The University Senate reviewed ongoing discussions on the revision of the Miami Plan and the relocation of the basketball arena during the Feb. 9 meeting.
Upon opening the meeting, Nathan French, vice chair of senate and chair of the senate executive committee, addressed questions about Miami’s response regarding the presence of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Cincinnati. He noted that there has not been an ICE presence on campus and that faculty and staff have been given guidance on how to respond if necessary.
Elizabeth Wardle, the Roger and Joyce Howe distinguished professor of written communication and the director of the Howe Center for Writing Excellence, and Elizabeth Hoover, a professor of music, shared updates on revising the Miami Plan, initially proposed in August last year.
This update was not only mandated by the Board of Trustees, but also by state legislation.
The project was given specific tasks and requirements to make the changes happen, including adjusting the curriculum in various fields of study, enhancing content that furthers the state's postsecondary education attainment and workforce goals and adopting a resolution summarizing changes to its institutions’ general education curriculum.
Wardle presented their goals of simplifying and streamlining the plan. She said the student perspective was considered, and some students requested that the plan be more relevant to future career endeavors.
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Hoover continued the presentation with details of the proposed plan. Pre-applied skills courses, e-portfolios and co-curricular transcripts are key elements to the discussion. The changes are intended to improve students’ educational growth and career development.
“Now this is a significant change … but we do, as Liz said, believe that this specific plan is more coherent and helps in the development of a more holistic student at Miami University,” Hoover said.
The committee will continue to refine and develop the plan based on feedback from the community and additional legislative requirements.
The Miami basketball team has received more attention with the recent successes of the 2025-26 season, and with that comes more discussion of the potential new arena. Jennifer Green, clinical traineeship coordinator and associate clinical professor in psychology, and Lee Biggerstaff, associate professor in finance, spoke on the plan to move Millett Hall to Cook Field.
The decision to rebuild instead of renovate was made considering the high costs of renovation and space constraints within its current location, said Green.
The estimated costs of the entire project, including the demolition of the current building, would be $210 to $215 million. The construction costs are expected to be financed through a combination of donations and new debt. Green said the additional debt would not increase student fees.
The new arena would be paired with a corporate-owned hotel, bringing more interest to the community.
“One of the things that really came out is that Miami is really trying to increase its national presence as an institution,” Biggerstaff said. “And one of the ways that they see that is increasing their athletic profile.”
The Board of Trustees will vote to advance the project at the end of February.
The University Senate's next meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 in 111 Harrison Hall.
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