Ohio Northern University Faculty
2014 - 2015
Minutes of the September 23 Meeting
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President DiBiasio called the meeting to order at 11:01 AM.
Invocation was offered by Chaplain MacDonald. Always ready to offer a blessing
on a moment’s notice!
Minutes from April 15, 2014 were approved.
Election of Officers: Ray Person was elected Chair Pro Tem and Leslie Riley was
elected Secretary. Lou Lobenhofer was appointed Parliamentarian.
Unfinished Business: None.
Report from University Council: Jeff Allison announced that University Council held
their first meeting last Tuesday at 5:30 PM. Melissa Eddings was elected Vice Chair;
Jenny Donley was elected Secretary and Lou Lobenhofer was appointed
Parliamentarian. Committees provided many substantive reports. Council received a
proposed resolution from the Office of Student Conduct regarding the term length for
faculty members on the University Disciplinary Board. Council unanimously
approved the resolution for one year terms as opposed to two.
Recognition of Endowed Chairs for 2013 – 2014: President DiBiasio presented
recipients of endowed chairs with a certificate in recognition of their award. Some
recipients were absent. The endowed chairs for 2014 - 2015 are:
a. LeRoy H. Lytle Chair: David Mikesell, Associate Professor of Mechanical
Engineering
b. George W. Patton Chair: David Savino, Associate Professor of Management
c. Sara A. Ridenhour Chair: John Paul Kanwit, Associate Professor of English
d. Ella and Ernest Fisher Chair: Michael Lewis, Professor of Law
e. Eleanor H. and Robert W. Biggs Chair in the Sciences: Terrence Sheridan,
Professor of Physics
f. Eleanor H. and Robert W. Biggs Chair in Chemistry: Jake Zimmerman, Associate
Professor of Chemistry
g. Eleanor H. and Robert W. Biggs Chair in Arts: Melissa Eddings-Mancuso,
Associate Professor of Art
h. Mary Reichelderfer Chair: Ryan Rahrig, Assistant Professor of Mathematics &
Statistics
i. Kernan Robson Chair: Kofi Nsia-Pepra, Associate Professor of Political Science
j. Engineering Alumni Chair: Bryan Boulanger, Professor of Civil Engineering
k. Herbert F. Alter Chair of Engineering Sciences: Firas Hassan, Assistant Professor
of Electrical & Computer Engineering
l. Wilfred E. Binkley Chair: Michael Loughlin, Professor of History
m. Irene Casteel Chair in Education, Professional & Social Sciences: Kristie
Payment, Associate Professor of Psychology
Questions for the President: President DiBiasio made a few comments before opening
the floor to questions.
Ohio Northern University Faculty
IX.
2014 - 2015
a. Enrollment Issues. There has been some stability with regards to FTE and
headcounts and international students have increased. There was also an
impressive 88% retention rate from the freshman class last year to the sophomore
class this year. Other indicators are providing mixed signals. For example, the
College of Arts and Sciences has seen increased enrollment, while the College of
Business and the College of Law have declined. Our incoming students are still
high quality (e.g. average 26 ACT). The university is moving in the right
direction with an increased number of new students this year, but there was some
disappointment that there was not a higher level of increase. For next year, we
are encouraged by the addition of the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams.
Students that have committed to attend ONU are coming from some new areas.
Also, application numbers are higher for next year in some areas of the university
(e.g. College of Engineering). We plan to continue with international initiatives
and to keep broadening our prospective student base. This summer, a consulting
firm provided some interesting feedback for getting ONU applications to a wider
audience. As enrollment numbers are transferred to the budget, there are still
some areas of concern. Net tuition revenue continues to be a problem and will
result in a budget shortfall again this year. Even with increased enrollment, we
are not yet seeing that translate into budget increases. Details are not available
yet, but I will continue to keep you informed.
b. The university reduced expenditures very successfully in the spring of 2014. We
reduced expenditures by $2 million, closing a substantial portion of the $3.5
million gap. Voluntary retirement contributed to this reduction. The changes that
were made in tightening the budget did not affect the students. Looking to this
year’s budget, compensation and salary increases might not happen given the
remaining gap in the budget. We will still push for this at the Board meeting on
October 10 when the budget gets approved.
c. Lisa Robeson asked about the discount rate. President DiBiasio responded that
the rate is down in almost every college by 5 – 7%. The university is moving in
the right direction.
d. President DiBiasio reminded everyone about the Master Planning Forum next
week. There are some exciting opportunities to think about our next campaign
and the physical manifestations of our strategic plan.
Questions for the Provost: David Crago made a few comments before opening the
floor to questions. He noted that many of these items were also discussed at
University Council.
a. Two position changes were missed at opening session. Kathleen Baril, previously
serving as Interim Director of Heterick Library, has now been named Director.
