As a first step in his planned efforts to strengthen partnerships in communities served by the University across Southeastern Ohio, Ohio University President Hugh Sherman will recommend to the OHIO Board of Trustees an adjustment to Board of Trustees membership to ensure that a representative from the region hold a seat on the board.
The Board of Trustees is currently comprised of nine voting members, two ex-officio National Trustees, two ex-officio Student Trustees, two faculty representatives, and a representative of the Ohio University Alumni Association Board. During the planned August Board meeting, President Sherman will ask the board to consider ensuring a seat on the board for a representative from the region either through the redefinition of one the National Trustee seats or through the addition of a new non-voting seat on the board.
“Strengthening our service to the region is one of my key presidential priorities,” President Sherman said. “We need to cultivate a stronger alliance with the communities in which we live.”
In his first discussion with the Board of Trustees, President Sherman highlighted Ohio University’s history of service to the region and the need for the University to continue to serve the economic interests of regional communities, deliver distinctive academic programming that connects to regional needs, and work with communities to understand collective challenges and develop collective solutions.
“By securing a seat on the Board of Trustees for a Regional Representative, we will ensure the region has a role and voice in University leadership,” President Sherman said. “This individual will bring a unique, and needed, perspective to board discussions and deliberations. The trustee will improve the lines of communication in the region, strengthen the University’s existing Southeast Ohio partnerships, and help establish new ones with the focus on advancing our region.”