





The Five Colleges
of Ohio
www.ohio5.org
Allen House
Gambier OH 43022
Tel: 740-427-5377 or -5234
Fax: 740-427-5390
2007 - 2008 Board of Trustees
Chair
S. Georgia Nugent, Kenyon College
Grant
H. Cornwell, The College of Wooster
Dale T. Knobel, Denison University
Marvin Krislov, Oberlin
College
David O. Robbins, Ohio Wesleyan University
The
Five Colleges of Ohio Consortium
- is a focal point
for an ongoing, constructive conversation among people at the five institutions
about issues and opportunities of mutual concern.
- forms a basis
for trust and understanding, and thus, a foundation for programs that will
enhance the member institutions.
- creates bonds
among the institutions that are stimulating us to challenge the status quo
and think about how we might be better both collectively and individually.
- provides a forum
for the Presidents to initiate public dialogue about consortial innovations
and the value of a liberal arts education.
History
- The five colleges
have been affiliated as members of state, regional, and national educational
and athletic organizations for some years.
- Discussion to
formalize the consortium began in 1993, with a focus on the creation of a
consortial library and the cooperative use of technology.
- A grant from the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, awarded in June 1995, provided for the development
of a joint library system, establishment of an administrative structure, and
investigation of the benefits and methods for sharing digital images and multimedia
resources.
- The college presidents
signed papers of incorporation on 30 June 1995, establishing The Five Colleges
of Ohio, Inc. as a legal entity.
Statement of Purpose
- foster closer
cooperation and understanding,
- coordinate operating
functions and administrative services,
- develop collaborative
academic programs and resource sharing, and
- enhance quality
while reducing individual and collective operating and capital costs.
Philosophy
The Five Colleges
of Ohio Library Directors crafted a statement that communicates the value of
the consortium and collaborative activities:
Never again can
our libraries stand completely alone in terms of library collections and other
resources. We, therefore, reaffirm The Five Colleges of Ohio libraries' overall
commitment to cooperation and mutual enrichment. We believe that any small loss
of local control is well worth the many benefits we gain through our collaboration.
Leadership and
Administrative Structure
- Board of Directors:
the College Presidents
- Operating Committee:
the Chief Financial Officers
- Academic Committee:
the Chief Academic Officers
- Employees: Executive
Director, Executive Assistant, CONStor Library Storage Assistant, and Library
Systems Manager.
Active
Consortial Groups
- College Presidents
meet semi-annually.
- Chief Financial
Officers meet five times a year.
- Environmental
Safety and Health Managers meet monthly.
- Information and
Technology Officers meet annually.
- Library Directors
meet quarterly..
- Library Subcommittees
meet two-six times a year.
- Risk Managers
meet quarterly.
- Security Directors
meet annually.
- Academic Officers
meet three times a year
- Other groups that
meet as needed: Digital Assets Officers, Foundation Relations Directors, Human
Resources Directors, Public Relations Directors, Purchasing Managers, Security
Directors, and Telecommunications Managers.
Observations About
Cooperation
- Each member college
is encouraged to build on its own individuality and strengths.
- Together we look
to expand into areas where we couldn't otherwise afford to venture; the consortium
promotes risk-taking and cost-savings.
- We see our relationships
as a conversation and a process.
- The consortium
defines a dynamic, not static, future.
- We have learned
to look to each other for assistance and an attitude of sharing has developed
between colleagues.
- By fostering joint
problem solving and support, the consortium has become an informal professional
development network.
Library Projects and Programs
- In 1995, with funding
from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the consortium initiated programs focused
on the libraries.
Denison, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wooster created CONSORT, a joint library
system and catalog. CONSORT projects include Cooperative Collection Development,
Electronic Reserves, Emergency Preparedness/Mutual Aid, and Government Documents
- The five colleges cooperatively
operate the CONStor Library Depository in Newark, Ohio. With additional Mellon
Foundation support, they also established campus and consortial programs in
Information Literacy (12/99-10/03).
- In 2003, Denison and
Kenyon received a Mellon Foundation grant to improve access to information
resources by jointly redesigning the technical services departments.
Additional Areas of Cooperative
Activity
- Environmental Health
and Safety for coordinated development of EMS systems and training. A 2004
environmental education grant from the OhioEPA allowed the colleges to plan
and implement pollution prevention programs for science, art, and theater
departments.
- Joint Licensing of Academic
Software allows users greater benefits while maintaining cost increases.
- Physical Plant and Custodial
Services at Denison, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wooster using a grant from
United Educators instituted coordinated safety programs for Slips, Trips,
and Falls.
- Risk Management for cooperative
emergency preparedness, employment practices, insurance, and loss prevention.
- Student Biennial organized
by The College of Wooster Art Museum provides an opportunity for students
to enter works of art into a juried show.
- Videoconferencing for
teaching Beginning and Intermediate Arabic and for a faculty seminar, Emerging
and Re-emerging Pathogens.
- Website (www.ohio5.org)
links to general information, library reports and policies, program descriptions,
and employment openings. The faculty and administrative jobs listing combines
postings from the five colleges by area. This site receives several thousand
visits each month.
Consortial Grants
- Library Collaboration
and Consortial Organization, 6/95. $840,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
to create a joint library system, incorporate the consortium, and study the
use of shared digital images.
- Language Teaching with
Technology, 6/96. $750,000 from the Mellon Foundation to foster collaborations
among faculty for course design and applications of teaching technology.
- Language Technology Classrooms,
12/96. $250,000 from the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation to create language
classrooms on each campus equipped with modern instructional technology.
- Information Literacy:
Web Tutorial, 12/98. $50,000 from the Foundation for Independent Higher Education
and AT&T to develop information literacy web tutorials, to increase students'
understanding of how information is produced, accessed, evaluated, and used.
- Strategic Planning and
Implementation, 7/99. $32,000 from the Mellon Foundation to support strategic-planning
activities.
- Information Literacy:
Curricular Integration, 12/99. $475,000 from the Mellon Foundation to build
partnerships between librarians and faculty that foster curricular innovations
leading to increases in students' capabilities in using information resources.
- Cooperative Collection
Development, 1/01. $325,000 from the Mellon Foundation to analyze the existing
library collections to determine strengths, weaknesses, and areas of duplication
and to support the operation of CONStor, the joint library storage facility.
- Language Multimedia Project
Dissemination, 7/02. $10,000 from the National Institute for Technology in
Liberal Education (NITLE) to distribute CDs of the language technology projects
to all Mellon Foundation liberal arts colleges.
- George B. Storer Foundation
Scholarships. Gifts ($250,000 in 2003-04 and $500,000 in 2004-05 and 2005-06)
to the colleges to annually provide scholarships for ten upperclass students
with GPAs of 3.5 or better.
- Library Technical Services
Work Redesign, 11/03. $100,000 to Denison and Kenyon from the Mellon Foundation
to improve access to information resources by jointly redesigning the technical
services departments.
- Pollution Prevention
on the College Campus, 5/04. $50,000 from the OhioEPA Office of Environmental
Education to provide pollution prevention faculty development programs in
the science, art, and theater departments.
- Slips, Trips, and Falls,
11/04. $2,000 to Denison, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wooster from United
Educators Insurance Company to provide training to physical plant, custodial
services, and food service employees.
- Value-Added Assessment,
6/05. $25,000 from the Teagle Foundation for two workshops and the assistance
of an assessment expert.
Further Information
Susan Palmer, Executive
Director, at 740-427-5234 or palmers@kenyon.edu
for further information or to discuss future endeavors.
Home
Page