He's been with us for ten years. What's your opinion? (This made me think about the subject: http://www.thepostathens.com/news/article_560606ca-386e-1...)

He's doing something right, he keeps getting performance raises.

Sorry but Chuck Ping saved this university.

I know a lot of people on here aren't huge Ping fans simply because he wasn't a pompom waver, but "disastrous" is absurdly wrong.

He came into a mess, with declining enrollment, a crumbling campus and serious funding issues. To say he left the school better than he found it is a gross understatement.

Here's a tiny overview of what he did:
http://www.ohio.edu/athens/history/people/ping.html

Hopefully nobody will match Ping because to do so the university would have to face some sort of huge calamity that resulted in plummeting enrollment, facilities, and etc.

Seems to me this place is on a serious positive roll right now.

What is telling is taking a look at enrollment when a president starts a job and when he finishes. When Ping started in 1977 Ohio had 13,021 students. When he retired in 1995 Ohio had 18,884 an increase of 5,800 over 18 years. Glidden became president in 1994 and enrollment was 18,884. When he retired in 2004 the enrollment 20,007 was had an increase of 1,100 in 10 years. McDavis started with an enrollment of 19,790 and in 10 years Ohio grew to 22,657 a 2,900 student increase. Ping sold Ohio on its existing strengths and benefited from large influx of college bound in-state students. Glidden's tenure was focused on modernizing campus and making it into a second Miami. McDavis stepped into a situation where the intellectual reputation of the school was on a downswing due to making it into another Miami (why not just go to the real one?) and faced a declining amount of HS Students wanting to attend a residential 4 year campus. In light of the challenging times Ohio's numbers are up, uptown is more vibrant and eclectic than ever. McDavis scaled back a lot of the grandiose building ideas of Glidden to focus on areas really needed like the new dorms. He redid the old Baker Center but that was sitting empty. McDavis understands the limitations of the Miami model and has tried to avoid it. Glidden was more all hat with no cattle when it came to athletics than McDavis was because he didn't want to put money behind the OHIO name. He's got athletics into a sweet spot with quality coaches for a reasonable price.

Sowle was disaster. He a made the worst of a bad situation. I'd give him a D+; the plus for his openness and candor.

Ping saved the university by steady-handed leadership through very difficult times. He was scrupulously honest, to a fault. A man of unquestioned integrity. He was also intellectually brilliant and could explain complex matters in a way that was clear and concise, though as a philosopher and theologian he also loved to pontificate. I do wish he had placed just a little more emphasis on athletics after he had righted the financial ship. He had an offer from a B1G school (right now I forget which one) about six or seven years into his presidency, and turned it down. He had work left to do at OHIO. I remember at the time my boss was convinced that he was gone. She was wrong. Overall I'd give him an A for his leadership and his commitment.

Glidden moved the university forward on many fronts, especially the improvement of some of the infrasture that was really in bad shape when he took over. One of the things that I liked about Bob was that he was very open to getting input from everybody. You could email him your thoughts, and you'd get a personal response back usually within hours. He didn't always take your advice, but you always knew he had listened and seriously considered your input. I think when he made decisions he had input from every level and his decisions were as informed as humanely possible. He was also a man of his word, and would make difficult decisions when the facts warranted. I remember, especially, two personnel decisions he made that cost him much political capital, but were the right things do under the circumstances. I give Glidden an A, as well.

McDavis, in my mind, is a very committed alumnus who is trying his best to take OHIO to the next level. I think he has a good command of all the knowledge necessary to be an excellent president. I remember being very impressed when he gave a talk to the medical school, not too far into his presidency, and showed complete understanding of the intricacies of the complex labyrinth of medical research development and funding. I love his enthusiasm for OHIO athletics. My major complaint about him is that he often puts up a wall between himself and lower levels of the university bureaucracy. He has somewhat more of a "royal presidency" compared to Glidden who was much more a "man of the people." I'd give McDavis a B+ at the current stage of his presidency. An A is still within reach! :-)

I've had the opportunity to meet President McDavis several times and also had a few email exchanges.

The word that I would use to describe him is "genuine".

He truly loves O.U. and to me is one of the best ambassadors the University has ever had.

I totally agree he loves the University but it isn't just US News that thinks Ohio has fallen behind OSU and Miami. I know it isn't popular with some on this board but too much money now goes to things like Athletics.

I was in school 20 years ago and knew I was at one on the better Public Universities in the country. I don't think that I would feel that way if I was in school right now.

Big +1

National reputation IS on the upswing big-time. I've felt it first-hand as every day seemingly more and more people I come into contact with are aware of the great quality of school I attended.

One area you did not mention is the campus. The transformation currently occuring on South Green Drive is remarkable. The work done on West Green already was also very well done.

Really? I don't think your personal narrative fits the national dialogue. Most people didn't know OHIO existed 20 years ago. It wasn't even on my radar as a kid growing up in Adams County, which is like an hour and a half away.