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Founded in 1871, ONU consistently has reflected founder Henry Solomon Lehr’s vision of providing a “community of learning, rich with opportunities for intellectual and personal development.” The University has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1899, instilling core values into its teachings while offering religious freedom on campus. Today Ohio Northern has an enrollment of around 3,000 students from 34 states and 22 countries and offers more than 60 programs of study. Capitalizing on its historic reputation for quality, ONU is poised to move to a position of significantly greater regional and national prominence.
The University’s mission today is to “provide a high quality learning environment that prepares students for success in their careers, service to their communities, the nation, and the world, and a lifetime of personal growth inspired by the higher values of truth, beauty, and goodness.” This mission is achieved via a distinctive academic program with mutually supporting liberal and professional education components that integrate practice with theory, complemented by excellent co-curricular education.
Entering ONU students have an average High School GPA of 3.6 with 26% in the Top 10th of the graduating class and 90% in the top half of the graduating class. The enrollment by gender is almost even with 51% men and 49% women. ONU’s placement rates (percentage of graduates who either land a job or are accepted to graduate school within six months after graduation) have averaged more than 94% for each of the past seven years, a rate higher than the national average.
Ohio Northern competes at the NCAA Division III level as part of the Ohio Athletic Conference. There are 23 varsity sports (12 for men and 11 for women), and nearly as many club and intramural sports, including eSports. ONU has won a combined total of 17 OAC All-Sports Trophies. Our school colors are orange and black, and our mascot is Klondike the Polar Bear. Students utilize modern athletic facilities totaling 177,000 square feet of building space and 20.5 acres of outdoor space.
The beautiful 342-acre campus is made up of 60 plus modern residences and academic buildings including the Freed Center for the Performing Arts that showcases dozens of theatre, dance, speaker, and musical events each year. Guests of the University, as well as the public, enjoy the luxury and comfort of The Inn at Ohio Northern. More than $100 million in capital projects over the last several years have helped maintain the beauty and functionality of the campus.
This year (2019) the campus welcomed the addition of the James Lehr Kennedy Engineering Building which houses the classrooms, laboratories and offices for the departments of Civil Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering. This facility includes student project spaces, collaboration areas, a maker space, and a machine shop.
Ohio Northern University is situated in rural northwest Ohio in the historic village of Ada (population 5,582). There is an array of restaurants, shopping, and culture both locally and in several nearby larger communities of Findlay and Lima. The cities of Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo are within easy reach.
The University enjoys an excellent relationship with the local community and with the broad base of ONU alumni. This is evidenced, in part, by strong fundraising, and alumni and community participation in the life and support of the institution.
Ohio Northern University is a selective, comprehensive University with a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and an average class size of 19 (varies by college). Unlike many smaller, private institutions, ONU has had professional colleges since shortly after its founding. The University offers more than 60 programs of study in the arts and sciences, business, engineering, law and pharmacy in five colleges:
In addition, The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies houses those interdisciplinary academic programs that transcend the disciplinary boundaries. The Center currently houses programs in data analytics, environmental studies, leadership studies, medical humanities, and public health.
Essential to the success of the University is securing overall programmatic approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This is a 10-year accreditation cycle that requires an Assurance Review mid-way. That review was this year and the results were that ONU met all twenty-one criteria and sub-criteria. In sum, the University has seventeen accredited programs of study. In the 2018-2019 academic year, the University programs in Education, Music and Nursing were reviewed by their respective accrediting organization and reaffirmed. The university faculty cohort is made up of 219 full-time and 69 part-time faculty, of which 89 percent have terminal degrees. These educators bring extensive academic, work, travel, and life experience to this student centered, service-oriented, values-based institution of higher learning. The faculty have also been successful in securing outside grant support averaging over $3M a year over the last five years.
The Vice President for Financial Affairs has a broad responsibility at the University. The areas that report directly to the VPFA are:
The Vice President for Financial Affairs at Ohio Northern will join a leadership team led by President Dr. Daniel A. DiBiasio. The leadership team agenda is shaped by the University Strategic Plan: ONU 2021 which is built on the University Vision and the University Core Values.
Vision 2021
Ohio Northern University’s vision is to be among the best private, comprehensive universities
in the nation, known for programs of excellence and distinction and recognized for effectively
integrating arts and sciences disciplines, professional studies, high impact learning, and civic
engagement. Related to Vision 2021, six strategic goals were established:
The short-term agenda for the new Vice President for Financial Affairs will be guided, in part, by the plan developed by the University community in the Spring of 2019. All universities are facing financial challenges and the demands of maintaining strong and contemporary programs to meet the needs of the next generation of students is great. In order to develop a plan to support the Strategic Goals while meeting current academic and financial demands, the University completed a comprehensive review of both academic and administrative programs and operations that resulted in the publication of a plan called Foundation for Our Future Project (FFP). The outcome was a commitment to two goals:
The process gathered input from across the University and prepared a report of recommendations that would produce net savings of approximately $10 million, of which $1 million are to fund investments in new initiatives and opportunities. The recommendations, unanimously approved by the Board, will discontinue lowly enrolled or duplicative programs as well as eliminating certain faculty and staff positions. At the same time, the FFP identified new initiatives and opportunities such as the creation of a Student Success Center, faculty hiring in criminal justice, pharmacy and engineering; additional staff in public safety; and expanded investments in laboratory equipment. With the implementation of the FFP recommendations, the University has improved its cash position, will pass debt covenants, and reduce operating deficits with the anticipation of positive returns in the coming years.
THE LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
As a member of President DiBiasio’s leadership team, the VPFA will have the responsibility to assist in attaining the goals of the Leadership Agenda that are built on the Strategic Plan: ONU 2021. As this new era in ONU’s history unfolds, the Vice President for Financial Affairs will be expected to provide strong leadership as the University addresses the challenges and opportunities that will result in financial stability driven by strong academic programs for an increasing student population. Current challenges and opportunities will require supporting and being involve in the following:
In addition to managing the finances of the University the VPFA will be expected to support the other members of the Leadership Team, faculty and students by working closely with the management of enrollment, advancement efforts and the academic leadership to provide appropriate finances. Providing this support means assisting various units in securing new areas of funding. The Advancement team announced the completion of the Campaign for Engineering with a total of $16.8M from 820 donors surpassing the goal of 15 million. Critical to the success of efforts such as this will be the involvement of the VPFA in:
In addition to addressing specific leadership challenges the Vice President for Financial Affairs will be expected to provide strong strategic leadership in the following manner:
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT