Tuition cap relief a factor in Academic Plan funding

Ohio State has identified uses for revenues from a proposed tuition cap exemption as University officials continue to generate statewide support for a request to raise fees beyond any tuition cap that may be imposed for the next biennium.

All of the increased revenues produced by such an exemption would be spent on improving the quality of the undergraduate experience and to ensure that financial aid is increased enough to guarantee that no qualified student would be denied admission to Ohio State because of financial need, President William E. Kirwan said.

Kirwan and Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray have asserted that the temporary tuition cap exemption is an essential component of the partnership between the University, private sources, state government and students that will be required to fund the Academic Plan's initiatives. Relief from the tuition cap represents the students' share in such a partnership.

Implementation of Impact Ohio: An Academic Plan for the 21st Century over the next five years will require an investment of approximately $750 million to $900 million in new and reallocated resources.

Ohio State has proposed that Gov. Bob Taft and the Ohio General Assembly grant the University a temporary waiver from any proposed tuition cap. The current tuition cap is 6 percent at public four-year institutions. The waiver would allow Ohio State to increase annual tuition beyond the current ceiling by $150 to $180 per year per student for five or six years. All of the state's four-year institutions and the Ohio Board of Regents endorse the exemption for Ohio State if tuition caps are imposed.

"Ohio State already is a proven value to the citizens of Ohio, providing the broadest educational and career opportunities possible while assessing tuition that ranks eighth among the state's public institutions," Ray said. "Though it is difficult to ask students and their parents to pay slightly more for tuition than they're accustomed to, we feel strongly that it's a fair way to generate support for the numerous improvements to the student experience that will result. We pledge to make the most of the resources made available to us in terms of improvements both inside and outside of the classroom, should the exemption be approved."

If the waiver is approved by the Legislature -- which is expected to deliberate the next biennium's budget into the spring -- Ohio State's annual tuition associated with above-cap tuition increases for a period of five or six years would increase from the current $4,383 to $5,283 at the end of the six-year period. That amount is lower than the current annual tuition at three Ohio public universities: Miami, Cincinnati and Kent State (see chart below). Actual tuition rates at the end of six years would be the amounts indicated in the table plus the sum of up-to-the-cap tuition increases over that period.

It is important to note that the University also will dedicate sufficient funds to financial aid to address increased tuition costs for admitted students who qualify for financial aid. No student who is qualified for admission will be denied admission to Ohio State on the basis of economic need.

Combined with other funding sources -- including greater state support; continued, but more focused, success in fund raising; and increased federal research funding -- the tuition cap relief would enable the University to significantly strengthen its academic quality over the next five years.

Ohio State has done its part by reallocating existing funds to align them with current priorities, raising $1.23 billion in private support and becoming a national leader in industry grants. University officials are also hopeful that the state Legislature will support Board of Regents proposals to improve baseline support for higher education; provide additional funding to the Research Challenge and Success Challenge programs; and fund The Ohio Plan, through which Ohio universities would make the state a leader in biotechnology, information technology and nanotechnology.

In December, Kirwan described for the University Board of Trustees what it will mean for Ohio State to realize the vision outlined in the Academic Plan.

"It would mean that we were a place that had a graduation retention rate that compared favorably with the best public universities in America; that we had renowned faculty who were recognized around the world as leaders in their disciplines; that we had a campus whose diversity reflected the diversity of Ohio and the United States; that we were seen as a university that was truly engaged in addressing the major social issues of our day; and that we were a university which was universally admired for the quality of our work and enjoyed high levels of support from our alumni, the state and, indeed, the nation," he said.

Two of the plan's six sweeping strategies for academic excellence specifically address the student experience: One calls for enhancements to the quality of the teaching and learning environment, and the other asserts that the University must enhance and better serve the student body.

Examples of how the increased tuition would benefit students include:

• Smaller class sizes and better course availability: The University could hire more faculty in high-demand areas (such as computer and information science) and open additional sections of courses in some of the most popular majors.

• Improved academic advising: Direct-enrolling freshmen will become easier for colleges, which will connect students earlier and more effectively to important career advice and recommendations on how to navigate the curriculum.

• More Scholars programs: The Academic Plan calls for establishing at least 10 Scholars programs over five years, which will expand opportunities for students to live with those who share common interests and enhance students' academic success and sense of community.

