DUBLIN — The Ohio University Board of Trustees approved a resolution giving President Lori Stewart Gonzalez a bonus and raise for her performance during her first year in office. The board also approved resolutions increasing tuition and fees and room and board rates during the 2024-25 academic year during its meeting Thursday and Friday at the Dublin campus.
Bonus and raise
The board passed a resolution giving Gonzalez a salary increase of 2% — or $12,000 — of her base salary ($600,000) and a one-time bonus of $15 of her base salary — or $90,000. The increase becomes active this upcoming fiscal year.
According to previous reports, her contract states that in July of each year, Gonzalez will be eligible for a performance bonus of up to 15% of her base salary in effect during the previous contract year. The Board of Trustees will determine the amount of the bonus, which will be contingent on the university achieving mutually agreed upon, predefined goals and the “availability of funds.”
According to the resolution, the board evaluated her performance since joining the university on July 1, 2023, and noted that during her almost year in office, Gonzalez has “enhanced the legacy of the institution through her effective outreach and visible stewardship, passion for OHIO and by strongly asserting the transformational value of public higher education on our campuses and throughout the region, state and beyond.”
The resolution credits her for successfully completing the recruitment and on-boarding of critical new members of her leadership team, positioning the university to build a new culture that advances and executes its mission, vision and values; and Dynamic Strategy Goals and Priorities by:
“Building a strategic vision of OHIO’s future, academic future, and financial stability.“Producing structurally balanced and financially sustainable operations.“Improving academic quality and student success.“Recruiting top faculty to OHIO.“Building highly engaged partnerships with alumni, corporations, and communities (domestically and globally) to produce mutually beneficial and durable relationships and outcomes.“Enhancing marketing and communications.”
Tuition and fee increase
In other financial matters, the trustees passed resolutions increasing tuition and fees for the 2024-25 academic year. This will only impact those who are not guarantee students. They call for:
A 3% increase in the Athens undergraduate tuition guarantee rates and a 3% increase in the non-resident fee.A 3% increase in the Regional undergraduate tuition guarantee rates and a 3% increase in the non-resident fee.A 4.6% increase in guaranteed room rates and a 4.6% increase in the guaranteed board rates.A 3% increase in the Heritage College of Medicine instructional and medical resource fees, and a 10% increase in the non-resident fee.
Undergraduate students at the regional campuses pay less than those on the Athens campus.
For four-credit hours, students on regional campuses will pay $1,100 for their credit hours. Residents of Ohio will pay a $12 fee (total of $1,112), while non-residents will pay a $560 fee (total of $1,672). There is also a $24 career and experiential fee.
For undergraduate students at the Athens Campus, the base rate for four hours of credit is $1,776. Residents will pay a $198 fee (total of $1,974), while nonresidents pay a $1,572 fee for a total of $3,546. There is also a $27 career and experiential fee.
In regard to room and board rates for non-guarantee students, the OU administration pointed out that the rates have not increased in 10 years and are currently 15% to 29% below the rates for guarantee students.
The plan increases the rates by up to 12.6% for the next three to five years to “achieve parity with the guarantee rates. The plan will have little student impact since the vast majority of the students subject to these rates are part of the Chubu program where students only study here for one semester,” the university told trustees in the agenda packet.
According to a graphic provided in the meeting agenda, a standard double that costs $3,256 per semester for a non-guarantee student during the 2023-24 academic year will cost $3,569 per semester, an increase of 9.6%, for the 2024-25 academic year. The highest increase will be for a suite double/trip, which was $3,692 per semester in 2023-24. It will cost $4,157 per semester — about 12.6% more — starting the 2024-25 academic year.
The board meal plans also received a rate increase. The lowest increase — 5.42% — is for the 14 meal plan, which will go from $2,177 to $2,295 per semester and 20 meal plan, which will go from $2,325 and $2,451 per semester. The highest increase is 6.38% for the 10 meal plan, which was $1,881 per semester last school year and will be $2,001 per semester this upcoming school year.
Guarantee students are locked into a cohort based, level-rate tuition, housing and dining model during their time at OU. Non-guarantee students are online students, Athens students whose first term of enrollment was prior to summer 2015, regional students whose first term of enrollment was prior to summer 2018 and nondegree-seeking students.
Other business
Vice President for Enrollment Management Candace J. Boeninger provided the Board with an enrollment update, noting that interest in OU is at an all-time high, with record Athens freshman applications over 27,000 — a 7% increase from the previous year. Boeninger also updated the Board on the federal government’s ongoing changes to FAFSA and its application system, noting that the Enrollment Management team has successfully shared aid offers to students despite an evolving distribution timeline.
Also during the meeting, on Friday, the Board recognized Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs, who has been instrumental in leading Ohio University through significant accomplishments that will continue to make a lasting impact across the institution. Don Leo will officially begin his role as the new executive vice president and provost on July 1.
The Board also commended the Ohio University Police Department for 200 years of service to the University community. The proclamation of appreciation thanked the department and celebrated its dedicated staff, storied history and longstanding commitment to professionalism, integrity and humanity.
Additional highlights from the June 2024 Board of Trustees meetings included:
The Board approved a resolution to expand the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AAS-N) pre-licensure program to the Lancaster campus, pending completion of the required external approval processes. Currently, the AAS-N program is offered on OU’s Chillicothe, Southern and Zanesville campuses. Through this expansion, students across the Lancaster community would have the opportunity to pursue their degree closer to home.The Board approved OU’s reimagined mission, vision and values statement, as well as the goals and strategies set forth by President Lori Stewart Gonzalez and the respective pillar working groups. The Dynamic Strategy effort is focused on the creation of strategic goals and priorities to help guide the University into the future, engage thousands of students, faculty, staff and alumni and help guide the University’s work for the next three years.The Board received an update from Sayrs on faculty retention and outlined many of the initiatives that have been implemented to foster faculty engagement, highlight accomplishments and offer varied opportunities for professional development and career growth.
The Board approved several new capital projects, including:
Zanesville Herrold Hall Nursing Labs Renovation — The Board approved a resolution to increase the budget of the nursing labs renovation by $75,000. The project will create purpose-built space for academic and hands-on lab instruction for more than 225 students. The $1.5 million project is anticipated to be funded by internal bank financing and regional higher education departmental reserves.Bush Airport New Hangar Construction — The Board approved a resolution to create a safe and secure storage facility for University-owned and private aircraft. This project will provide new hangar space for 16 aircraft. The $1.9 million project is anticipated to be funded by federal and state grants and departmental reserves.Convocation Center Lower Flat Roof Replacement — The Board approved a resolution to replace the membrane flat roof sections on the Convocation Center to prevent water intrusion. This $1 million project is anticipated to be funded by deferred maintenance century bond funding.Morton Hall Elevator Repairs — The Board approved a resolution to modernize the existing elevator in Morton Hall. This $640,000 project is anticipated to be funded by deferred maintenance century bond funding. Construction will begin during the summer.West Green Chilled Water Plant Equipment Updates — The Board approved a resolution to renew and replace critical equipment to ensure uninterrupted utility service from the West Green Water Plant. This $550,000 project is anticipated to be funded by century bond residual funding and departmental funding.
The complete Board of Trustees agenda from the June 13-14 meetings is available with the online edition of this story and online at https://www.ohio.edu/trustees .
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