Communiqué
Chancellor Carey Leads Charge to Reduce Higher Education Costs in Ohio
By: Tom Hodson
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John Carey, Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, has two primary mandates: to make higher education more affordable in Ohio and to make it accessible to more students.
Carey was appointed Chancellor in April 2013 by Ohio Governor John Kasich.
He is following the direction of the Governor’s 2106 Mid-Biennium Review which calls for controlling college costs thereby ensuring that more Ohioans are able to obtain a post-secondary degree.
Chancellor Carey told WOUB that “higher education is very collaborative.” He said it is important that “we think outside the box to reduce costs and make college and universities more affordable.”
“Our goal is to have consensus on what is best for students and make it work,” Chancellor Carey added.
The 2016 Mid-Biennium Review calls for strengthening pathways to low-cost degrees such as: ensuring more high school students are college ready, encouraging more opportunities for students to study for three years at a Community College and one year at a four year institution, awarding degrees and certificates based on competency instead of just classroom time and allowing Community Colleges to offer some bachelor’s degrees.
The Review also calls for helping universities drive down their costs, offering low-tuition opportunities for students and addressing the issue of student debt.
The Review has recommended several ways “for colleges and universities to reduce costs by sharing services, analyzing staff overhead expenses, monetizing assets, examining space utilization, reassessing low-enrollment courses and exploring new revenue streams.”
Chancellor Carey is an Ohio University alumnus having received his undergraduate degree in political science. Immediately prior to his appointment as Chancellor, Carey served as Assistant to the President for Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives for Shawnee State University in Portsmouth.
Chancellor Carey also had a sterling career in the Ohio General Assembly serving a total of 17 years in the House of Representative and the Ohio Senate. He is one of the few legislators in Ohio history to have served as chairman of both the powerful House Finance and Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee.
Earlier, he served as a Congressional aide and as a local official in his hometown of Wellston in neighboring Jackson County.