• Enhanced TA training: More and better training would be available for teaching assistants, with emphasis on English language skills and cross-cultural understanding among international TAs.

• Adjustment assistance for freshmen: Improvements are planned for the transition process for students entering the University, including emphasis on building the First Year Experience program to fully cover admission, communication, orientation, Welcome Week and the freshman survey. Officials also are interested in creating as many small, faculty-taught freshman seminar classes as funding will allow.

• Improvements in the availability of technology in the classroom: This will include improvements in remote access to University information resources for students.

• Improved undergraduate retention: A major component will be expanding the Personal Intervention Program to identify students who may be at risk academically, financially and/or socially and assign relevant offices to provide assistance and support to them.

Kirwan and Ray have traveled the state to explain the University's pursuit of tuition cap relief, visiting the editorial boards of Ohio's major daily newspapers and delivering a number of talks on the subject. The two also have interacted in groups and one-on-one with several state legislators, and with the governor and his staff.

Additionally, the Office of University Relations has produced a brochure explaining the Academic Plan and the expected effects of tuition cap relief that is being distributed to undergraduate students, their parents and opinion leaders. The brochure can be found on the Web at www.osu.edu/impactohio.

College of Pharmacy launches University's first online degree-granting academic program

Licensed, practicing pharmacists can now earn their doctoral degree off campus through a new Non-Traditional PharmD Program, the first totally online, degree-granting academic program at Ohio State.

The inaugural class of 31 students began coursework winter quarter, and met as a class on campus only once -- for a two-day orientation Jan. 5 and 6. The first day, they were welcomed by President William E. Kirwan, Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray, College of Pharmacy Dean John Cassady, and various faculty and staff for a reception and orientation to Ohio State. The second day was spent learning the technology they will use to access course curriculum.

By Kevin Fitzsimons

Cable Green, director of educational technology in the College of Pharmacy, coaches President Kirwan in navigating software for the new Non-Traditional PharmD Program. Looking on are students Louis Kynard, left, a pharmacist at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, and Sandra Myint, a pharmacist at a CVS in Toledo.

The new program addresses a growing demand for pharmacists, said Associate Dean of Pharmacy Sylvan Frank.

"The new degree offers an increased clinical experience that, together with a shortage of pharmacists, has increased interest in our program," Frank said.

Frank said he is proud that Pharmacy is the first at the University to offer a fully online degree program, which puts the college in a position to help establish the mechanisms and guidelines for other online programs at the University. The venture was not without its challenges, he said, particularly in marketing and technology.

"The technology of putting instruction online is literally advancing daily," Frank said.

He credits the University with providing considerable support for development of the online degree, with Technology Enhanced Learning and Research lending its technical expertise. Frank said the college hopes to form significant partnerships with the Medical Center, College of Nursing, Fisher College of Business and the Ohio Medical Education Network, the latter of which will give students access to their digital library case studies.

"The Non-Traditional PharmD Program will be a great opportunity for recent graduates to advance to the level that will be the norm for pharmacists in the future," Frank said.

It will also give graduates an edge in their profession.

"With the increased clinical training and an increased awareness of what the American Medical Association calls 'drug illiteracy,' there are tremendous opportunities for pharmacists who counsel patients and ensure that patients are taking medication as scheduled and are getting the desired therapeutic effects," Frank said.

Students enrolled in the Non-Traditional PharmD Program are required to have a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from an

accredited school or college of pharmacy, be registered as a pharmacist and have access to computer equipment appropriate to the demands of the curriculum.

Everything the students need for the course is posted on a secure Web site using WebCT, said Dennis Mungall, director of the program. That includes lectures, video case studies, an online video library and MD Consult, a software database for medical professionals.

"It's like putting the medical library in your living room," Mungall said.

Independent study materials available on the Web are supplemented with online discussion groups, workshops and class projects that are posted online, he said.

The initial class is a model of diversity, said Barbara Skunza, program manager of the Non-Traditional PharmD program. A majority of the students are Ohio State alumni and represent all disciplines of pharmacy, including hospital, retail and home care, she said.

Skunza said coursework can be completed in three years, followed by an eight-month clinical rotation.

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