This is a qualitative study of the origin and history of the Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio. The purpose of the study was to provide a record of the founding and development of AURCO. The study offers a description of the historical circumstances that led to its creation; a historical account of its inception in 1993, and an examination of the role that the organization has come to play among regional campus faculty. This was done through a qualitative study involving interviews and correspondence with founding members and other selected persons on regional campuses, as well as a review of existing documents of the association. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for themes.
Interviews with three founders of AURCO revealed four themes that described perceptions by the founders of the purposes and roles that AURCO has played among faculty of Ohio regional campuses: promotion of scholarship among regional campus faculty; creating avenues for professional advancement; providing a venue for faculty interaction and collegiality; and promotion of Ohio regional campuses. Three additional interview participants agreed that AURCO had played a role in promoting scholarship, facilitating professional advancement, and fostering collegiality. However they either downplayed or disagreed that AURCO had played a significant role in promoting the interests of regional campuses.
The four themes were used as a guideline to analyze records to determine evidence of the effectiveness of AURCO in achieving the goals as perceived by the organizational founders. Although the records indicated some examples of promoting regional campuses, much information was revealed that supported instances of AURCO promoting scholarship, providing opportunities for professional advancement, and venues for collegial interaction. It appears that, at least on some campuses, AURCO has had sufficient penetration to support the claims by its supporters that it has contributed to the professionalization of faculty. Additional research is necessary to determine the extent of possible impact. However when the institutional affiliation of participants was examined, it became clear that the penetration of AURCO among the 23 regional campuses in Ohio has been uneven. Participation in AURCO has been intense on some campuses, spotty at others, and non-existent at the rest.