February 22, 2011
The Honorable John Kasich, Governor
State of Ohio
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6117
Dear Governor Kasich:
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents for the past four years. I have loved every minute of the job, and remain passionate about the future of higher education in Ohio. It is now time, however, for me to pursue other opportunities for myself and my family. Accordingly, it is my intention to resign effective March 13, 2011, the end of my fourth full year in this position. My staff and I will work closely with your administration to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.
Governor, you understand what Ohio's colleges and universities mean to the future of our state. Higher education brought you to our state and opened many doors for you. You have repaid the state's investment many-fold by staying in Ohio, building a productive and meaningful life, and dedicating yourself to public service. Fortunately for our state, you are not an exception.
Higher education is in Ohio's DNA. Though we have not always called our system of public higher education the University System of Ohio, we have been in the business of higher education as long as we have been a state. Every Governor and every General Assembly in our history has supported and expanded the higher education opportunities available to the citizens of Ohio.
Our challenge these past four years has not been to build new institutions, though we have built facilities and altered institutional mandates where needed. Rather, our challenge has been to focus our extraordinary higher education infrastructure on helping Ohioans meet the challenges and opportunities of today's global, knowledge based economy.
We are making real, measurable progress. Ohio's "Strategic Plan for Higher Education" is showing results in graduating more students, keeping them in Ohio after graduation, and attracting talent to our state. These highly trained and motivated workers are our state's greatest asset in attracting, retaining and creating jobs. As partners in the Third Frontier program, Ohio's higher education institutions have helped start dozens of new companies and collaborated with hundreds more to create the new products and services that Ohio will sell around the world in the 21st century.
To make this progress possible during a difficult national recession, we have worked hard to focus on our centers of excellence and expand our infrastructure of shared services. As in any large and complex business, the opportunities for productivity enhancements will never be exhausted, but we should be proud that there is an affordable and accessible path to a college degree available to every Ohioan.
I want to thank Governor Strickland for this extraordinary opportunity. I also want to thank the leaders of the General Assembly, including Speakers Husted, Budish and Batchelder and Senate Presidents Harris and Niehaus, for their courtesy, support and confidence. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with you and your administration these past few months. It is my hope that remaining in office during this period of transition provided valuable continuity in an important area of state government. Finally, I am indebted to all the extraordinary men and women who lead higher education in Ohio, including all the trustees, presidents, faculty and staff with whom I have served. It has been an honor to work alongside them and the dedicated staff at the Ohio Board of Regents in this effort.
I wish you and the entire State of Ohio great success in the future.
Sincerely,
Eric D. Fingerhut
Chancellor
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