Miami University officials today rolled out a plan they say will allow the regional campuses to offer more four-year degrees at the colleges in Hamilton and Middletown.
A university committee announced final recommendations for the regional campus, which include branding the campuses as the “Miami University Regional System” and allowing them to offer traditional, four-year degrees.
Citing dwindling enrollments, last year Miami President David Hodge asked university leaders to consider a plan for the regional campuses. Students and faculty expressed concerns about the coming changes. Still the university’s trustees are slated to vote on changes to the regionals in May. Changes to the regional campuses are slated to begin later this year.
Under the plan, the regional campuses would offer more bachelor’s degrees, including in studies such as English or history. But, those degrees would have different names from the ones already offered in Oxford.
“Miami doesn’t want to have two English degrees, which makes some sense,” said Moira Casey, a professor at the regional campuses and committee member. “We do strongly recommend that the regionals be able to pursue degrees in those (traditional) areas; those would be named in such a way that makes them recognizable to students.”
The committee did not come to a conclusion as to whether a student’s transcript should denote at which campus their degree was earned, Casey said.
Other suggestions from the committee report include:
- Keep the current mascot and logos associated with the regional campuses.
- Offer enrollment at the regional campuses when certain in-state students are denied admission to the Oxford campus.
- Allow regional campus students to take classes at the Oxford location for the regional campus rates but charge Oxford students their current rate when they take classes at the regional campuses.
- Establish clear pathways for regional campus students to finish at the Oxford location.
- Consider separate accreditation for the regional campuses in the future.
- Hire and promote faculty through the regional campuses but allow them to maintain ties to the Oxford location.
- Keep an open enrollment policy for the regional campus but consider more rigorous admission standards for select degrees.
The recommendations will be presented April 20 to the Miami University Senate. The college’s trustees will vote on the future of the campuses May 1, during a regularly scheduled meeting.
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