Spiderman SIghting
	A window washer makes his way up Fisher Hall at the Fisher College of Business.   By Jo McCulty

New fiscal practices are due to cuts in state support

In presenting a fiscal year 2003 budget recommendation to the Board of Trustees on July 12, University officials noted that as a result of declining state support, Ohio State is adopting fiscal practices that more and more closely resemble a private institution -- especially the transition to a more distributed-revenue and cost-sensitive budget system and greater reliance on entrepreneurial efforts to generate revenues.

Trustees authorized a spending plan that reflects those characteristics: a restructured General Funds budgeting system more closely associated with academic goals rather than historic patterns of funding; a two-tiered undergraduate tuition program; targeted increases in other funding sources, such as private gifts and sponsored research; and state support that stands 4.4 percent lower than the level of support Ohio State received in fiscal year 2001.

In addition, budget conditions last year and this year suggest that a trend has begun, this year marking the second time tuition and fees exceed state support as a percentage of the total General Funds budget.

Even so, Ohio State is poised to maintain momentum in identified strategic areas over the next year, offering quality educational programs and more competitive compensation while assessing below-state-average tuition for both continuing and new students, said Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray.

"Despite a very difficult budget picture associated with state budget cuts and continuing uncertainty about the state's future financial health, we are directing every effort toward protecting our academic core while maintaining Ohio State's affordability relative to other public institutions in the state," Ray said.

Strategic investments are focused on four critical initiatives of the University's Academic Plan: competitive compensation for faculty and staff, enhancements to the undergraduate program, a major biomedical research initiative, and creation of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the Americas.

General Fund revenues and expenditures on the Columbus campus are expected to be $844.3 million in the fiscal year that began July 1, a net revenue increase of 4.2 percent over 2001-02 after corresponding student financial aid is deducted from the total revenues. When all General Fund income sources are combined, the projected increase stands at $47.8 million. The University will provide $14 million in student financial aid specifically to offset the increased tuition, ensuring that no qualified student will be turned away from Ohio State because of financial need.

The University's total annual budget, including all sources of income and expenses at the University Medical Center and in other auxiliary units, as well as private fund raising and sponsored research, exceeds $2.5 billion.

Income projections are based in part on the tuition revenues that will result from an estimated enrollment of 49,094 on the Columbus campus, and reflect flat state share of instruction of $305.4 million -- taking into account the 6 percent budget cut made last fiscal year that carried over into this year, as well. Expenditures are projected to rise most substantially for faculty and staff retirement and health care benefits (13 percent), student financial aid (11.9 percent) and utility and insurance costs (3.2 percent).

In addition, the University is able to devote a total of $19.8 million, or a 4.7 percent average increase, to the pool for faculty and staff salaries and wages, using revenues from a combination of tuition income and internal budget reallocations. Administrators pledged a year ago to develop a strategy to provide above-market compensation packages for each of the next several years to make up for below-market increases in previous years.

"Making progress on our academic goals includes adhering to our plan to attract and retain outstanding faculty and staff through a compensation initiative that will increase our competitiveness nationally over the next several years," Ray said.

Ohio State will commit almost $6.9 million in continuing funds to strategic investments, up from $5.8 million last year and about half of the $13 million available in FY 2001. Most of that -- $4.9 million -- will go to multiyear commitments that include academic enrichment and selective investment programs, shifts in units'base budgets, graduate associate health insurance and enhanced recruiting activities. Another $15.6 million in one-time funds will primarily cover Universitywide technology support needs, including final payment on an internal loan for the installation of new human resources and financial systems. A President's Strategic Reserve, created two years ago, will provide seed money to support Academic Plan initiatives, including the medical informatics program, technology transfer activities, enhancements to the undergraduate experience, outreach and engagement projects, and support for faculty hires.

As a result of the budget restructuring, colleges will see average General Fund budget increases of 7 percent this fiscal year. Support areas, other than research units, are more constrained this year, seeing, on average, no budget increases overall.

The internal reallocations that were part of the budgeting process leading into this fiscal year included the elimination of nearly 600 funded full-time equivalent positions across the University, of which 119 were filled positions at the time. The most visible strain resulting from the position reductions will be evident in academic support services such as the libraries, instructional technology areas and physical facilities, where the workload is distributed among fewer people, said William J. Shkurti, senior vice president for business and finance.

The budget reflects the following student fee increases, all previously approved by the trustees: 19 percent for new in-state undergraduates and 9 percent for continuing in-state undergraduates in Columbus; a 7.5 percent undergraduate nonresident surcharge; 5 percent for graduate in-state tuition; various differential instructional fees approved for students in the professional colleges and specific graduate programs; 5 percent for nonresident graduate and professional surcharges; 8.9 percent for lower-division regional campus students; 12.8 percent for upper-division regional campus students; and 9.9 percent for students attending the Agricultural Technical Institute.

Faculty Rules changes clear way for proposals for clinical faculty tracks

The University Board of Trustees has approved changes to the Faculty Rules that will allow Ohio State colleges to propose the creation of clinical faculty tracks outside of the health sciences, which already have clinical tracks, and require that any exceptions to promotion and tenure policies go before the full University Senate for a vote. The Senate approved the changes in June.

Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray urged governance leaders in January to assist in crafting legislation that would enable the Senate to consider college proposals to make regular clinical faculty appointments in areas outside the health sciences. Currently, only the colleges in the health sciences employ clinical instructors, who hold appointments as non-tenure-track faculty and who do not participate in faculty governance at the University level. The Fisher College of Business and Moritz College of Law have submitted proposals seeking authority to create such positions, but the rules to date allowed clinical appointments only in the health sciences.

Preparation of the rule changes -- which included amendments to chapter 47 and creation of an entirely new chapter 48 -- has taken approximately two years. Senate committees have spent the past several months considering the proposed rule changes, working extensively with Barbara Snyder, vice provost for academic policy and human resources, to refine the proposal before its presentation to the Senate on June 5 for a vote.

The clinical faculty-related rule changes did not receive unanimous support, but were approved by a clear majority of the Senate. Some Senate members voiced concerns that allowing for creation of additional clinical faculty would dilute the quality of the total University faculty, and expressed discomfort with establishment of a faculty track that does not require the scholarship rigors -- and protections -- of the tenure process. Some also expressed concern that clinical faculty could end up serving in roles that are not specifically clinical, and asserted that undergraduate teaching must remain the province of the tenure-track faculty.

Those in favor of the rule change said creation of a clinical faculty track would assist in recruitment of high-quality professionals to serve in those roles, and noted that clinical faculty would be expected to teach primarily courses involving live patients or clients, simulational instructional settings and/or courses that teach professional skills. The new rule also caps the portion of clinical faculty in any unit at 20 percent of the tenure-track faculty in the unit, except in the health sciences, where the cap has been and remains at 40 percent of the total regular faculty in the unit.

The new set of rules is strictly enabling legislation, Snyder noted. Colleges interested in establishing clinical faculty tracks will undergo a comprehensive proposal process in which they will have to provide rationale for establishing the clinical track; define the scope of the clinical faculty teaching role; identify hiring criteria for clinical faculty candidates; and specify which courses could be taught by clinical faculty. Proposals also will have to comply with additional guidelines to be developed by the Council on Academic Affairs. College proposals for creation of a clinical faculty track will require approval by a majority of the tenure-track faculty in the proposing unit, the dean of the college, the executive vice president and provost, the University Senate and the Board of Trustees.

Trustees also approved an amendment to the exceptions clause of chapter 47 of the Faculty Rules, which requires units seeking exceptions to the University's promotion and tenure policies to receive approval for the exception from both the executive vice president and provost and the full University Senate.

The amendment was drafted after a January decision by Ray to accept a proposal from the College of Medicine and Public Health to extend the probationary period for faculty with patient clinical service responsibilities. Under the change, the mandatory review for faculty with patient care responsibilities pursuing tenure in that college will now occur in the 11th year instead of the sixth, the current standard tenure review year across the University.

Ray acknowledged at the time that his decision -- based on the existing exceptions clause of chapter 47 -- would be considered controversial by some, but he said he approved the college's request for the change in tenure procedures "with a great deal of forethought and after extensive consultation" and "because I believe that it is the right [decision] for The Ohio State University and for our College of Medicine and Public Health."

$1 million collaboration will increase number of teachers in mathematics and science

Two education professors at Ohio State will lead a collaborative program to address the shortage of science and mathematics teachers in Ohio.

The West/Central Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, called the EXCEL Center, will receive a total of $1 million over the next four years. The funding from the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Resource Center for Math, Science and Reading will be used to expand existing science and mathematics education programs in the state.

The co-principal investigators are Michael Beeth, associate professor, and Douglas Owens, professor, both of Ohio State's School of Teaching and Learning.

The need for qualified math and science teachers is especially critical in urban areas," said Gene T. Harris, superintendent of the Columbus Public Schools. "These teachers make the connection between students'aspirations and the sustained academic success they need to successfully pursue high-tech careers."

Harris added, "The EXCEL Center provides an exemplary model for recruiting and retaining knowledgeable individuals who wish to make a mid-career change to teaching in Ohio's public schools."

In addition to Ohio State, the partners are Wright State University and the University of Dayton. They will collaborate with Central State University in Wilberforce, Sinclair Community College in Dayton and Columbus State Community College. Columbus Public Schools, Dayton Public Schools and Springfield City Schools will also participate.

The EXCEL Center will recruit, prepare and retain non-traditional students to become science and mathematics teachers for grades 7-12. Students will be employed part-time by a school district as they use Ohio's new alternative educator license to enter the classroom. The EXCEL Center also plans to invite arts and sciences faculty at Ohio community colleges, colleges and universities to join education faculty in teacher preparation programs and in sessions to improve current math and science teachers'classroom skills.

The American Association for Employment in Education reports that in 2000 there was a "considerable shortage" of mathematics, chemistry and physics teachers in Ohio. There was "some shortage" of teachers for biology, earth and physical sciences, and general science courses.

The association notes that supplies of qualified teachers could continue to dwindle as school enrollments increase, states mandate smaller class sizes, current teachers retire, and teacher salaries become less competitive.

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