TRUSTEES HEAR REPORTS ON COMPENSATION, WOOSTER CAMPUS

   WOOSTER -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, meeting Tuesday (4/6) at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), heard an update on how faculty and staff compensation compares with similar institutions and the central Ohio market. The board also heard presentations on OARDC, the Agricultural Technical Institute and Ohio State University Extension.

Compensation benchmarks presented

   Ohio State has maintained a favorable position in faculty salaries among benchmark institutions, trustees were told Tuesday as they began consideration of salary increases for the 1999-2000 academic year.

   Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost, and Larry Lewellen, associate vice president for human resources, outlined a five-year salary history that compared Ohio State's record with that of 10 other major public comprehensive teaching and research universities in the nation. The trustees and the university's senior leadership have committed themselves to moving into the top ranks of these benchmark institutions by the year 2010.

   On average, Ohio State ranks approximately in the middle of the institutions in faculty salary and benefits levels.

   Ohio State ranks fifth, at 4.1 percent, when looking at the five-year average for faculty salary increase budgets during fiscal years 1995 through 1999. The University of Minnesota is ranked first, with an average of 5.7 percent.

   "Our ability to offer competitive salaries to outstanding faculty is a key element in our ability to move to the top ranks of public universities in this nation," Ray said. "The faculty are the heart of our desire to increase our academic excellence and to further enhance our student body. As we balance the competing demands on our limited financial resources, it is essential that we provide compensation that is both competitive and attractive."

   Lewellen noted that salary levels have increased steadily since the state's financial difficulties in the early 1990s -- difficulties that caused the university to absorb more than $80 million in budget reductions.

   "We fare reasonably well when studying our five-year raise history compared with the benchmark institutions, because we had a good string of raises in fiscal years 1995, 1996 and 1997, of 4 percent, 5 percent and 5 percent, respectively. That string of raises was clearly better than the majority," Lewellen said.

   For fiscal year 1999, a 3.5 percent increase was allotted in Ohio State's budget for faculty, civil service staff and unclassified staff.

   In the ranking for faculty salaries, the university moved from its 1997-1998 third place position to sixth this year out of the 10 national benchmark institutions. Ohio State's average faculty salary is $66,890, which is 1.9 percent below the benchmark average of $68,171.

   The benchmark institutions are nine universities that are highly ranked academically and comparable to Ohio State in mission, size and configuration. They are Pennsylvania State University and the universities of Arizona, California at Los Angeles, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

   For staff salaries, most positions still remain below market average, but the compensation varies by occupational category.

   This year, for the first time, fee increases and their effect on salary increases were reported to the trustees.

   "This is in response to faculty and staff committees who have long been concerned about the interaction of fee increases with salary packages," Lewellen said. "We have divided the fees into 'core' — health care and parking — and 'elective' — athletic tickets and fees. Many of these decisions are made independently, and we are striving for collective context and planning."

   Recommendations for Ohio State's raise packages in fiscal year 2000 will be presented to the trustees at their May meeting.

Board hears reports on OARDC, ATI, Extension

   Several administrators presented reports on Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of the university; OARDC, the research arm of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; and its neighbor campus in Wooster, ATI.

   "We're very proud of our programs and facilities in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences," said Bobby Moser, dean of the college and vice president for agricultural administration. Moser said OARDC is "one of a kind" in the country, and said ATI enjoys a strong national reputation. He also noted that because of the work of the university's Extension operation, with offices in all of Ohio's 88 counties, "OSU has a presence in every county in the state."

   OSU Extension, which employs 1,400 people, helps fulfill the land-grant university mission of educating all Ohioans by interpreting knowledge developed at Ohio State, OARDC and other land-grant universities. Its mission is to help people improve their lives through an educational process using scientific knowledge focused on identified issues and needs. Although its roots lie in agriculture, Extension groups its services into four categories: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Community Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, and 4-H Youth Development.

   Keith Smith, director of Extension, noted the network's impact in Ohio has ranged from cultivating 55 acres of vacant city land in 1998 to participating in Gov. Bob Taft's OhioReads program to graduating 9,362 families from an extended series of nutrition education classes.

   Extension is funded by county commissioners, the state legislature, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and grants and contracts awarded by agencies, companies and individuals.

   OARDC is a partner in the Extension effort, generating new information through research in areas such as food processing, agriculture, economics, nutrition, health and environmental quality. Benefits of the research include improvements in food safety, attractive lawns, better human nutrition and health, a focus on family and child development, and production of ingredients used in hundreds of consumer projects.

   Scientists and staff are based in Wooster and Columbus, and conduct research at 12 outlying locations, as well. Lowell Nault, interim director of OARDC, said the center employs about 500 people; OARDC's 70 faculty represent seven academic units, primarily in the plant and animal sciences and natural resources.

   Just a few examples of research conducted by center scientists include development of a new technique to preserve food without heat; assessments of influences on children's behavior; and efforts to improve the quality and health of Ohio's soybean crop.

   OARDC offers internship and employment opportunities for agriculture and horticulture students at the Agricultural Technical Institute, which is led by Director William Anderson. ATI is the largest technical agricultural program of its kind in the country.

   Its students can earn an associate's degree in one or more of 24 majors or "technologies," or a certificate of competency in fluid power. ATI also offers work-force training. The campus facilities range from a tropical plant conservatory and a construction lab to a floral design studio and foaling barns. Four miles from the central campus, the agricultural teaching and demonstration laboratory is a working farm combining dairy, beef, swine and sheep operations; horse training and breeding; and a land laboratory for crop research and demonstrations. ATI's central campus includes a Horticulture Complex and a golf course featuring greens maintained by students in the turfgrass management program.

Contacts:
Larry Lewellen, Human Resources, (614) 292-4164
Keith Smith, Extension, (614) 292-4067
Lowell Nault, OARDC, (330) 263-3700
William Anderson, ATI, (330) 264-3911