The AU Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Carlos Campo’s contract will be extended for three years. The 30th president of Ashland University will now be seen walking around campus engaging with students until May 31, 2021.

“Generally it’s a matter of the board feeling that things are going well,” Campo said. “Technically I was in the last year of my current contract, so it’s not unusual that when you are nearing the end of a contract, instead of waiting until the last minute to have some conversations, the board and I over the last four to five months have been talking about what the future looks like and how long Karen and I plan on staying. We are here through May of 2021 and it’s part of a negotiated discussion and I think all of us are feeling like we are on the same page and we are moving forward in the right direction”

Dr. Campo was selected to be the 30th president in March of 2015. Since his first day in office, on June 1, 2015, Dr. Campo has made many changes to the university. Among those changes is a strategic plan that is starting to be implemented.

That plan comes with a new mission and vision statement for the university as a whole. Another thing is the community engagement focus that Dr. Campo says is the critically important part of that plan.

“I feel that among the major accomplishments, it’s never just me, we are all apart of a team and we have been able to engage the community,” Campo said. “We feel better than before, in the last number of years we have seen the community welcome us in new ways and we are serving the community in more ways than we have before. We started opening our doors literally and figuratively to the community, so that’s been a big part of it.”

Campo also gives credit to the university’s ability to raise money saying that in his first three years the number of million dollar gifts has been incredible.

Since Campo came to office, the university has had its highest enrollment rate in history as well as its highest retention rates ever recorded; two things Campo and the board are very proud of being able to accomplish.

Some hot topic issues are also being applied currently to campus, such as the adoption and signing of the Chicago Principles of Free Expression. Dr. Campo believes the student affirmation on it has helped the communication around campus become better than ever.

“There is a spirit on campus, a spirit of being positive and seeing a direction and transparency in openness,” Campo said. “We feel we have gotten better communication than ever before and we are on the same page. No campus is without its conflict and I really don’t sense that here at Ashland now, it feels like we are all sensing that we are here for the right reasons and that we are moving forward.”

With his contract extension, Dr. Campo is still looking to make more improvements on the campus of Ashland. Whether those improvements be made in dorm halls or in athletics, he is very happy about the overall look of the campus and what is has to offer.

“We do believe that we have a lot of work to do on the infrastructure on campus. This is an older campus it’s just the reality of the fact,” Campo said. “We have been talking about refurbishing or building new dorms which we think is an important thing. Overall we think the campus looks great but it could look better.”

Campo also said that one thing the campus is lacking is an indoor athletic facility that other campuses have to offer when it comes to athletics that AU does not. He said that the Rec Center is great, but it would be better if athletes and students had the opportunity to go to a space that has indoor tennis courts or an indoor football or soccer field.

While Dr. Campo believes the campus itself could use an updated look, he also has plans to benefit those who are not typical undergrads. Dr. Campo has plans for expanding the online and graduate programs.

“We think we can do more with program expansions particularly online and with graduate degrees,we do feel like our undergraduate program is very very strong,” Campo said. “Students are coming here and getting a great education, getting into grad school or med school and into the workforce. We do think with our graduate degrees we can expand even further and as we look to the future it’s something we want to get done.”

Dr. Campo and his wife, Karen Campo, are very grateful for the opportunities AU has given them and are looking forward to all the changes to come. They appreciate the community and their ability to open their arms to them.

“We are grateful for how welcoming everyone has been,” Dr. Campo said. “We have been successful because of the people around us, it’s not us, it’s about how the student body as been so supportive and kind and the community has been unbelievable because they want the school to thrive and do really well. Just one message from me would be thank you!”