97-02-07 Trustees: Bus Fee & Other Business TRUSTEES APPROVE BUS FEE, HEAR REPORTS, CONDUCT OTHER BUSINESS COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, meeting Friday (2/7), approved a student referendum adding a $9 per quarter fee for all students, which will permit unlimited access to Central Ohio Transit Authority buses. The board also heard a report on a feasibility study to upgrade recreation facilites and dealt with other items of business. COTA referendum passes Trustees approved a proposal for unlimited access to the COTA bus system for students for a $9 per quarter fee. A student referendum was held Jan. 28 and 29 with 4,785 students voting yes out of 5,702 student votes. In addition to unlimited access with the use of a student identification card, COTA will add new routes to the Bethel-Sawmill area, the Brewery District, German Village and Lennox Town Center. Upon approval of a tuition cap waiver from the State Controlling Board, service for students would begin March 31. Board hears report on recreation, education and athletic facility feasibility study The board heard a report by David Williams, vice president for student affairs, Mike Dunn, director of university recreation and intramural sports, and Diane Jensen, assistant director of university recreation and intramural sports, on a feasibility study for the student recreation center. The study concludes there is a need for a major renovation of and addition to Larkins Hall to better meet student, faculty and staff needs. Total cost estimates for the renovation and addition are some $117 million. Funding sources would include the Department of Athletics, a student fee of $50 - $55 per quarter, fundraising and the commitment of university capital dollars in a future biennium. The new addition to Larkins Hall would include a seven-court gymnasium; suspended one-eighth mile jogging track; 25,000 square feet of fitness and conditioning space; juice bar; climbing wall; squash courts; and a new aquatic center with a diving well, 10- lane 50 meter pool and a leisure pool. A phased renovation of Larkins Hall will make significant improvements in the activity space as well as allow for all of Physical Activities and Education Services to be located in the facility. Williams said the study was presented to show what other universities are offering for student recreation and what could be offered at Ohio State. A survey sent to 6,000 students and 2,000 faculty and staff shows 73 percent support a fee of at least $45 per quarter. The project will be presented before trustees during the next meeting of the board. Technology will enhance learning and research Ohio State is making strides to become a leader in technology enhanced learning and research, James Davis, acting associate vice provost and director of university technology services, told the Board of Trustees Friday (2/7). He said there are many examples of technology enhanced learning and research. For instance: --Engineering faculty teach in General Motors' "Corporate University" with videotape and interactive video. -- Education faculty teach graduate courses on Ohio State's regional campuses through interactive video, the World Wide Web and electronic-mail. -- Some veterinary medicine courses are based on 4,000 digitized images on the Web. -- Ohio State and the University of Minnesota offer an advanced political science course by telecommunication with four universities. -- Calculus courses are taught on-line to students at several universities. -- Chemistry students have access to flash cards on the Web. The number of interactive and on-line courses doubled from 1995 to 1996, Davis said. More than 250 classes use computer laboratories and 375 classes use the Web in instruction. About 32,000 users at remote locations connect to campus facilities 150,000 times each week. "We are using a comprehensive and integrated approach to expand the traditional method of 'one teacher in one place at one time' in emerging ways," Davis said. Interactive video, telecommunications and conference communications allow students access to instructors, courses and materials that broaden their educational experience, he said. Ohio State's recent projects include investing in the development of universitywide technology enhanced learning and research, developing more interactive video courses between Columbus and five regional campuses, development of Internet II with the National Science Foundation and 100 other charter institutions, the Learnshare consortium of Fortune 500 companies to pool Corporate University resources to train employees. Board accepts 15 named endowed funds Trustees accepted gifts from The Transportation Research Center Inc. in recognition of its partnership with Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and Honda of America Mfg., totaling $2,500,000 to establish two Honda Chair in Transportation positions in the College of Engineering. The board accepted 13 other new named endowed funds with gifts totaling $3,263,065: -- The Life Skills Endowment Fund, $250,000, for student athlete support in the Department of Athletics. -- The James A. Campbell Athletic Scholarship Fund, $100,000. -- The Harry B. Warner Scholarship Fund, $20,350, in the College of Engineering. -- The Frank J. Kloenne Chair in Orthopedic Surgery, $1,521,575. -- The Human Cancer Molecular Genetics Research Endowment Fund, $568,996, in the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Center. -- The Benua Foundation Scholarship Fund, $319,416, in the College of Law. -- The Alpheus W. and Adah B. Smith Endowment Fund in Physics, $125,250. -- The Palliative Medicine - Hospice Endowment Fund, $113,799, in the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Center. -- The T. Scott and Carrie B. Sutton Endowment Fund, $75,240, for animal nutrition education and research in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. -- The Thomas M. Johnson Scholarship Endowment Fund in Biological Sciences, $50,000. -- The H. Frederick Krimendahl II Endowment Fund, $50,000, for partial support for Presidential Scholars in the University Honors Center. -- The Rod and Casey Clark Athletic Scholarship Fund, $40,016. -- The Russell D. Tipton Scholarship in Accounting, $28,422. Miscellaneous business In other matters, trustees: -- Heard a report on performance-based funding by William J. Shkurti, vice president for finance, and Matthew V. Filipic, vice chancellor for administration of the Ohio Board of Regents. They told trustees that the university and regents believe the state should modify its current funding system to recognize the importance of meeting performance criteria. Doing so, and funding a series of programs to reward quality performance, would go a long way toward improving higher education in Ohio, they said. -- Heard a budget status report from Shkurti that showed enrollments are above base projections and indirect cost recoveries from externally funded research are up 1.6 percent from last year. The enrollment figures mean that $1.1 million of the $2.8 million contingency set aside last spring will be available for allocation during fiscal year 1998, as long as winter and spring enrollments are at or near projections. Since the drop in indirect cost recoveries appears to have bottomed out, no adjustments currently will be recommended, although recoveries are below last spring's projections. Shkurti said he will continue to closely monitor the situation. -- Approved 328 contracts totaling $22.56 million for research projects funded in November and December. -- Amended the Rules of the University Faculty to double the size of the University Senate's Hearing Committee to 24 members. Members conduct reviews of faculty complaints about promotion and tenure matters. # Contacts: David Williams, vice president for student affairs, (614) 292-9334; James Davis, director of University Technology Services, (614) 292-6553. Written by Tracy Turner, University Communications, 688-3682, and David Bhaerman, University Communications, 292-8422. [Submitted by: Von Vargas (vargas.12@osu.edu) Fri, 7 Feb 1997 16:21:18 -0500 (EST)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.