On Thursday evening, April 30, Ohio House District 28 State Representative Connie Pillich held a town hall meeting at RWC with special guest Eric Fingerhut, Chancellor of the University System of Ohio, to discuss the future of higher education in Ohio.During the course of the meeting, Chancellor Fingerhut presented some facts about the University System of Ohio (USO), which consists of 14 public universities, 23 community colleges, and 24 regional campuses.
The USO is now also affiliated with career centers, like Great Oaks and Butler Tech.
Chancellor Fingerhut went on to give statistics about students in Ohio, including the following:
Any given day, there are 475,000 credit seeking students in Ohio’s community colleges and regional campuses.
The State has over 130,000 students getting certificate based education in adult career centers.
Over 600,000 students participate in Ohio’s adult literacy programs.
Overall, there are over 750,000 students attending post-secondary institutions state wide.
Chancellor Fingerhut presented three goals for higher education in Ohio.
Affordability
There has been a tuition freeze in Ohio since 2007. With House Bill #1, that tuition freeze will continue another two years for community colleges and regional campuses. The freeze will continue for another year for main campuses of Ohio’s Public Universities. After that, the tuition hike is not to exceed 3.5%. Chancellor Fingerhut pointed out that we are the only state in the nation to do this. He also pointed out that the tuition freeze has been possible due to the large support of Governor Ted Strickland and the State Legislature.
Chancellor Fingerhut said that affordability was not just about keeping tuition prices down, but bringing together programs that students need on different campuses. In a meeting with RWC Interim Dean Don O’Meara, Chancellor Fingerhut discussed the options of offering bachelor degree programs at Raymond Walters College but at an affordable price. To drive home his point of affordability, Chancellor Fingerhut mentioned Zane State Community College and the relationship that they have with the Zanesville Regional Campus of Ohio University. There a student can go two years at Zane State and then finish with another two years at the Ohio University Regional Campus and can receive a bachelor’s degree for $16,000. That cost is 39% less than the national average.
Flexibility
A big concern for students is the transferability of credits and if they do transfer, whether those credits will be good for their degree at another public institution.
Chancellor Fingerhut said that those problems are in the past. Due to a mandate from the State Legislature, the credits from one post-secondary institution will transfer to another post-secondary institution. On top of that, thirty-eight majors have been aligned together. These majors make up over 75% of what students take. All public universities and colleges have agreed what courses constitute a major.
High Quality
This goal is not to create the cheapest system possible, but to create the greatest value that the State of Ohio has to offer. It is a combination of quality and price.
The University System of Ohio is the sixth largest research university system in the nation. Along with that, Ohio places third in the U.S. News and World Report Ranking of having the most nationally ranked universities.
Even though there are some good points, Chancellor Fingerhut had to point out our weaknesses. He said that the “greatest indicator of our state’s future lies in the education of its citizens.” When Governor Strickland was elected two years ago, and subsequently appointed Chancellor Fingerhut to his current position, Ohio placed thirty-eighth in the nation for overall educational attainment. Now, Ohio has placed thirty-sixth. To help improve this, Chancellor Fingerhut identified three goals that the USO has established.
1. Graduate more students.
2. Retain those students.
3. Attract more talent to the state.
In order to retain the students that graduate here in Ohio, Representative Pillich has sponsored a big provision of the state budget. She voted in favor of one of the largest expansions of internships and co-op learning opportunities in the nation.
In closing Chancellor Fingerhut believes that funding and building up the higher education system here in Ohio is one of the most important things that need to be done in order to ensure a bright and prosperous future for Ohio. “We are not creating something new. We are building on a legacy that has been our state’s tradition since well before statehood,” he said.