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Phil Weiker and Jack Fatica attended the meeting. The new chancellor of the Board of Regents, Jim Petro, met to share thoughts with OFS and answer some questions. Below are some of the key points he made:
1. Two-year colleges are a training ground and an entry level point for students to access higher education
2. He is attempting to get to every college campus in Ohio in his first two months to meet with the president and other key people
3. Higher education is part of economic development and the way to prepare Ohio’s workforce
4. One percent (about $2 million) of SSI funds is being diverted from universities to two-year colleges
5. Construction reform is one of his major initiatives. The second is shared services among colleges.
6. Charter universities is a concept he is exploring. It will be based on best practices from other states. He is in the process of gathering data. Entrepreneurial universities is the term he prefers to use. These schools would receive less state funding but have fewer restrictions. They could move forwards with projects more quickly.
7. The University System of Ohio has moved in a positive direction. He plans to continue and build on it.
8. Remediation should be at two-year colleges, because it is much less expensive than doing it at universities. He believes that colleges should pass on the cost to the school districts. The goal is to not need remedial classes.
9. The three-year baccalaureate degree idea is to use post-secondary education more widely. High school seniors who have completed most, if not all, of their required high school credits could take college classes and need just three years beyond high school to complete a degree.
The Chancellor welcomes the opportunity to work with the Ohio Faculty Senate and plans to meet with us regularly.