By: Duane St. Clair
Otterbein is right back to where it started – a university.
The stalwart institution has been the backbone of Westerville since it was founded in 1847 as Otterbein University, the name of which is chiseled on the cornerstone of Towers Hall. However, in 1917, it became Otterbein College because it did not have graduate level courses and focused primarily on liberal arts degrees.
Now, with an academic agenda that includes four graduate degrees, 56 bachelor’s degrees and 41 minors, Otterbein’s name, but not its purpose, has been upgraded to reflect the status and to signal academic expansion.
The change began in 2007 with Otterbein’s Strategic Planning Council. The council launched a task force to survey opinions of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and potential students. The results favored the change, which the Board of Trustees approved last February, effective Sept. 1.
“The idea was to change the identity of the institution because we are ranked and compared with mostly universities –
not colleges. It really defines accurately what we have become,” explains Otterbein University President Kathy Krendl.
Usually, a college offers only undergraduate degrees while a university will have several colleges, like education, arts and sciences, business, etc. that offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Besides its numerous degrees in 11 colleges, Otterbein has international programs in England, the Netherlands, Sweden and several other countries.
“A college for international and adult audiences connotes a small, intimate undergraduate environment. We offer that, but that is not all we are,” Krendl says.
“We offer a broader scope of programs than ever before, so it really just names us what we have become in recent years,” she says. “The growth and the trajectory are really around graduate and continuing studies opportunities.”
Tom Morrison, board chairman, adds, “We really have truly become a university, although the undergraduate program will always continue to be the heart of the school. That intimacy is the core of the Otterbein experience, and that is not going to change – nobody wants that to change. Hopefully we will be applying that to our graduate programs, as well.”
Morrison comments on how first-time visitors always notice the school’s unique close-knit culture. “That is the heart of the Otterbein experience. Even though we are growing and adding graduate programs, that core culture is just not going to change,” he says.
Otterbein offers graduate programs in business, education and nursing with plans to offer master’s degrees in arts and science and possibly math education. Officials are projecting a significant increase in graduate and part-time adult enrollment in the next five years.
“We just had our master’s degree in nursing anesthesia approved, so that is going to be a wonderful resource for us as well as for the community,” Krendl reports. She says the school is proposing a doctorate in nursing practice and considering new degrees in the education program and new overlapping degrees with the MBA program.
“For example, a nurse management program for individuals in the nursing profession who want to go into a management position could do an MBA with a specialty in nursing,” she explains.
The university has hybrid courses that combine online learning with classroom lectures. These classes are aimed at adult learners as well as high school students who want to gain some college experience.
“The idea for us is to embrace technology to be able to provide more flexibility for adult students who have full lives, but also want relationships with our full-time faculty,” Krendl says.
She explained that another area of growth is outreach to children and seniors. The school will offer more summer camps for middle and high school students, and they will also work with retirement communities on continuing studies and enrichment programs.
“Education is a process that happens over the life cycle,” Krendl says.
Pattie Stechschulte is editor o
f Westerville Magazine.
Otterbein Ranked as Up and Coming Institution by U.S. News & World Report
Otterbein University premiered at number seven on U.S. News & World Report’s “Up-and-Comers” list, which recognizes institutions that have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities. Determined by their peer institutions, the list is part of the annual guide to America’s Best Colleges.
Overall, Otterbein earned the number 16 spot among 146 schools in the Regional Universities (Midwest) category and ranked fourth of the 15 Ohio schools in its category.
This is Otterbein’s fourth year in the Regional Universities category. It has earned a spot in the top 16 each year.
This year Otterbein competed with schools from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri for this honor. Peer institutions include Butler, Drake and Xavier Universities. The rankings are based on 15 measures of “academic excellence,” which fall into six categories; peer assessment and graduation and retention rates being the most important. Presidents and academic vice presidents are surveyed in the spring each year and are asked to rate their peer institutions.