A look into Ohio U’s top decision-makers: the Board of Trustees

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in The New Political’s Summer Magazine: “Coming Home.”

At major institutions like Ohio University, each decision can lead to thousands of potential outcomes. The responsibility of running the oldest public university in Ohio lies largely in the hands of a group of 14 people: Ohio U’s Board of Trustees.

What is a Board of Trustees?

In the simplest terms, a board of trustees is the top governing body of an organization whose duty is to make the best decisions possible for its shareholders. In public universities and community colleges around Ohio, boards of trustees are the primary governing body.

In the state of Ohio, all 14 public universities and 23 community colleges are required to have a board of trustees, according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s website. In Ohio, members of a university’s board are entrusted with their responsibilities by the Ohio Legislature.

A board of trustees must include 9-15 trustees, according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s website. Trustees are appointed by the governor with the guidance of the Ohio Senate and typically serve nine-year terms. To be re-appointed, a trustee must wait four years between terms.

Who is  on Ohio U’s  Board of Trustees?

As of June 2021, Ohio U’s Board of Trustees consists of 14 members. Out of the 14, only nine are voting members. Voting members include Cary Cooper, the board’s chair, and Peggy Viehweger, the board’s vice chair. 

According to the bylaws of the Ohio U Board of Trustees, positions like chair and vice chair are elected annually. In the event of a vacancy, the trustees are able to select another member to serve as chair or vice chair during the remainder of the term.

The responsibilities of the chair and vice chair are stated in the board’s bylaws. As the chair, Cooper presides over all board meetings. Cooper also has the authority to appoint members and fill vacancies on the special committees. Viehweger acts as the presiding officer in Cooper’s absence. 

Non-voting members include an alumni association representative, student trustees and national trustees. The job of these members is to give input, however, they do not have the power to vote because the purpose of their job is to represent Ohio U-related bodies to the board’s voting members. For example, national trustees give bobcats from around the country a seat at the table, and the alumni association representative brings issues important to the Ohio U alumni.

The student trustee positions play an important role for Ohio U students within the Board of Trustees. These members are chosen from the student body and undergo a similar selection process as the others. 

First, a group of student leaders builds a list of candidates to fill a student trustee spot to hand to the Office of the President.  Ohio U’s president takes this list and selects five candidates to send to the Ohio Governor’s Office. From there, the governor will choose who will fill the vacancy. 

Currently, Sarah Ladipo and Ellen Gill-Franks are serving as student trustees until 2023. Ladipo, a philosophy major, was appointed in May 2021, and Gill-Franks, an English pre-law and criminology sociology major, was appointed in July 2020. 

The Board of Trustees has four standing committees: academics and student success; audit and risk management; governance and compensation and resources, finances and affordability. Each committee has its own chair, members and purpose, allowing for bigger issues to get more attention than they would in a regular meeting.

What  powers do they have?

As the primary governing body at Ohio U, the Board of Trustees has more power than any other person, body or organization at the university. According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s website, some of the powers and responsibilities delegated to the trustees include: approving personnel appointments and contracts, approving changes involving academic curriculum and programs, setting budgets, setting student tuition costs and appointing the university president. 

Trustees take many of these actions regularly. One of the least common actions taken is choosing a president to lead the university. This action, however, will be frequently used over the next two years, as Ohio U is in a “transitional period” between presidential leadership. 

On May 27, the Trustees announced that Hugh Sherman would be the 22nd president of Ohio U. The appointment came swiftly without a search committee or consultation from the Ohio U Faculty Senate after the resignation of former President Duane Nellis, according to the Athens NEWS. The trustees made the decision to have Sherman be the president, rather than an interim president.

Another example of the trustees’ power is the termination of, now former, Ohio U journalism professor Yusuf Kalyango’s tenure as reported by the Athens NEWS. In 2018, Kalyango was found guilty of sexually harassing graduate students, violating Title IX.

Ohio University Communications and Marketing (UCM) was consulted for this article with the consent of the trustees. UCM did not respond to questions sent via email.