Budget woes continue at Ohio University ATHENS, OH (WOUB) - The budget situation for Ohio University is bleak, but President Roderick McDavis remains hopeful that with ingenuity OU can come out the other side stronger.

McDavis made his state of the university address this afternoon (Wednesday) at Walter Hall on the Athens campus.

McDavis says the university faces a $15 million reduction in state funding for fiscal year 2012. He also says that the National Center for Education Statistics predicts that Ohio will experience a decrease in the number of public high school graduates over the next three years.

But, McDavis says the university is responding to these challenges. He says one course of action is to continue the university's hiring freeze for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Another proactive step, McDavis says, is the launch of a $450 million capital campaign. $215.5 million in gifts and commitments have already been raised toward that goal.

McDavis says even though he knows these budget times are not easy, the university community will face the challenges ahead by working together.

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