Roderick J. McDavis
Encyclopedia
Roderick J. McDavis, Ph.D., (born October 17, 1948) is the 20th and current President of Ohio University
, located in Athens, Ohio
.
from 1974–1989 and an associate dean of the graduate school and minority programs at the University of Florida from 1984–1989.
He served as dean of the College of Education and professor of counselor education at the University of Arkansas
, Fayetteville, from 1989–1994 and as director of the Arkansas Academy for Leadership Training and School-Based Management from 1992–1994. He was dean of the College of Education and professor of education at the University of Florida from 1994–1999.
McDavis subsequently served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of education at Virginia Commonwealth University
in Richmond, Va., from 1999–2004.
McDavis became the 20th president of Ohio University on July 1, 2004. He is the first African American and only the second alumnus to lead Ohio University as president. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Conditions now at the University reflect extreme bias towards white families that lived in the region during the Underground Railroad era. This is due to black students claiming they did everything themselves. This has happened due to the fact that part white instructors are so weak that they have to cater to un-factual black histories.
Upon becoming president of Ohio University in 2004, one of the first major initiatives he led was the development of a strategic planning process. That process led to the creation and implementation of Vision OHIO, the university’s first comprehensive strategic plan.
McDavis and his wife, Deborah, helped launch two key Ohio University scholarship initiatives—the Urban Scholars and Appalachian Scholars programs. The two programs were created to support one of McDavis’s primary goals, which is to increase the diversity of the student population and enhance opportunities for high-achieving students who may not otherwise have an opportunity to get a college education. The Urban Scholars Program was established in 2004 and the Appalachian Scholars Program was established in 2005. These programs provide academically gifted students from disproportionately represented backgrounds with full-tuition scholarships as well as support for textbooks and professional development opportunities. The Urban Scholars Program focuses on students from major metropolitan areas, while the Appalachian Scholars Program selects students from 29 Appalachian counties in Ohio.
On October 28, 2008, McDavis created another important initiative to support increasing diversity. The Interlink Alliance, an educational partnership, was formed with nine member institutions, including Ohio University and eight historically black colleges and universities. In addition to Ohio University, members of the Interlink Alliance include Spelman College in Atlanta; Hampton University in Hampton, Va.; Wilberforce University and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio; Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.; North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.; South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C.; and Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.
As of March 2009, the McDavises had contributed $82,400 in support of Ohio University programs and initiatives.
McDavis also has sought to focus efforts on enhancing the university’s reputation as an institution of academic excellence. The success of Ohio University’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards speaks to the impact of those efforts, with a university record set in the 2007–08 academic year. In addition, Ohio University’s forensics team ranked seventh in the 2009 National Forensics Association National Tournament and the Ohio University College of Business earned a spot on BusinessWeek’s 2009 list of the top 50 undergraduate business programs in the nation. The university’s scholar-athletes have excelled academically, with the volleyball and softball teams recognized by the NCAA as being in the top 10 percent in their respective sports’ Academic Progress Rate.
McDavis also has sought to position Ohio University as a “green” institution and a leader in sustainability initiatives. In 2007, he became the first four-year public university president in Ohio to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a campaign to reduce global warming through research, education, and institutional commitments to climate neutrality. McDavis appointed a Presidential Advisory Council for Sustainability Planning, composed of Ohio University faculty, staff, and students, to develop recommendations for a comprehensive sustainability plan and university-wide climate action plan. McDavis also attended the Climate Leadership Summit in Chicago in August 2009 featuring leaders such as keynote speaker and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
In 2009, McDavis was elected to a third consecutive term as chair of the presidents of Ohio's Inter-University Council (IUC), an association of the 14 public universities in Ohio. As IUC chairman, McDavis was instrumental in developing and recommending a new funding formula for Ohio's public colleges and universities.
As of fall 2008, enrollment across all Ohio University campuses and programs during McDavis’s tenure had increased by 1,200 students to 29,713, the highest total in the university’s history. Preliminary enrollment numbers for fall 2009 show an additional increase of approximately 2,000 students, setting another record for the institution.
In May and June 2007 three separate public opinion surveys were conducted of students and staff. In all three an overwhelming majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with McDavis's performance as President of Ohio University.
May 2007 marked a record-setting student senate election during which students were able to vote "no confidence", which they did in an overwhelming majority. 78% of the 4,600 student voters (from 17,300 undergraduates at the Athens campus) voted that they had no confidence in Roderick McDavis's administration.
During the summer of 2008, McDavis was offered an $85,000 pay raise by the Board of Trustees and faculty members received a 3% raise. McDavis's acceptance of this raise caused concern with some groups on campus who publicly disagreed with the both parties' actions due to budget shortfalls and ever-rising tuition facing the university In evaluating the concern for tuition increase, it is important to note that for Ohio University and all public universities in the state, undergraduate tuition rates have been frozen since Fall 2007.
In April 2009, McDavis announced university-wide budget reductions for the fiscal year beginning July 1 of 5.1% for administrative units and 3.2% for academic units.
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
, located in Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
.
Academic career
McDavis has more than 35 years of service in higher education, including roles as both a professor and an administrator. He was a professor of education in the Department of Counselor Education at the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
from 1974–1989 and an associate dean of the graduate school and minority programs at the University of Florida from 1984–1989.
