Ohio Northern University Faculty
2015 - 2016
Minutes of the March 22 Meeting
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President DiBiasio called the meeting to order at 11:02 AM.
Invocation was offered by Kathie Fleck.
Minutes from February 23, 2016 were approved.
Unfinished Business: None.
Report from University Council (Melissa Eddings):
a. Council met last Tuesday (March 15th). Discussion regarding proposed changes to
the Faculty Handbook continued (Section 3.31 and a new appendix).
b. Discussion of changes to Appendix 5 (guidelines and procedures for program
review) of the Faculty Handbook occurred. The Personnel Committee brought
forth a number of proposed changes to the Faculty Handbook (Sections 2.4, 2.4a,
2.8 & 2.9; Appendices 10, 17 &18). Collectively, these sections address tenure,
non-tenured faculty, applications for tenure, rank and promotion, evaluation,
application and procedures for sabbatical, evaluation of faculty members, 4-year
renewable contracts and post-tenure review.
c. The General Education Committee brought forth revisions and requested a special
University Council meeting to have ample time to discuss changes. The special
Council meeting will occur on Tuesday, April 12th.
d. President DiBiasio noted the excellent conversations happening with respect to
policy. He encouraged faculty to examine these proposed changes and bring
forward comments or questions.
Reports from Constitutional Committees:
a. Budget and Appropriations (Bryan Boulanger): Recommendations for
compensation were discussed at a recent joint meeting between the Personnel and
Budget & Appropriations Committees. It was proposed that future raises be
based partially on merit (2/3) and partially on base salary (1/3). With respect to
faculty travel budgets, model projections are being used to examine different
scenarios and consider options.
b. Academic Affairs (Kelly Kobiela): Proposed changes to Section 3.31 and
Appendix 32 of the Faculty Handbook were approved at the last University
Council meeting. Changes to Appendix 5 will be discussed in depth at the next
University Council meeting. The General Education Committee is meeting next
week to finalize recommendations from University Council.
c. Student Affairs (Heath LeBlanc): The committee met on March 16th to review the
constitutions and bylaws of three proposed student groups: ONU College
Democrats, Merge (a religious affairs group) and 4 Paws (service dog training).
The first two groups need to complete minor revisions for approval. 4 Paws, on
the other hand, poses other practical and philosophical issues with regards to
becoming a full-fledged student organization. The decision letter is in progress
Ohio Northern University Faculty
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and consideration is being given to making this organization a special group on
campus that can be overseen by residence life.
d. Personnel (Bryan Boulanger): The committee has covered a lot of ground this
year and has updated 10 different sections of the Faculty Handbook. A summary
document is available if you are interested. This document should have also been
shared at college meetings.
Reports from Operational Committees:
a. Athletic Events: No report.
b. Cultural Events (Mark Cruea): CASE is co-sponsoring a visit from Frank Warren,
creator of the PostSecret Project. Tickets are free and still available, but are
required for admission to “PostSecret Live” on March 30th @ 7:30 PM in the
Freed Center.
c. International Affairs (Lynda Nyce): The next meeting is March 30th.
i. An international travel form is now available on the ONU website under
“Business Services and Travel Policies.” This form allows students,
faculty and staff to register international travel.
ii. On April 6th, Kelsey Timmerman, author of the common reading book this
year (“Where Am I Wearing: A Global Tour of the Countries, Factories
and People that Make Our Clothes”) will present on Wednesday, April 6th
@ 7 PM in the McIntosh Ballroom. He will also have an open
conservation at 3 PM on April 6th in Heterick Library.
iii. The Multicultural Fair will be held on April 8th @ 5 PM in KingHorn.
iv. Students will be visiting ONU from Salford, England.
v. Two faculty members, Rob Alexander and Kofi Nsia-Pepra, are
participating in two study abroad programs through USAC.
vi. A question was asked about an emergency travel form. Lynda Nyce
responded that it is integrated into the international travel form. Contact
Lynda with suggestions. A link to the form will be distributed via email.
d. Religious Affairs (Kathie Fleck): Work has begun on graduation programs.
Please contact the committee if you have comments.
e. Information Technology (Julie Hurtig): The committee is reviewing Data Security
Policies and Procedures. Two online courses have received Quality Matters
Certification (Instructors: Jill Christopher and Anita Morgan). If you are
interested in developing an online course, a summer online workshop for
Designing Quality Online Courses is May 16th – June 30th.
