The Ohio Board of Regents’ report on the condition of higher education in the state has drawn a response from Ohio State. While the university generally supports the board’s findings, it takes issue with some of its content.
The Ohio Board of Regents is a nine-member board that advises Chancellor Eric Fingerhut. The board recently released its third report on the condition of higher education in Ohio, which includes conclusions on topics such as financial aid, academic effectiveness and streamlining students’ paths toward degrees.
OSU drafted a response from the university, seeking to answer and clarify some of the points made in the report.
•The first question the report poses and seeks to answer is, “how effectively are programs managed on behalf of both prospective and enrolled students(traditional and non-traditional) to streamline and shorten paths to degrees?”
OSU officials begin their response by taking issue with the wording of the question. The response states that the phrasing, “implies that these paths are too long.” They go on to say that the phrase is subject to three possible interpretations, among them, the need to eliminate the general education requirements.
“This issue is not adequately addressed in the report,” university officials wrote. “One approach would be for the State to provide multiple or more flexible pathways to degrees than to assume the paths need to be shortened.”
•The Regents’ report identified affordability as the primary challenge facing higher education in the state. OSU agreed with this statement in the response and suggested redirecting savings identified in the board’s report toward students.
•The response also suggests the report could be improved by including more information about internships, study abroad opportunities and independent study programs, which university officials say are all critical to student success.
•But the university again takes issue with the report, specifically its statement that half of all student debt in Ohio is held by graduates of OSU and the University of Cincinnati. OSU contends that graduates of the two universities leave with more debt because they produce more than half the professional degrees awarded in the state. OSU’s response states, “it is misleading to make such an unnuanced statement.”
•The response concludes by emphasizing the university’s general support for the report and its findings. The report and the university response will be discussed further at the Board of Trustees Meeting on Thursday.