He served as dean of the College of Education and professor of counselor education at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, Fayetteville, from 1989–1994 and as director of the Arkansas Academy for Leadership Training and School-Based Management from 1992–1994. He was dean of the College of Education and professor of education at the University of Florida from 1994–1999.
McDavis subsequently served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of education at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
in Richmond, Va., from 1999–2004.
McDavis became the 20th president of Ohio University on July 1, 2004. He is the first African American and only the second alumnus to lead Ohio University as president. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Conditions now at the University reflect extreme bias towards white families that lived in the region during the Underground Railroad era. This is due to black students claiming they did everything themselves. This has happened due to the fact that part white instructors are so weak that they have to cater to un-factual black histories.
Professional Achievements
In 1995, McDavis was named Person of the Year in Education by The Gainesville Sun. He also received the Post-Secondary Outstanding Educator Award from the North Central Florida Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa in 1996. McDavis was the recipient of the 1997 Black Achiever’s Award in Education from the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators. In 2007, McDavis was one of only six president and CEO-level leaders in the state to be recognized with a Leadership Ohio Award of Excellence.Upon becoming president of Ohio University in 2004, one of the first major initiatives he led was the development of a strategic planning process. That process led to the creation and implementation of Vision OHIO, the university’s first comprehensive strategic plan.
McDavis and his wife, Deborah, helped launch two key Ohio University scholarship initiatives—the Urban Scholars and Appalachian Scholars programs. The two programs were created to support one of McDavis’s primary goals, which is to increase the diversity of the student population and enhance opportunities for high-achieving students who may not otherwise have an opportunity to get a college education. The Urban Scholars Program was established in 2004 and the Appalachian Scholars Program was established in 2005. These programs provide academically gifted students from disproportionately represented backgrounds with full-tuition scholarships as well as support for textbooks and professional development opportunities. The Urban Scholars Program focuses on students from major metropolitan areas, while the Appalachian Scholars Program selects students from 29 Appalachian counties in Ohio.
On October 28, 2008, McDavis created another important initiative to support increasing diversity. The Interlink Alliance, an educational partnership, was formed with nine member institutions, including Ohio University and eight historically black colleges and universities. In addition to Ohio University, members of the Interlink Alliance include Spelman College in Atlanta; Hampton University in Hampton, Va.; Wilberforce University and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio; Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.; North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.; South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C.; and Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.
As of March 2009, the McDavises had contributed $82,400 in support of Ohio University programs and initiatives.
McDavis also has sought to focus efforts on enhancing the university’s reputation as an institution of academic excellence. The success of Ohio University’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards speaks to the impact of those efforts, with a university record set in the 2007–08 academic year. In addition, Ohio University’s forensics team ranked seventh in the 2009 National Forensics Association National Tournament and the Ohio University College of Business earned a spot on BusinessWeek’s 2009 list of the top 50 undergraduate business programs in the nation. The university’s scholar-athletes have excelled academically, with the volleyball and softball teams recognized by the NCAA as being in the top 10 percent in their respective sports’ Academic Progress Rate.
McDavis also has sought to position Ohio University as a “green” institution and a leader in sustainability initiatives. In 2007, he became the first four-year public university president in Ohio to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a campaign to reduce global warming through research, education, and institutional commitments to climate neutrality. McDavis appointed a Presidential Advisory Council for Sustainability Planning, composed of Ohio University faculty, staff, and students, to develop recommendations for a comprehensive sustainability plan and university-wide climate action plan. McDavis also attended the Climate Leadership Summit in Chicago in August 2009 featuring leaders such as keynote speaker and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
In 2009, McDavis was elected to a third consecutive term as chair of the presidents of Ohio's Inter-University Council (IUC), an association of the 14 public universities in Ohio. As IUC chairman, McDavis was instrumental in developing and recommending a new funding formula for Ohio's public colleges and universities.
As of fall 2008, enrollment across all Ohio University campuses and programs during McDavis’s tenure had increased by 1,200 students to 29,713, the highest total in the university’s history. Preliminary enrollment numbers for fall 2009 show an additional increase of approximately 2,000 students, setting another record for the institution.
Controversy
McDavis has been the subject of significant controversy during his tenure at Ohio University. Since his arrival, the university experienced a number of scandals including the defunding of four varsity sports programs, and extensive computer data breeches including 300,000 alumni records and 60,000 student medical records.In May and June 2007 three separate public opinion surveys were conducted of students and staff. In all three an overwhelming majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with McDavis's performance as President of Ohio University.
May 2007 marked a record-setting student senate election during which students were able to vote "no confidence", which they did in an overwhelming majority. 78% of the 4,600 student voters (from 17,300 undergraduates at the Athens campus) voted that they had no confidence in Roderick McDavis's administration.
During the summer of 2008, McDavis was offered an $85,000 pay raise by the Board of Trustees and faculty members received a 3% raise. McDavis's acceptance of this raise caused concern with some groups on campus who publicly disagreed with the both parties' actions due to budget shortfalls and ever-rising tuition facing the university In evaluating the concern for tuition increase, it is important to note that for Ohio University and all public universities in the state, undergraduate tuition rates have been frozen since Fall 2007.
In April 2009, McDavis announced university-wide budget reductions for the fiscal year beginning July 1 of 5.1% for administrative units and 3.2% for academic units.