PhD programs to receive more funding

by Laura Schneider
THE POST

Ohio University soon will be required by the Ohio Board of Regents to invest additional funding in certain doctoral programs.

The Board of Regents will mandate that 11 state universities contribute a portion of their state subsidy to programs that have the potential to achieve "national excellence," said Harry Andrist, a Board of Regents member. The mandate will begin during July, 2001. The board is the state governing body for Ohio colleges and universities.

The universities would use a percentage of their state subsidy to give additional funds to specified Ph.D. programs. Each university would choose the programs that would receive more money, Andrist said. The universities also would choose how much to give to each program.

" It (the funding mandate) is to achieve high national standing," Andrist said. "That’s the idea; some programs will get more of their share of their doctoral funding to achieve excellence."

OU is in the process of deciding which doctoral programs and how many will be given the "selective investments," said Gary Schumacher, OU associate provost for graduate studies. The university is looking at two main criteria when it reviews the doctoral programs.

First, each program was required to submit a proposal that included information about the funds it would like to receive. Second, a review committee and OU Provost Sharon Brehm will determine the highest-quality programs at the university.

The funding decisions will be based on that proposal and the quality of the program.

The university must submit a report to the Board of Regents by June including their plan for selective investment, according to a board documentation.

Giving extra funds to some Ph.D. programs does not mean other programs will lose some of their funding, Schumacher said. The selective investment funds could come from new funds, or from an endowment.

"I think generally it’s a good idea," Schumacher said. " It’ll affect what we’re trying to do — raise the quality of our doctoral programs. To selectively enhance is one step to improve some doctoral programs, though my goal is to eventually improve them all."

The mandate would be a beneficial step for OU's doctoral programs, said Raymie McKerrow, director of graduate studies for the School of Interpersonal Communication.

"I think, in the long run, it will be an excellent way to work with current university resources," McKerrow said. "It’s an opportunity for programs to maximize resources at a time when it’s difficult to add resources."

Norman Goda, OU director of graduate studies for the history department, agreed selective investments would be good for the university.

"Academics, is, by nature, a competitive business," Goda said, "It’s simply part of how state universities function. Obviously, it will help those who receive funding."