Promoting Excellence in Undergraduate Education in Ohio
Following nearly twenty years of expansion in higher education to assure extensive access for its citizens, Ohio has recently turned its attention to increasing the quality of educational performance. During the 1983-85 biennium, Governor Celeste and the 115th General Assembly established one of the first statewide programs focused on enhancing quality in undergraduate education in Ohio. Legislation was adopted, with a $3 million appropriation, to establish Program Excellence. The purposes of Program Excellence were: (1) to recognize and reward high-quality academic programs at state-assisted colleges and universities; (2) to increase the quality of instruction through enrichment grants; and (3) to encourage academic excellence in associate and baccalaureate programs. These purposes were achieved by defining academic excellence, by developing a competitive process for identifying and selecting quality programs, and by awarding nonrenewable enrichment grants of $75,000 to $200,000 to enhance existing quality. Ohio appears to be the first state to recognize and reward existing excellence in undergraduate programs through a competitive process that uses external reviewers and that emphasizes quality rather than