About 55% of Central State’s student body will be in the new College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education this fall, Kimberly Jones, a spokesman for the university said. She said the university’s retention rate for first-time freshmen has been about 41% in recent years.
As of last fall, the historically Black university located outside of Xenia enrolled 1,768 students, according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The university has historically been a smaller university than many of the other public universities in Ohio. It is also the only public, historically Black university in Ohio.
Higher education institutions are currently undergoing turmoil because there are fewer high school students graduating in Ohio, and more are opting to go directly into the workforce or get a credential than go to a four-year university. Multiple universities, including the University of Dayton and Wright State University, have announced shifts in strategies in recent years.
According to Central State, there will be no layoffs because of the merger, but Central State says it will be operationally efficient to combine the two colleges.
That’s because the college now has four academic departments rather than the six across two colleges, so supplemental stipends for two department chairs have been eliminated, Jones said. But those two faculty members are still at the university.
The previous dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Amy Hobbs-Harris, is serving as Central State’s interim provost and vice president of academic affairs.
Hobbs-Harris said the new college will be able to help students explore more of their interests.
“Our commitment to student success remains unwavering, and this merger underscores our dedication to providing a supportive and transformative educational environment,” Hobbs-Harris said.
Jones said the university believes more students who have not yet chosen a major will choose majors within the merged college. In addition, the college is exploring summer camps and programing to attract new students to the university, she said.
New president Morakinyo A.O. Kuti was part of discussions with interim president Alex Johnson as the decision was made, Jones said.
Central State provost F. Erik Brooks is taking an educational sabbatical for the fall semester and will teach in the political science program in the spring, Jones said.
Anne-Marie Walkowicz has been named associate dean for the new College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, which the university has nicknamed CHASE.
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