TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS ON COMPENSATION, CONSTRUCTION, LIMA CAMPUS LIMA -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, meeting Friday (4/3) at the university's Lima campus, heard reports on faculty and staff compensation, capital projects and activities at Ohio State Lima. The board also conducted other business. Compensation benchmarks presented In order to reach Ohio State's academic aspirations, compensation for faculty and staff must remain a high priority in the budget process, Larry Lewellen, acting vice president for human resources, told trustees as part of an annual report on compensation benchmarks. "We still are competitive with the market, but too many years like fiscal 1998 -- where we lagged behind the market -- will make it very difficult to attract and retain the best faculty, staff and student workers," Lewellen said. Ohio State lost ground in fiscal 1998 with just a 3 percent increase while benchmark institutions moved forward aggressively with an average 6 percent increase, he said. For the three previous years, Ohio State had gained momentum with salary pools for raises of 4 percent, 5 percent and 5 percent. Based on 1997-98 figures, Ohio State's overall average faculty salary is 1 percent below the benchmark average of $65,170. Staff salaries for 1997-98 are 1.9 percent below market for managers and administrators, 6.6 percent below for professional positions, and 9.2 percent below for paraprofessional and technical positions. For clerical and secretarial positions, Ohio State is 2.2 percent above market and 10.4 percent below state government levels. When benefits are included for a total compensation package comparison, managers and administrators are 1 percent above market, professionals are 3.8 percent below market, and paraprofessional and technical staff are 6.5 percent below market. Clerical and secretarial staff are 5.3 percent above market, and 10.4 percent below state government. Since 1994, the raise process at Ohio State has been merit- based -- dependent on performance, internal equity and market equity. "For fiscal 1999, our competition appears to be planning raises in the range of 3 percent to 4 percent," Lewellen said. "Current budget projections for Ohio State can deliver a raise that is competitive with that – possibly in the middle of the range. "If we can maintain our competitive standing this year, it will be important to find enhanced revenue opportunities in the future to support our academic aspirations." Trustees hear report on capital plan Trustees heard a report from William J. Shkurti, vice president for finance, and Eric Kunz, assistant vice president for resource planning and institutional analysis and assistant provost, about how capital projects on Ohio State campuses benefit the university's academic mission. Shkurti noted that the university's physical environment is critical to support learning, research and public service. "The university's capital planning process is consistent with the academic priorities of the university," he said. In recent years, the state's pattern of funding capital projects has changed, giving greater financial responsibility to universities and greater flexibility to plan and prioritize projects, Shkurti said. The university's priorities are to take better care and make better use of its existing facilities, and to add space only on a selective basis to accommodate advanced research activities, he said. Kunz highlighted three examples of projects that benefit the university's academic mission and its students: -- The Physical Sciences Research Building, which includes new and renovated facilities for the Department of Physics. The $50 million project is a high academic priority because it updates facilities for one of the university's premier departments in a core discipline. -- A Life and Physical Sciences Building on the university's Lima campus, where the trustees were meeting. The $15.2 million project already has been funded and is expected to be completed by November, with high-technology teaching labs that have not existed at the campus until now. The new facility will house laboratory, classroom and office space for the science departments of both the Ohio State Lima campus and Lima Technical College. -- Hagerty Hall, built in 1924, will be renovated for $20.5 million after the Max M. Fisher College of Business moves to its new facilities. The renovation of Hagerty will allow the College of Humanities, a core academic unit, to consolidate all language instruction into an International Gateway. Shkurti noted that capital funding for this and future bienniums could be negatively impacted by the state's school funding crisis. If voters turn down a sales tax to benefit primary and secondary education, the Ohio General Assembly would have to find money elsewhere to build and repair school buildings. In addition to cutting as much as 15 percent from the annual budget for higher education, the Legislature also could take money from the higher education capital appropriation. Lima campus presentations Several Ohio State Lima faculty and administrators reported to the board on the range of academic programs and student activities on the regional campus. Garlene Penn, director of enrollment services for the Lima campus, outlined student activities offered at Ohio State's four regional campuses at Lima, Newark, Marion and Mansfield and at the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. Lima faculty from several disciplines told the board about how research contributes to the classroom, innovative teaching initiatives and the virtual chemistry laboratory on the campus. Violet I. Meek, dean and director of Ohio State Lima, was joined by faculty and staff in a presentation that highlighted campus programs and events ranging from distance learning and a developing agricultural program to study-abroad opportunities and educational outreach to communities in west-central Ohio. Two former students also told the board about educational opportunities the campus made available to them. "I love this institution," said Barb Thompson, who was the first graduate of the Ohio State Lima English program at age 57 in 1993. "I am devoted to it.... Education can take you into any area, any dream, anything you've ever hoped for." Miscellaneous business In other business, trustees: -- Adopted a resolution in memoriam for Julie E. West, a Lima campus student who died March 27 in a Florida traffic accident while participating in Ohio State Lima's honors biology field trip to the Everglades. West, of Findlay, was majoring in natural resources/environmental sciences and was an active volunteer in her community. -- Awarded contracts for a $2 million project to upgrade elevators in four dormitories to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Housing, Food Services and Event Centers will pay the debt service for the work in Park, Smith, Steeb and Stradley halls. -- Presented a student recognition award to Lynda S. Passaro of BELLE CENTER. A graduate student pursuing a master's degree in education, Passaro was honored for her work in elementary and middle schools in Lima and surrounding areas. Passaro graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University at Lima in March 1997 and was one of several students honored at the 1997 President's Salute to Undergraduate Achievement. -- Granted an easement to Marion County for a sanitary sewer to serve a new storage and maintenance building at the Marion campus. -- Approved 193 contracts totaling $16.4 million for research projects funded in February. # Contacts: Larry Lewellen, acting vice president for human resources, (614) 292-4164. William J. Shkurti, vice president for finance, (614) 292-9232. Violet I. Meek, dean and director of Ohio State Lima, (419) 995-8300.