The entire branch campus system was a mistake and born of a misguided era when the state's philosophy was "more is better, and quality doesn't matter." Honestly, all the four year campuses should be abandon their branch campuses to the state and have them folded into a statewide community college system.

I have an entirely different take on this as my father knew the man (Dean Adolph Armbruster) who started the OHIO extension service, which grew into the branch campus system. My father also drove from Athens to teach at some of these locations in the very early days. In those days in the late 1930s and early 1940s there were no actual branch campus buildings. OHIO professors would travel to a local high school in Lancaster, Zanesville, Portsmouth, Chillicothe, etc., and teach a class at night.

This was a service badly needed and allowed many who could not afford to stay in Athens as a full-time student to learn important subjects, enhance their knowledge and earn college credit. When OHIO started its branch campus system it was built on the backbone of this extension service. In many cases, the local communities themselves raised money to help start the actual branch campuses in the 1940s and '50s. Therefore, OHIO's branch campus system, unlike any of the others in the state, was developed organically and developed to serve very specific and needs recognized by local communities in SEO.

Ours were the first branch campuses in the state. In many cases other state universities started branch campuses just because they saw our model and decided they needed to do likewise, even if the need and rational in those areas was not similar to that in SEO.

Thanks for the informative history. And while I now better understand the historical need that drove the creation of branch campuses, it doesn't change my mind on the current situation. There were no community colleges when the branch campuses came about. Today, the state has a community college system with 23 campuses. I don't see any need for multiple redundant two-year campus systems run by the four year universities. Figure out which branches are relevant and would strengthen the community college system and merge them into a statewide community college system and let the four year campuses focus on being four year universities.

I've read recently that community colleges and branch campuses are struggling. It seems odd that with the high cost of most 4 year schools, that CCs and branches should benefit.

That makes sense. Also, I'm seeing a push from employers that they are considering more job candidates that don't have degrees. So, in the new era maybe you either need a 4 year degree plus, or nothing.

Why a location that is next to a facility of higher learning? I can see Lancaster, Chillicothe and Eastern and Zanesville but why is a regional right next to Marshall a quality location? If it is a good location to have that competition then perhaps one should have been built a long time ago in Short North.

I agree, seems counter-intuitive. If I had to guess, I'd say CC used to be a place kids went without any real career path identified yet. Increasingly, those kids are saying screw it to college altogether. Meanwhile, the 4 year kids usually have more of a clear vision for a career that requires the education.

Or parents that are paying their tuition. :-)

And, also keep in mind that Marshall has for a number of years offered reduced tuition to students from Lawrence County, Ohio, and a few other adjacent river counties. Starting this fall, they are increasing the number of counties to encompass most of SED, including Athens County. This reduced tuition -- called the Metro rate -- is considerably less than regular out-of-state tuition, but more than the true in-state tuition rate.

Four year schools are not providing quality in the form of what they once were. Look at just the campus and student services, OHIO itself is a shell of what was once there. Grades are inflating, so the education must be better....right?