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Cincinnati
Enquirer
New Ohio chancellor:
Get ready for change
Feb. 28, 2011
By Cliff Peale
Ohio’s public colleges will see “significant” budget cuts next year,
but even bigger changes could be on the horizon soon under new Ohio
Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro.
Petro, nominated by Gov. John Kasich Monday to replace the resigning
Eric Fingerhut, says he expects a formal proposal on “charter
universities” sometime in 2011.
Floated by Kasich during the last several months, the plan would allow
public universities to escape a variety of state regulations in
exchange for reduced state funding, provided they meet guidelines for
access and affordability. Colleges say it would give them more
flexibility to shave costs.
“That could be a very good option, but it also could be something that
could bite us a little bit if we don’t do it right,” Petro said in an
interview Monday.
Petro worked with the state’s colleges as Ohio auditor from 1995 to
2002 and as Ohio Attorney General from 2003 to 2006. While campaigning
for governor in 2006, he proposed a version of the charter universities
plan.
The Ohio Senate must approve his appointment but he plans to start work
March 14.
“I think it speaks to the importance of higher education that Gov.
Kasich made this appointment so quickly,” said Greg Vehr, vice
president for governmental relations at the University of Cincinnati.
Petro said the system created by Fingerhut during the last four years
should stay in place, with colleges joining in purchasing and other
back-office functions to save money. The Board of Regents also is
trying to reduce duplication in academic programs and pushing community
colleges and regional campuses as a portal for more students to enter
the system.
Read the full story at The Cincinnati Enquirer
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