 2:30 p.m. The vice president of the strategic enrollment plan, M. Dolan Evanovich, gave a slide show presentation about OSU’s goals for future enrollment goals.

The three strategic steps of this plan are to increase enrollment by 2,700. The next step of the plan is to increase quality by increasing standardized test scores, grade point averages, and academic preparation of incoming freshman. The final step is to increase diversity- to enhance racial, ethnic, geographic and economic diversity.

“If we reach these goals, we will be among the very best in the Big Ten and among the very best among all public schools,” Evanovich said.

Mumbai, India Gateway

Another topic of discussion was the India Gateway’s initial plan presented by William Brustein, vice provost.

The first Gateway office opened in February 2010 in Shanghai, China and the second in the OSU Global Gateway Program will open in March 2012 in Mumbai, India.

Maintaining contact with alumni in India is a main goal of this initiative as it will give OSU students the opportunity to possibly study abroad an intern with foreign countries. The India Gateway will also create partnerships with international corporations and further create business opportunities for OSU and its students.

The topic of diversity arose again when Judge Algenon L. Marbley asked if Indian students would have the opportunity to come study at OSU.

Brustein indicated that they would and that since they would be paying out-of-state tuition, it would be financially beneficial for OSU.

“You can tell I’m not a business person. I’m a political sociologist who studies Nazis and political extremists but these students would be bringing in $23,000 each,” Brustein said.

Program reviews

The meeting then focused on internal affairs by bringing up the matter of academic program reviews.

W. Randy Smith, vice provost, discussed the procedure in which all programs would be reviewed internally with the help of outside field experts in a six-seven year cycle.

“Everybody needs to be involved. Students, faculty, and staff need to know the review is going on,” Smith said.

The reasons for conducting these reviews are to help with leadership change; integrating new faculty, regardless of rank, into the decision-making plan; and most importantly, to benefit students by giving them the best programs led by the best experts possible.

Name building names

Another topic Smith brought up was the naming and reviewing of academic centers and institutes. Centers and institutes, used interchangeable, are “convening units for times when departments need to reach out to other departments,” Smith said.

A board of trustees member, G. Gilbert Cloyd, reminded the group that centers are not supposed to be named after private enterprises but suggested that with a certain level monetary donation, there could be exceptions.

Trustees voted on the naming and re-naming of different buildings on campus including the Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, Prior Hall and the Farmer Family Gallery.