Chris Yanai is now the Director of the PMCP program.
Ohio Northern University Faculty
X.
2014 - 2015
b. A variety of health science initiatives are being discussed. The top three
initiatives are: 1) an RN-BSN online program, 2) a public health major and 3) a
bioinformatics program. Faculty committees are underway and will be providing
reports on their progress.
c. By next academic year, there will only be one dual enrollment, post secondary
option in the state of Ohio. Currently, ONU has 480 high school seniors that are
receiving college credit. We will not be able to offer this option next fall until we
redesign our dual enrollment program to meet the new state guidelines. Every
high school is now required to have a relationship with a college in the state. We
need to work quickly to set up these partnerships.
d. On July 1st, the Ohio Supreme Court recently changed a rule stating that a
bachelor’s degree had to precede a law degree. Now, the Court has adopted a 3 +
3 program. The pre-law committee is looking into what changes could be made at
ONU to adopt a 3 + 3 program.
e. ONU was invited to join the New American Colleges & Universities (NAC&U).
This is a group of 15 – 20 schools that resemble us. Enrollment ranges from 2500
to about 6000. These schools have a commitment to professional programs, but
also to liberal arts education and civic engagement. The first Provost conference
call with the NAC&U occurred last Friday. This group will provide ONU with
more visibility.
f. Preparation for the HLC continues. Working drafts are being consolidated and
comments of chairs and deans are being incorporated.
g. A question was asked about whether state schools were the only ones involved in
the new dual enrollment program. The Provost responded that every high school
must have a contract with a state school and every state school has to offer 15
hour and 30 hour programs. Private schools can participate, but are not required
to do so. We will have to market ONU as a dual enrollment option to be
involved. The President added that this new policy creates mandatory
competition with the state schools, but we still have a place to navigate, stay
current and maybe even expand our current options.
h. President DiBiasio added that a textbook is in the works that will discuss high
impact learning at NAC&U schools. ONU will be included in that textbook. This
book is being modeled after “Colleges that change lives.”
Other Reports:
a. Personnel: Bryan Boulanger announced that the committee has met twice.
Michele Govekar was elected chair and Joanne Brant was elected secretary.
Letters of intent for sabbatical are due October 1st. Packages are due October 15th.
The committee will meet again on October 2nd. Feel free to address questions to
members of the committee.
Ohio Northern University Faculty
XI.
XII.
2014 - 2015
b. Academic Affairs: Firas Hassan announced that the committee is working on
expanding the intellectual property policy. Please share any input with the
committee.
c. International Affairs: Brian Keas announced that the Study Abroad Fair will
happen next Thursday, October 2nd from 10 AM – 2 PM in the McIntosh
Activities Room.
d. General Education: The committee is integrating new individuals, tagging and
revisiting notes from last year’s retreat to work on areas that need to be changed.
e. There were no other committee reports.
Announcements:
a. Phillip Zoladz is now serving as chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
There will now be an online submission process for IRB proposals. Please read
the distributed email for further details.
b. Forrest Clingerman announced that the Philosophy & Religion department and the
chapel will be cosponsoring a conversation on religion and science with Carl
Helrich and Paul Keim, both of Goshen College, on October 22nd at 8 PM. This is
also the first year ONU will be participating in CIC Wilson visiting fellow
program. Janice Ray, a creative nonfiction writer, will be joining us in
February. Her work focuses on sustainability and memoirs of growing up in
Georgia. Please let Forrest Clingerman know if you would like more information
or are interested in staying in the loop regarding her visit.
c. A musical performance on Monday, September 29th at 8 PM will feature a
violinist, pianist and cellist.
d. The Keiser Lecture is on Tuesday October 7th at 7:30 PM in the Freed Center. Dr.
Reed Noss will discuss “Wilderness, Wildness and Biodiversity.”
e. The English Department and Heterick Library are hosting a banned books reading
and discussion at 7 PM on the first floor of Heterick Library this evening.
f. Matt Phillips announced that he replaced Paul Govekar as the ONU representative
on the Board of the United Way for Hardin County. This year’s campaign is
seeking increased participation and all faculty and staff are encouraged to please
consider donating at least $1. Everyone that gives more than $1 will be entered
into drawings for prizes. Viva Maria’s will also be sponsoring an event for the
United Way this evening. All proceeds will go to the United Way of Hardin
County.
g. Andy Roecker noted that distributing print versions of the faculty handbook may
not be the best use of resources. Many people use electronic versions. It might be
worth only printing handbooks for those that prefer that medium.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:44 AM.
Submitted by,
Ohio Northern University Faculty
__________________________
Leslie A. Riley
Secretary
2014 - 2015