Hamilton values its Miami campus

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1:16 PM Friday, February 19, 2010

Miami University Hamilton has become such an integral part of this city over its 40-plus-year history, that it’s often easy to forget that the regional campus has not always existed, nor has it always had the success it enjoys today.

That was one of the reasons that staff writer Richard O Jones profiled the campus and its current dean, Daniel Hall, in feature stories last Sunday, Feb. 14. Another reason is that Miami-Hamilton will soon undergo major change — as will the branch campuses in Middletown and West Chester Twp. — when the main Oxford campus soon names a dean to oversee the three regional campuses. The Hamilton and Middletown campuses, with histories dating back to the 1960s, have always operated independently, with their own directors.

That era will soon be coming to an end. The three finalists for the dean’s job are in the process of meeting the communities, and the university will announce its choice later this year.

So it’s a good time to reflect on the success of the Hamilton campus in providing quality, affordable and accessible educational opportunities for Hamilton-area residents, including high school graduates starting their college careers and non-traditional students seeking to add skills and credentials from Miami.

In Hamilton, there is some disappointment that Hall was not chosen as a finalist for the new job, given the progress the campus has seen under his leadership. As Jones detailed last weekend, Hall has presided over an extraordinary period of growth for the local campus for the past seven years.

The most important measure of success, of course, is enrollment. The Hamilton campus’ spring enrollment is estimated at 4,500, up from the 3,100 in the 2000-01 school year.

Of course, when the campus got its start in the late 1960s — as the massive baby-boom generation was working its way through American schools and universities — Miami-Hamilton’s enrollment was a mere 1,135.

With Hall at the helm, Miami-Hamilton opened a downtown center and established the Center for Civic Engagement, aggressively recruited students, began a “Saturday Select” program for students needing weekend classes, introduced the Bachelor of Integrated Studies program, and started an international student-exchange program that has brought 10 students from China to Hamilton this year.

That’s all in addition to the intense learning that goes on in classrooms, the community leadership Miami-Hamilton has provided, and the wonderful array of notable speakers and performers brought to our town.

We’re hopeful that the regional approach the university is adopting with its new structure will not hinder Miami-Hamilton’s continued success. Hamilton values its thriving campus and all it brings, and wants to see that growth continue.

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