Enrollment tumble puts Ohio State University's regional leadership search in focus
Ohio State is still searching for the next leaders of its regional campuses as the university tries to reverse large COVID-era enrollment declines.
Four of Ohio State's five regional campuses — Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark — are hiring for their next permanent leaders. The Wooster campus is under the purview of the dean of Ohio State's College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, housed at the university's Columbus campus.
All four leadership searches began on July 19, 2023, and are being executed by Buffkin Baker, a Tennessee-based higher education executive search firm. Unless hires are made, none of the four regional campuses will have a permanent leader by July.
Ryan J. Schmiesing, the university's senior vice provost for external engagement who oversees regional campus strategy and operations, said the university is pleased with the searches' progress and timeline.
"Though the searches are operating simultaneously, each is being managed individually to ensure meaningful input from each unique campus community," Schmiesing said.
Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said the four departures aren't related.
Longtime Newark campus Dean William MacDonald announced he will step down in June after 20 years in leadership at the campus. Marion's Dean Gregory Rose will also retire in June after 20 years in that role.
The Lima and Mansfield campuses are currently led by interim deans. Margaret Young has been leading the Lima campus since April 2023 following the departure of Tim Rehner. Mansfield has been under interim leadership for nearly two years under Eric Anderman after former dean Norman W. Jones was named the university's vice provost and dean for undergraduate education.
Johnson said Ohio State President Ted Carter has taken interest in the regional campuses and plans to visit each soon.
Schmiesing said leading one of the regional campuses is "an exciting opportunity."
"Our Newark, Marion, Mansfield and Lima campuses are cornerstones of their communities and play a crucial role in teaching, learning, engagement and research," he said. "Each of Ohio State’s regional campuses provides Ohioans with access to high-quality education while building and strengthening partnerships around the state."
Undergraduate enrollment has taken double-digit hits at all five regional campuses since the pandemic.
Newark, the largest of Ohio State's regional campuses, enrolled 2,422 students this fall, a 15.6% decrease from 2020. Lima saw the greatest hit to enrollment, down 24.7% in that same time. Enrollment at the Mansfield campus is down 16.6%, Marion is down 23.6% and Wooster is down 15.5%.
But enrollment is rebounding a bit after at some of the regional campuses after a decade of slump.
Enrollment was up at three of the regional campuses this fall. Mansfield (2.5%), Newark (7%) and Wooster (3.6%) all saw a bump in their total enrollment. Marion and Lima saw fewer students this fall, down 1.6% and 9.5% respectively.
At February's board of trustee meetings, Ohio State's Interim Provost Karla Zadnik said the regional campuses are "vital components of the university"
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted recently visited the Mansfield campus to celebrate the opening and dedication of new STEM labs and recognized the campus' Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology, which will graduate its first cohort of students this May.
In December, Lima and Bluffton University, a private Mennonite university in northwest Ohio, announced a new partnership that will allow Bluffton students to study engineering using the resources of both institutions.
Zadnik said Ohio State is taking steps to "put our regional campuses in an enviable position for the future."
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State searching for deans at four of its regional campuses
