TRUSTEES

The Ohio State Board of Trustees held its monthly meeting on June 7 at Longaberger Alumni House. Ohio State is governed by a board of 11 trustees (including two nonvoting student members) who are responsible for oversight of academic programs, budgets and general administration, and employment of faculty and staff. The governor annually appoints one voting member to a nine-year term and one nonvoting student member to a two-year term.

Budget impact, including job eliminations, discussed with board

The University has announced that it is eliminating 586 jobs in part to offset a $28 million loss in state general funds and the effects of a declining state economy. Some of the savings realized from the job eliminations will be used to help fund pay raises for faculty and staff, one of the key priorities of the University's Academic Plan. Of the eliminations, 119 are occupied by full-time employees with the remainder comprised of positions that are budgeted but not currently occupied. Details were presented to trustees on June 7.

"It is unfortunate that we are forced to take this action, because it affects so many people who have contributed greatly to the University and it will result in more demands on continuing faculty and staff at the University," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost. "At the same time, careful planning by our college and staff administrators will mean that most of the eliminations come from positions that are not currently occupied, thereby minimizing as much as possible the number of people who must leave the University. We are doing all we can to shield the academic core in a way that both protects the needs of our students and minimizes the disruption to our faculty and staff."

Ray said that no occupied tenure-track faculty positions are included in the reductions. In addition, he said that it is possible some employees who lose their jobs due to budget reductions may be placed elsewhere in the University if funding sources are available and as turnover occurs.

The University's Office of Human Resources is providing individual assistance to affected employees. Among the initiatives are a severance program based on length of service, professional outplacement services, financial planning workshops, use of the faculty/staff assistance program and help in identifying new jobs -- both inside and outside the University.

The impact of the cuts falls most heavily on support services, such as business operations, building maintenance and grounds crews, and on public service functions, such as the Cooperative Extension Service and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. Of the 96 positions identified in the University Health System, 36 were occupied. The cuts, which occurred in March, have affected all areas of the hospitals, with the exception of patient care and nursing.

Approximately 8,800 of the University's 18,000 faculty, staff and student positions are supported by the state's general funds budget.

Ray said that redirecting resources to increase faculty and staff compensation is critical in retaining and attracting a talented University work force. "We cannot continue to progress as an institution without competitive compensation for our faculty and staff, who received only negligible increases last year," Ray said. "We plan a competitive increase this year, but it will still require a continuing effort for several years before our compensation levels reach those of our benchmark institutions."

William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance, cautioned that "further state budget cuts will mean further reductions in University services. Nevertheless, we will continue to focus our limited resources where they can do the most good, so that we may continue our progress on the Academic Plan, although at a reduced pace."

Five-year transportation/parking plan is in final stage

In its first four years, the Transportation and Parking Five-Year Plan has generated $12 million in additional resources that have been used to improve parking and transportation services at Ohio State.

The additional revenue -- along with revenue from existing resources -- has resulted in increased campus bus ridership; plans for two new parking garages; improved bus, garage and lot maintenance; and a continued emphasis on safety, said Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking Services, during an update on the plan to the University Board of Trustees on June 7.

Fiscal year 2002-03 will be the final year of the five-year plan, which was approved by trustees in June 1998. Blouch asked trustees to approve a 10 percent rate increase on all parking permits as previously recommended in the plan for FY 2002-03. Parking permits for next academic year go on sale July 1 for faculty and staff, and are effective Sept. 1.

Also requested was a parking surcharge on intramural field rentals, which are rented to community groups for activities and sporting events.

"Charging a $1-per-person surcharge as part of the field rental charge will help to offset wear and tear on parking lots used by intramural guests who do not purchase OSU parking permits," Blouch said.

Transportation and Parking has made significant progress toward reaching the goals set out in the five-year plan. Achievements over the past four years highlighted by Blouch included:

• Campus Area Bus Service ridership has continued to grow from 1 million rides in FY 97-98 to 4 million rides in FY 2000-01. The total cost to provide campus bus service is $45/hour compared to COTA's $85/hour fully burdened operating cost.

• In its quest to build 3,000 central campus parking spaces, the Tuttle Park Place garage opened in July 1999, providing 956 parking spaces and a blend of retail operations at street level. Blouch said two new garages should be open in January 2004. The Neil Avenue garage, located on the southern edge of the new Larkins Hall project, will provide 650 new spaces (a net gain of 450 spaces); the Hospitals garage, located in front of Rhodes Hall and next to the new Heart Hospital, will provide 975 new spaces (net gain of 600 spaces). A fourth garage to be located at the corner of Tuttle Park Place and Lane Avenue continues to be evaluated, Blouch said. While the garages are being built, overflow parking in the Medical Center is being handled by a temporary gravel lot installed in the Polo Field, and the 2,000-space parking lot at the Jerome Schottenstein Center is being used as a park-and-ride lot.

• Rehabilitation of the North and South Medical garages will be completed by July; finishing touches will require closing the North Medical garage for one month following spring commencement. Additionally, 14 buses/shuttles have been purchased over the past four years to replace aging buses in service; 11 parking lots were resurfaced; and four new bus shelters were built.

• To address safety concerns, security cameras were installed in the west campus lots, lighting has been upgraded in several garages, and vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns on Tenth Avenue and Cannon Drive are being reviewed.

Transportation and Parking is currently faced with several key issues, including the impact of major construction projects on parking, traffic flow, safety and cost of bus operations; an increased cost of garage construction since the plan was adopted; and the financial stress created by greater-than-planned expansion of bus and shuttle service, Blouch said.

As parking lots have been lost to construction, additional bus service required to navigate campus and make remote parking acceptable to customers has been implemented.

"The expanded routes on and around campus are popular with students, staff and faculty. University customers depend on the six-minute bus service to and from remote parking locations to meet academic and work schedules," Blouch said.

However, meeting customer needs is becoming costly. As Transportation and Parking continues to balance customer needs and available resources, various options will be presented this autumn for campus-wide discussion and consideration.

Additional updates will be presented to trustees this autumn on issues and goals for FY 2003-04 and beyond.

Board approves personnel actions

The following appointments were approved by the board.

• Gary Bos has been named professor and holder of the Frank J. Kloenne Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedics, College of Medicine and Public Health, effective Sept. 1 through June 30, 2006. Bos is currently a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

• William L. McDonald has been named interim academic dean at Ohio State Newark, effective July 1 through June 30, 2003. McDonald is currently assistant academic dean and associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Newark.

• Giorgio Rizzoni has been named professor and holder of The Ford Motor Company Chair in Electromechanical Systems in the College of Engineering, effective July 1 through June 30, 2007. Rizzoni is currently professor of mechanical engineering.

• Daniel D. Sedmak has been named senior associate vice president and executive vice dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health, effective July 1.

• Kamilla K. Sigafoos has been promoted to associate vice president for health services. She has been serving as chief operating officer of University Hospitals.

• Randall B. Ripley's term as dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences has been extended, effective July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004.

Quarterly report

Senior Vice President for Business and Finance William J. Shkurti presented a third-quarter budget report indicating that higher-than-expected spring quarter enrollment produced $1.3 million in revenues after the accompanying increased student financial aid was taken into consideration. Such unanticipated General Funds revenues will be used to offset the $28 million reduction in state support resulting from the 6 percent cut this fiscal year, Shkurti said. Over the course of the academic year's four quarters, enrollment was 2.1 percent higher than projected for the fiscal year.

Sponsored research programs at the University have produced higher indirect cost recoveries than projected, as well, Shkurti said. These revenues are committed to investment in the research infrastructure and, under an upcoming new budget structure, to possible distribution to colleges generating the research funding.