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Questions for the President:
a. Bill Ballard first shared a few items.
i. As of last week, the deposit count was 273 (13 ahead of last year and 43
ahead of two years ago). The deposits for each college are as follows:
Arts & Sciences (107), Business (25), Engineering (60), Pharmacy (86).
ii. Admissions is working on email campaigns, postcard mailing and phone
outreach. Some of the colleges have also been participating in phone calls
to students that have been accepted, but not yet deposited.
iii. April 2nd is Orange and Black Day for students that have been accepted.
Last year, 115 prospective students participated; this year, there will be
225. Due to the increased number of participants, activity will be centered
around KingHorn. Activities will include a scavenger hunt, social media
and a station for enrollment deposits.
iv. April 6th will be the second Polar Preview Day.
v. Financial aid packages are now available. Discussion followed regarding
the amount of financial aid offered and the timing that those packages are
made available relative to other schools. Based on comparisons, ONU
packages appear very competitive and are available earlier than some
schools (early March versus mid-March).
b. President DiBiasio made a few comments before opening the floor to questions.
i. The Provost Search: Another candidate pool is being generated. The
search committee will continue to work through the summer and hope to
bring finalists to campus by early October. A question was asked about
the lack of fit with the previous finalists. President DiBiasio responded
that while there were many excellent candidates, the committee is looking
for the individual that best matches the qualifications, background and
experience level for this position. The committee will review the profile
and desired qualifications and will use those standards to judge candidates.
ii. The Dean of the College of Business Search: The committee has identified
semifinalist candidates that will be brought to a neutral site before
bringing finalists to campus.
iii. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will soon be renamed the
Don Bettinger Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Don Bettinger
was responsible for seeking and securing American Chemical Society
Accreditation for the program. Dr. Bettinger’s son, Walt Bettinger, is a
former ONU Board member and is currently the President and CEO of
Charles Schwab.
iv. ONU’s United Methodist Affiliation was approved for the next ten years.
v. President DiBiasio acknowledged Sarah Waters for her dedication to the
visiting Fulbright Scholar (Benjamin Obido Ayettey) this semester. Her
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time and effort resulted in very positive experiences for ONU students and
the surrounding community.
Questions for the Provost: Provost Crago made a few comments before opening the
floor to questions.
a. Given the tragic events in Europe today, it is important to reemphasize Lynda
Nyce’s comments about registering for international travel. There are also ways to
register domestic travel.
b. Applications for Summer Research Stipends and Online Course Development are
due to the Provost’s Office from the Deans by April 1st.
c. The Public Health Program is being reviewed by the Board of Higher Education.
They are requesting curriculum vitae of instructors, and syllabi and learning
outcomes from courses. Brian Keas will be contacting those involved to request
the appropriate material.
d. In the recent AICUO (Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of
Ohio) meeting in Columbus, the most prominent concern related to continued
efforts by two-year colleges to award four-year degrees. This is now a part of the
governor’s proposal. The other area of discussion related to the College Credit
Plus dual enrollment program. It appears that a flat fee for the program will be
instituted, so private schools will not be competing with “free.” On the other
hand, while the Department of Higher Education is aware that many public
schools are not following guidelines, it is unlikely that there will be major
changes to that program anytime soon. A question was raised about potentially
highlighting the negative aspects of the College Credit Plus program in
advertising. Provost Crago responded that advertising for dual enrollment at
ONU has focused on the positive aspects of our program, rather than the negative
aspects of other programs.
e. Consultants from McAlister and Quinn will continue to assist the university to
improve our success rate in securing external grant funding.
Other Reports: None
New business: None
Announcements:
a. The ONU Gospel Ensemble will perform the annual spring concert on April 3rd @
4 PM in the McIntosh Ballroom. Special guests will include the Philippian
Missionary Baptist Church Choir of Lima and the Toledo Youth Choir.
b. Are you interested in singing? You have the opportunity to join the Lima
Symphony Orchestra in Brahms Requiem on April 16th. Rehearsals are on
Wednesday nights from 8 – 10 PM. There will also be another concert with the
ONU Symphony at the end of April.
c. On Thursday, April 7th @ 7:30 PM in Dicke Forum, James McCusker from
Michigan State University will deliver the Kritzler Lecture in Chemistry.
Ohio Northern University Faculty
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Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:45 AM.
Submitted by,
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Leslie A. Riley
Secretary
2015 - 2016