COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio higher education leaders,
instructed by Republican Gov. John Kasich to cooperate with each other
when requesting state dollars, identified maintenance and repairs as far
higher priorities than new construction in a 2014 capital funding
request released Thursday.
Kasich praised a coalition led by
presidents of Ohio public colleges and universities for identifying
unique, innovative priorities through shared effort rather than
competing for limited state resources.
"You know (in college) you
have those slices of pizza sitting on the table there, and I remember
back in the days when I was in college, you just grab as many slices of
pizza as you can," Kasich said during a conference call detailing the
higher education group’s funding outline. "That was inappropriate, and
these college presidents are acting so fantastic from the standpoint of
what’s good for the state is good for us."
Ohio University
President Roderick McDavis, who chaired this year’s Ohio Higher
Education Funding Commission, noted that $166.8 million of the $404.5
million requested will be for unglamorous but important maintenance
projects across the state, mostly refurbishing and upgrading existing
buildings.
"As it turns out, because this was a collective
process, I think what you’re able to see is that many, many institutions
in our state have the same concerns about current and existing space.
This collective report gives the state the opportunity to see that
deferred maintenance is a very, very serious issue at our universities."
Additional
priority was placed on long-term savings, with the $71.7 million
requested in that area going to such items as energy efficiency
enhancements, mechanical system improvements and shared service
arrangements.
Republicans who lead Ohio’s two legislative
chambers, Senate President Keith Faber and House Speaker William
Batchelder, expressed initial support for the funding request, which
will be taken up as part of a capital budget expected to be introduced
in February.
The commission’s further requests are: $117.5 million
to modernize classrooms; $15.8 million for enhanced technology; $25.1
million toward expansion; and $7.6 million in strategic investments
aimed at improving completion rates.
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