Access:
Not enough high school graduates are seizing the opportunity to participate in higher education opportunities available through Ohio’s public colleges and universities.  Lack of preparation negatively impacts student access to a higher education.  Lack of access, in turn, negatively impacts Ohio’s economic competitiveness.  Academic preparation must be improved in order to successfully earn a post high school education. 

 
Financial Aid:
The amount and availability of financial aid is an important factor in a potential student’s decision to pursue a quality higher education.  The IUC supports the changes made in the FY08-FY09 biennial budget to provide additional need-based tuition assistance to Ohio students from low to moderate income families by raising the household ceiling of $39,000 in the Ohio Instructional Grant (OIG) program to $75,000 in the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) program.  By merging the Part-Time Student Grant and the OIG programs and creating the OCOG program, more families will receive assistance for and access to higher education.  The IUC believes, however, that more financial aid is necessary to offset the rising costs of providing a quality education.

Success:
Too many students are starting but not finishing their higher education within the national benchmark of six years.  Ohio’s high school graduation rate exceeds the national average by 7%, but its higher education completion rate is substantially below the national average.  The IUC believes that success rates could be improved by establishing a competency-based system of articulation and transfer.  Further, enhanced articulation and transfer processes are needed for returning students as well as traditional students.  Students can monitor progress, know where they are, and how much is left to do.  The IUC supports efforts to identify and utilize best practices to ensure that more of our entering students complete their degree.

Collaboration:
Partnerships between public universities can result in expanded access and success, as well as the creation of new jobs through business development, incubators, and technology initiatives.  Collaboration is also necessary to contain costs, improve efficiencies, and eliminate duplication of services.  The IUC believes that collaboration and communication among academic programs, researchers, libraries, and administrative managers at state institutions are an integral part of each Ohio institution’s standard operating procedures.  The IUC is committed to creating new collaborations and strengthening those that already exist.  Collaborations currently exist with a wide variety of forms including in-state and out-of-state, between two- and four-year institutions of higher education, business and industry, and PK-12 education.

Quality in Higher Education:
The IUC believes it is important for state supported institutions of higher education to provide a quality education.  It is equally important for public institutions to demonstrate how any additional investment by the state could further enhance the quality of education.  Quality can be addressed in a number of areas, including world class instructors, researchers, academic programs, student support services, student achievement, and partnerships with business and industry. 

Accountability in Higher Education:
Accountability helps improve performance and ensures that Ohio’s public universities are providing a quality higher education.  Accountability measures will help parents, students, and policy leaders more easily determine if desired outcomes are being met.  The IUC supports establishing accountability standards designed to measure higher expectations for efficiency, productivity, and improved results across the University System of Ohio.  This is why IUC member institutions are among the first in the nation to adopt the Voluntary System of Accountability.

University System of Ohio:
The IUC supports the establishment and mission of the University System of Ohio to provide programs designed to meet the needs of the 21st century and to provide affordable, high quality higher education opportunities for all Ohioans through a collaborative and cooperative environment among all institutions across the state.  However, it is important to the IUC that a university’s Board of Trustees retains the authority to continue making the day-to-day business decisions.  Trustees are familiar with the actual services being delivered on campus and the markets that the various universities serve.  The University System of Ohio should not take on an active role of governance at the institutional level.

Gubernatorial Appointment of the Chancellor:
The IUC supported the initiative to place the duties and responsibilities of the chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents under the oversight of the Governor.  Doing so has given the Governor greater accountability for and supervision of higher education public policy decisions.  The IUC believes that establishing a cabinet-level higher education Chancellor enables the Governor to be a stronger, more effective advocate for the higher education community in Ohio.  Placing the Chancellor under the Governor’s direct authority ensures a greater degree of accountability in the development of higher education policy.

Tuition Flexibility:

Greater tuition pricing flexibility would allow universities to reduce the average cost of tuition for Ohioans and attract more students.  Universities should be permitted to charge differential tuition to in-state undergraduate students and the state should support per-credit tuition for only those classes taken.  Consideration should be given to allowing universities to be entrepreneurial in the tuition structures. 

Single/Multiple Prime Contractors (Alternative Construction Delivery Methods):
Current law should be amended consistent with legislation introduced by Senator Larry Mumper, S.B. 139 of the 127th General Assembly, to permit state institutions of higher education to use either single or multiple prime bidding for public improvement projects.  By amending current law, it is estimated that state universities could save as low as $5 M to as high as $29 M in capital expenditures by increased efficiencies gained.