The Ohio State Board of Trustees told three of its members Friday to determine whether tuition and costs will rise starting this summer, and by how much.

The three committee chairs have until May to decide tuition and costs for the upcoming Summer and Autumn quarters. Fiscal Affairs Committee chair Jo Ann Davidson, Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee chair John Ong and Board chairman Les Wexner will present their decision for confirmation at the board’s May meeting, Davidson said.

The board usually sets tuition costs at its April meeting, but because the board will not meet until May, Davidson, Ong and Wexner will set tuition after consulting with members of OSU’s administration.

Yearly tuition for a full-time resident undergraduate at OSU’s Columbus campus was $8,706 for the 2009-2010 school year.

Tuition for resident undergraduate students has been frozen for three consecutive years at Ohio State, but will likely see an increase next year.

Chatas succeeds CFO Shkurti
The board named Geoffrey Chatas as OSU’s new chief financial officer Friday. Chatas served as managing director of the Infrastructure Investments Fund at JP Morgan Asset Management, and has co-taught master’s finance classes at the Fisher College of Business for the past three years.

Chatas replaces Senior Vice President for Business and Finance Bill Shkurti, who is retiring March 31 as CFO. Shkurti, who was tabbed to lead OSU’s Office of Finance by President E. Gordon Gee in 1990, was recognized by the board with a formal expression of appreciation.

Trustee Jo Ann Davidson referred to Shkurti as “one of the unsung heroes” of OSU, a sentiment that was echoed by other board members. Shkurti was presented with a rocking chair as a retirement gift, and then addressed the board.

“I face this moment with mixed feelings,” Shkurti said. “I’m looking forward to retirement … but I really enjoyed the time I’ve been here at the university.”

Chatas said his biggest challenge as the new head of finances would be “filling Bill’s shoes.” Shkurti will serve as CFO until his retirement, and afterward as an adviser to Gee on state fiscal policy on a part-time basis.

The office of the CFO has also been restructured following Shkurti’s retirement announcement last March, with non-financial functions shifted to the Office of the Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration.

Alumni Association strengthens ties to OSU

The board approved an affiliation agreement with the OSU Alumni Association that will integrate the organization more closely into the university. Archie Griffin, the Alumni Association’s president and CEO, will add the title of Senior Vice President for Alumni Relations, and the Alumni Association’s 57 full-time employees will become university employees. Two university appointees will also be added to the Alumni Association’s board of directors.

Board supports State Issue 1
The board also formally expressed its support for State Issue 1 — also known as the Third Frontier Initiative — a state program that began in 2002. The proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution associated with the initiative would allow the state to issue up to $700 million in bonds to fund research in the sciences, among other causes. If the issue passes in May, the program would run for another five years, according to the Crain’s Cleveland Business journal.