Human Transporter

Photo by Kevin Fitzsimons Grandview Heights High School student Maggie Ward takes a test ride on the Segway Human Transporter under the watchful eye of Segway vice president for product development and chief engineer Doug Field during a demonstration of the invention Feb. 21 in the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater. Field visited the Columbus campus to discuss development of the innovative, high-tech two-wheeler, which is being evaluated by the U.S. Postal Service and large companies for enhancing employee mobility.

New severance program details economic support for staff

The Board of Trustees on March 1 approved a staff severance program proposed by the Office of Human Resources. The policy, which went into effect immediately, provides a severance period to eligible employees. The program combines working notice and severance pay at a base of two weeks plus 1 1/2 weeks for each completed year of continuous service, up to a maximum of 26 weeks.

"Adopting a formal severance program will ensure consistent economic support for all eligible staff and assist everyone concerned with a speedier transition process," said Larry M. Lewellen, associate vice president for human resources.

Traditionally, as the informal mechanism for supporting staff whose positions were abolished, Ohio State has provided termination notice prior to an employee's final work date based on years of service.

Regular unclassified staff who are involuntarily terminated due to reduction in force or through involuntary job abolishment are eligible for the severance program. Regular classified civil service staff who are involuntarily terminated due to job abolishment or who volunteer to terminate rather than exercise bumping rights also are eligible.

Seasonal employees, staff with appointments funded by external grants and contracts, and employees who are terminated for performance or other appropriate reasons will not be eligible.

The plan includes the provision of health care benefits and retirement benefits, subject to retirement system and IRS regulations, for the same duration as the severance period. Severance and benefits will be discontinued when the maximum benefit is achieved or if the individual gains other employment.

"Units are given the discretion to divide the total weeks of notice and severance pay in ways that best meet their business needs. However, working notice may not exceed two-thirds of the total weeks of severance benefits, unless agreed to by the staff member," Lewellen said.

The amount of severance pay will be determined by an individual's base pay and will reflect all applicable deductions, including taxes and benefits. Employing departments will be responsible for the payment costs.

"The terms of this severance package are very competitive with the packages currently offered by many local companies and better than many of the academic institutions Ohio State is benchmarked against," Lewellen said. "We believe this is an important program for an employer aspiring to achieve world-class human resource practices and desiring to communicate positive values to staff."

The Office of Human Resources will be conducting training sessions about the severance program for managers, supervisors and human resource professionals. Although the sessions are voluntary, Human Resources is encouraging colleges and units to make attendance mandatory, Lewellen said. "We want to ensure that staff members receive fair and equitable treatment, and that this transition process is humane and respectful," he said.

The sessions will cover the following topics: Overview of the University's reduction in force guidelines and the new staff severance program; steps on managing the reduction in force meeting; role plays for both a positive and negative reduction in force meeting; information on various responses from staff members and techniques for managing them; strategies and considerations for the retention of remaining staff; and University resources available for further support and assistance.

Sessions will take place on March 13, 14 and 25 and April 8 in the community center room at the Northwood-High Building. To register, call the Organization and Human Resource Development office at 292-4500 or visit www.hr.osu.edu/ohrd/home.htm.

The policy and procedures, as well as an FAQ to answer questions staff and managers may have about the program, will be posted on the Web at www.ohr.ohio-state.edu/policy/policy1.htm by the end of the month. Staff severance will be policy 2.40.

University Health System

The University Health System is also implementing a severance program. The plan, similar to the University staff program, primarily differs in that eligible employees are entitled to one week of severance for each completed year of continuous service with the University/University health system, up to a maximum of 25 weeks, and it requires a minimum notice period of 30 days.

Resources comparison indicates Ohio State education is a good value

Ohio State continues to offer an exceptional educational experience at a reasonable cost, particularly when compared with top public institutions in other states and other universities in Ohio, Senior Vice President for Business and Finance William J. Shkurti told the University's Board of Trustees March 1.

The annual financial benchmark report measures the University's revenues and spending compared with benchmark institutions -- nine universities that are highly ranked academically and comparable to Ohio State in mission, size and configuration. They are Pennsylvania State University and the universities of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and California, Los Angeles.

"When compared to benchmark institutions, Ohio State has approximately 18 percent less resources per student, yet continues to improve the quality of its academic programs and the quality of the experience of its students," Shkurti said. "This University continues to be a tremendous value to students and the taxpayers of Ohio."

While the report does not reflect the impact of FY 2001 and FY 2002 budget reductions, the information still provides useful comparisons, he said.

The University still trails the benchmark institutions in major categories of current funds revenue per student, except in tuition and fees, but has improved significantly in most areas, Shkurti said. At $28,177, Ohio State has 18 percent fewer resources per student than the $34,341 benchmark average, a 2 percent improvement over FY 1999. Yet annual resident undergraduate tuition and fees at Ohio State currently are the lowest among Ohio's public four-year universities with selective admissions, and 3.2 percent below the benchmark average of $4,919 (FY 2002). UCLA has the highest revenue per student at $46,057, while Penn State has the highest in-state tuition at $7,574.

Compared to benchmark institutions, Shkurti said that Ohio State spends above the average for instruction and public service, but well below the average for most other noninstructional services. The University spent 126 percent of the benchmark average for public service and 107 percent of the average for instruction, but significantly less on support services -- such as for physical plant expenses and student support services -- outside the classroom.

In conclusion, Shkurti said that Ohio State has made significant progress since the early 1990s. Despite budget challenges, Ohio State continues to improve the quality of its academic programs and the quality of the student experience. In order to continue to make progress, the University will need to continue to manage its existing resources effectively, assure continued state support, and expand and develop its revenue base.

He also reminded the board that national rankings provide another indication of the value -- in both academic and financial terms -- of an Ohio State education. Ohio State was ranked 35th in academic reputation by U.S. News & World Report in 2001 (compared to 37th in 1997) and has an annual in-state tuition of $4,761 for the 2001-02 academic year, while Miami University was ranked 68th with tuition of $6,916. Ohio University was ranked 84th and had tuition of $5,493, the University of Cincinnati ranked 134th with tuition of $5,823, and Kent State University was ranked 155th with tuition of $5,598.