Hey everyone. Just thought I'd take some time to update you on what went down during our last Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday morning.
One of the first items on the agenda concerned e-Learning. As you may know, there will be a new $25 fee implemented per credit hour of online course. This fee will go toward hiring three new employees for this department, which has had no increase in staff even though the amount of online courses has nearly doubled. The department is also considering initiating a program that will orient all users to the platform Blackboard, so there is less of a learning curve (currently, approximately 10% of students fail to complete their online course). Another mentioned idea would be an e-tutoring service, but this idea is a future item. Just a few more statistics: 9% of the total CSU population takes entirely online courses; 25%-35% of the current CSU body are taking an online course; most typically, students take a hybrid of online and traditional courses; of the state universities, Cleveland State ranks 4th in terms of number of students in online courses, behind Toledo, Cincinnati, and Ohio State; and finally, students in e-learning courses have achieved higher GPAs than students in traditional courses. Board members seemed enthusiastic about the growth and future of the e-learning program, especially for our commuter and continuing education students.
During the report of the president, President Berkman discussed some of the staff changes. Dr Wilson was appointed at the new chair of the faculty senate, and replaced Chair Sawicki on the board. A new Vice President for Enrollment Services, Corrine Webb, was selected. She will be in charge of counselling, advising, residence life, student services, etc. I had the opportunity to talk with VP Webb at length during a break. She is charming, very student-focused. She has a lot of experience in translating community college or branch program credits into degrees from a main college, namely in NJ with Rutgers. I'm excited to welcome her to the CSU community and to see what she has up her sleeve for CSU.
Dr Berkman also spoke about the need to building a scholarship endowment. Although Robert Spademan has used this money strategically (like our 3.0, $3000 program), President Berkman stressed the need to base scholarships on ability rather than entitlement.
President Berkman gave a construction update as well. The Education and Human Services building should be opening on June 28th by the governor, who is very enthusiastic about the growth of CSU's campus into the community. Dr Berkman stated that the new residence hall, Euclid Commons, is 93% filled and is about a month ahead of schedule, which is excited for students eager to move it. Additionally, President Berkman stated that the book store (which apparently this "brick bunker" was previously a bowling alley and record store) will be ready to move into the Student Center, which will be opening around June 1st.
We also received an update on the K-12 school. Right now, the search is underway for a interim principal. 185 teachers showed up for positions, and the faculty will be chosen soon, then will undergo a 9 week training provided the IBP program. In early April, the waiver for flexibility and autonomy as a CMSD school was passed, which permits the IBP school to act more as a charter. The location being considered is still the Euclid/30th Street former Methodist church, which is ideal due to its facilities (lunch, bathroom, classrooms, etc). In late August, two classes of K-2 each will be enrolled. These classes will be compiled of a certain % from the downtown campus district, % of faculty, staff, and students' children (considering that some 1200 students at CSU are single mothers), % chosen through a random CMSD lottery, and % IBP enrollees. This project has certainly taken shape rather quickly.
In terms of the NEOUCOM partnership update, it is moving forward. The program will mandate 50% of NEOUCOM learning at CSU. The designed curriculum will have an urban primary care focus along the K-16 continuum. A diverse group will be targeted, started in their primary education. This is important to retaining individuals - 70% of doctors stay in the area where they had their residency. Right now, in comparison to the 188 medical schools in that nation, NEOUCOM has one of the lowest rates of minority matriculation, which is why this partnership's emphasis on urban care and diversity is so critical to the NEO region. Right now, reapportionment through the legislature is the focus. Ideally, Dr Berkman stated he hoped to have 35 students enrolled in courses in 2 years.
As the meeting rolled on, I was happy to see the issue of sweatshop labor addressed. The governor issued an executive order stating that organizations who employ "sweatshop" labor will not be used for collegiate apparel. Although the definition of "sweatshop" was vague, it's a step in the right direction.
And now, the update that most students are probably concerned about...
THE TUITION INCREASE
Yes, there will be a tuition increase in the fall. The 3.5% increase is consistent with all the other public universities, although the additional 1.5% surcharge will go to the student union (~$6 per credit hour). This tuition increase was deemed necessary based on a four-year projection - which is when the stimulus funding will end. This will allow the university to continue functioning without cutting any services. CSU's tuition is still below Akron and Kent's, but above 5 other public universities (Youngstown is the only university in NEO cheaper than us). Law tuition may increase by as much as 7.5%, which will go to more student scholarships, which will attract higher caliber students. This proposal will raise approximately $300,000, and Provost Mearns indicated that this has generally been well-received by the law students.
And that's my update for now! Tomorrow, the results of the SGA election will be released, so look for that!
- Heidi Rose Vielhaber
