United Black World Month in full swing
Historian and motivational speaker Carl Mack, right, inspires African Americans to achieve freedom through knowledge of history and self definition during his workshop titled "Kujichagulai" Feb. 4 at the Hale Center.
	Photos by Jo McCulty
Above, Delia Gamble and Vincent Briley, second- and third-year doctoral students, respectively, in educational policy and leadership, moderate the discussion "Are We Moving Forward or Backward as a People?" at the Hale Center Feb. 13.

Ohio State seeks new ways to increase revenues, cut costs

By David Bhaerman, University Relations

Leaders of Ohio State are preparing strategies to help the University address its long-term financial resource needs to implement the Academic Plan in the face of ongoing uncertain state support for higher education. The plan focuses on savings, cost avoidance and seeking additional resources in development and research funding.

Executive Vice President and Provost Ed Ray and Senior Vice President for Business and Finance William J. Shkurti told the University's Board of Trustees on Feb. 7 that Ohio State must find new ways to increase revenues and additional opportunities to reduce costs, so that more revenues do not come from tuition increases and state support alone. The goal is to identify at least $20 million to $25 million in savings and cost avoidance over the next five years. This is in addition to recent budget guidelines for the upcoming fiscal year which asked academic support units for plans to cut or reallocate 4 percent of general fund budgets.

"Ohio State has established a good track record in managing its costs, but past achievements are not sufficient to meet our future needs," Ray said. "At a time when growth in state support is small or decreasing, it is important to identify revenue resources and cost reductions to meet academic goals without an over-reliance on tuition increases."

During the last fiscal year, Ohio State absorbed a $28 million loss in state funding that resulted in a reduction of nearly 600 positions. Now, with the state's tax revenues continuing to falter and a slow recovery mirroring that of the nation, Ohio State cannot rely on state support as the only method to finance the improvements called for in the Academic Plan, the University's blueprint for becoming one of the world's top public research institutions.

On the other hand, the University cannot and will not lay the burden solely on the shoulders of its students through exorbitant tuition hikes, Ray said.

Shkurti said the Academic Plan calls for administrative cost reductions of $3 million to $5 million and revenue increases of $65 million to $85 million in one-time funds through fiscal year 2006. "These goals will be met or exceeded in this time period, but this still is not likely to be sufficient to meet our needs in the years ahead," he said.

Among the plan's priorities are recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty and staff, funding for scholarships, and continued improvement of the student experience -- through greater course availability, increased access to faculty, better academic and career advising, improved access to informational technology, and additional opportunities for learning outside the classroom, including the creative work and research of the faculty that will enrich the future for the entire University.

"This is not a continuation of business as usual, but a significant commitment to make our undergraduates some of the best prepared in the world," Shkurti said. "These are the kinds of steps we want and need to make to better prepare Ohio's future teachers, entrepreneurs, engineers and public servants."

Ray laid out for trustees a one-year plan to raise additional revenues by implementing a stronger and more aggressive agenda to win federal research funds, increasing extramural sponsorship of research and cost-recovery rates on sponsored research, expanding opportunities for private giving, and selectively expanding programs, such as distance learning, as well as entrepreneurial partnerships.

At the same time, Shkurti said the University will continue to cut costs by taking advantage of lower interest rates to reduce borrowing costs, using changes in energy markets to lower utility costs, and reviewing core administrative processes on capital projects and purchasing, for instance.

"Our size and diversity give us a comparative advantage to formulate unique sources of additional income and cost reduction," Shkurti said. "As we go through this process, we need to remember that achieving cost savings is a long-term, continuous process and not a one-time big splash."

But as the University begins this long-term process, it is also facing significant short-term budget issues with the state, Shkurti said.

To address a $720 million current-year budget deficit, Gov. Bob Taft last month ordered a 2.5 percent budget cut, which means that nearly $3 million in University line items are on the chopping block. Taft also made clear that if his plan for balancing this year's budget is not approved by the General Assembly -- by Feb. 20 -- a plan which includes not only the 2.5 percent cuts but also the approval of so-called "sin taxes" on cigarettes and alcohol as well as a package of various new sales taxes -- higher education's state share of instruction and other primary and secondary school funding will be reduced by $175 million yet this fiscal year.

