The University of Toledo Board of Trustees approved investments in The University of Toledo Medical Center during its final meeting of the 2022 calendar year.
Trustees approved a tentative agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Ohio Council 8 and AFSCME Local 2415, which represent employees on the University’s Health Science Campus, that provides temporary retention and recruitment wage adjustments to support critical care positions at the hospital.
The University and AFSCME had engaged in discussions to support temporary pay, a one-time retention bonus and temporary shift differentials for select job classifications to help recruit and maintain staffing levels to support the hospital’s continued growth.
In addition to the financial turnaround of UTMC, since 2020, the hospital has achieved a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, installed the EPIC electronic medical record system and invested more than $20 million in equipment and infrastructure.
Trustees also approved the purchase of an Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy, a cutting-edge technology that enables physicians to biopsy lung nodules that were previously inaccessible or too small to reliably sample.
Lung cancer is the single deadliest form of the disease, accounting for nearly a quarter of all cancer deaths, and the new tool helps physicians identify lung cancer earlier and with more precision, allowing for quicker treatment and improving the chances a patient’s cancer will be cured.
The purchase of the $600,000 tool follows a one-year trial that proved the practice is more effective and safer.
UToledo continued its practice of making room and board decisions ahead of the annual budgeting process to provide students more time to plan for the upcoming school year.
The housing and meal plan rates approved during Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting are effective for the fall 2023 semester. To help offset increased costs of operations, meal plans will increase 4% and housing will go up a weighted average of 2.96% for students in the next cohort of the Tuition Guarantee program.
The Board of Trustees also approved a couple real estate transactions. Trustees authorized University leadership to move forward with leasing 4.61 acres of property at the corner of Dorr Street and Byrne Road for commercial use, details of which will be released after an agreement is finalized, and the purchase of 0.2 acres of land on Fairlawn Avenue located behind the College of Engineering buildings.
Additionally, George Chapman, a longtime supporter of UToledo and former member of the Board of Trustees, was appointed a national trustee. Chapman is the co-founder and CEO of ReNew, a privately held real-estate investment trust specializing in senior housing communities across the United States. Prior to his role at ReNew, he served as the CEO and chairman of the board at Welltower, previously known as Health Care REIT.
The national trustee position was established in 2017 to take advantage of the diverse cultural, geographic, business, professional, public service and civic backgrounds, talents and experiences of friends and alumni of the University. They serve a two-year term without voting privileges.
Chapman’s term as a national trustee begins Dec. 8. He previously served on the Medical University of Ohio Board of Trustees, serving as chair, and is an emeritus trustee of UToledo. He also served on the presidential search committee that helped select former president Sharon L. Gaber.
Chapman has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and a J.D. from University of Chicago. He is married to Leslie Chapman, owner of Toledo Yoga.
The Chapman Basketball Complex in Savage Arena is named for George and Leslie in recognition of a $1 million donation to support Rocket Athletics.
