Lost a leader

https://woub.org/2021/07/28/former-ohio-university-presid... /

He presided over a golden era of the university in many ways.

A great man that in many ways is sadly a reflection of a bygone era in Higher Ed. I believe his undergrad major was Theology. He was a true teacher at heart who became a great administrator because he listened and used common sense. Sadly, today too many Higher Ed administrators and presidents are Advertising Men who are well versed in the art of political correctness.

I remember the stunning growth of the campus, and in some ways Athens in general during my undergrad days in the 1980s. Being the first in my family to go to college and coming from a rust belt town, Athens looked pretty normal to me with burned out and aging buildings. This all changed in the 80s with restoration and the growth east of town which was all connected to the university's growth. I remember professors and towns people telling me what the mood was like before he came in the mid 70s and by the mid 80s, it had all turned around due to his leadership. Quite honestly, if we had just another run of the mill president during his tenure, I shudder to think what the university would be like today.

Rev. Dr. Charles J. Ping was an honest man who brought us out of the abyss of the Sowle presidency, which was, in part, created by the excesses of the Alden years. I had some personal interactions with him in my capacity at the College of Osteopathic Medicine. I always found him very insightful and witty.

I remember one occasion when I was co-chairman of the Self-Study Committee for the upcoming American Osteopathic Association accreditation team visit. The other co-chair (first name John) and I set up a meeting with President Ping to discuss several issues. One of the issues involved a certain financial aspect of the medical college funding that was widely misunderstood at OU-COM and was the subject of rampant and destructive rumors. Not to get too much into the weeds, but it involved a charge-back payment that OU-COM made every year to the OU general fund. The rumor was that we were getting ripped off by the University because no other college had to make this payment. This was the type of rumor that was whispered in the corridors, brought up in many meetings, and was generally believed by nearly everyone at the medical school. I can't overstate the impact of this insidious rumor.

Well, Charlie, set us straight with a few choice sentences as he calmly explained that the university got three line items in state appropriations -- general fund, regional campuses and medical school. All other colleges in the university were financed through the general fund money, and that a certain percentage was held back for infrastructure and maintenance before money was allocated to the budgets of those other colleges. In our case we had to pay the money back to the general fund, but that on a percentage basis it was the same amount as paid by the other colleges. Both John and I were stunned that the answer was so simple and logical, and we experienced an "ah ha" phenomena. With those few words the vicious rumor was put to rest, never to rise again. This is but one small instance, but to me it encapsulated the essence of the man -- a straight talker with the ability to cut through the chaff and get quickly to the essence of an issue.

One other instance, involving athletics, comes to mind. My wife and I signed up for and paid for our tickets and trip to the ill-fated Shamrock Bowl in Ireland. When it turned out that the promoter was a charlatan and had bilked the University for millions of dollars, it looked like we were going be out the money we had spent. Legally, the way the contract read, Ohio was not responsible. However, Ping quickly made the decision that while not legally responsible the University was morally responsible, and he ordered a full and immediate refund to all those who had paid for the trip. With that my wife and I changed our itinerary and booked a trip to Germany.

I didn't agree with every decision that Ping made during his presidency, but I think the University is a better place for having had him as its leader, and I'm a better person for having known him and interacted with him. In many ways, he could serve as a role model for what a college president should be.