For Ohio State, such a cut would mean the loss of an additional $7.7 million in state subsidies by the end of the academic year. The instructional subsidy makes up the lion's share of state support to the University and a cut of $7.7 million is significant, Shkurti told trustees.

Illustrative of the size of the cuts, he said $7.7 million is the equivalent of 153 positions paying $50,000 in average salaries and benefits; or 1,697 class sections at 45 seats per class; or 1,407 full-ride undergraduate scholarships for Ohio residents. "We would never create revenue by making cuts in any one area like that, but it does help show the magnitude of what we are facing," Shkurti said.

Ray agreed. "Although more resources do not guarantee results, success in acquiring resources is critical to the success of the Academic Plan. Success doesn't come easily or without time and commitment. It still will require a strong base of tuition and state support."

Douglass descendant shares legacy

By Liz Cook, Media Relations

Frederick Douglass IV guided an audience of more than 200 through the history, teachings and orations of his great-great-grandfather, famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, when he gave a talk for Ohio State's President and Provost's 2002-03 Diversity Lecture Series Feb. 13 at the Ohio Union.

Douglass, whose 19th-century ensemble featured a black cutaway coat, pinstriped ascot and top hat, shared in dramatic fashion the legacy of his family origin.

Born a slave near Easton, Md. in 1818, Frederick Douglass sought exile as a free man in 1838, settling with his wife, Anna Murray, in New Bedford, Mass. Douglass, an adviser to Presidents Lincoln and Hayes, became an internationally known lecturer and writer who published The North Star, a newspaper which vehemently supported the abolition movement and other human rights causes. He lived in Washington, D.C. at the time of his death in 1895.

Frederick Douglass IV

Frank W. Hale Jr., vice provost emeritus for the Office of Minority Affairs and facilitator of the lecture series, hailed Douglass' work.

"He was a hero because he was born in slavery and became his own man," Hale said. "He became a crusader for blacks' and women's rights. The leaders of power stood on his shoulders."

In welcoming Douglass, Ed Ray, executive vice president and provost, stressed the impact that his forbearer had on history.

"Frederick Douglass was one of the most eloquent and influential components of the abolitionist movement," Ray said. "His freedom speeches and writings moved the nation."

Douglass was accompanied in his reenactment by his wife, B.J., an accomplished a cappella vocalist who often portrays her husband's great-great-grandmother.

Through a medley of song and dialogue, the duo retold the storied chronology, adding a mix of poignant messages.

Douglass stressed the imporseparate black history from American history.

"We must understand that the story of my great-great-grandfather, as well as many others, is just not black history but a part of our country's history," Douglass said. "Unless we all understand it we can't move forward as a country."

He also emphasized the significance of the family unit.

"It is important that we not get tied up in the modern day chains of slavery and allow ourselves to fall into trouble with drugs, alcohol and credit card debt," Douglass said. "It is time to bring healing to our families.

"It is time to turn off our televisions and the electronic devices that preoccupy our children. We need to share our values and beliefs. They (children) need our love and understanding."

Douglass is a writer, as was his elder, having recently retired as director of public relations at his alma mater, Morgan State University. He is founder of the Frederick Douglass Organization Inc., committed to sharing the history of the statesman across the country.

Performing throughout the country for the past six years, Douglass visited Linden McKinley High School in Columbus earlier in the day, adding it to the hundreds of schools and organizations that have seen his performance.

Douglass challenged students to examine their own lives.

"You have to focus on yourself," he said. "Who is going to be the success story 10 years from now? You have to begin planning now, which might mean you have to change friends, change habits and learn how to say 'no.'"

Among his many affiliations, Douglass is president of the Friends of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, which is seeking legislative approval to have such a museum built on the Washington National Mall.

Douglass, whose organization serves as the project watchdog, said the proposal has been assigned to a presidential commission.

"The bottom line is we need a museum on the mall in Washington, D.C., that tells the story of African Americans 365 days a year," Douglass said.

"On the issue of the mall, it's just like any other real estate transaction: location, location, location. Everyone needs to see it and it needs to be in a place where it educates and informs mass audiences."