Gov. DeWine Appoints Conservator for Eastern Gateway

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gov. Mike DeWine appointed a conservator to manage and oversee the dissolution of Eastern Gateway Community College.

Fred Ransier, a retired partner from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP’s Columbus office and a Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney, will assume the role Thursday.

Ransier has served as a bankruptcy trustee for the Southern District of Ohio since 1988 and has represented numerous clients in commercial and real estate matters over his career. Ransier received his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and his B.A. from Central State University. He lives in Franklin County.

The Eastern Gateway Board of Trustees voted earlier this year to formally withdraw its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and dissolve the college following its final semester. Students not eligible for graduation have been given significant transfer options through negotiated agreements with multiple academic institutions.

“Our first priority was making sure that all of the affected students were taken care of,” DeWine said in a news release. “We worked with Eastern Gateway and other institutions to ensure students could transfer as smoothly as possible. As we move forward with Fred Ransier as Conservator, and eventually shift to a Governance Authority to manage this closure, I have full confidence that all parties will proceed in a thoughtful way.”

Following statute, management of the college dissolution and closure process is required to transition from a conservatorship to a five-member Governance Authority within 30 days.

DeWine also today named his appointments to this Governance Authority:

• Kimberly Murnieks – chairperson (Delaware County). She serves as director of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management.

• Thomas D’Anniballe (Jefferson County). He is a CPA who serves as the finance chairman of the Eastern Gateway Community College Board of Trustees.

• Gregory White (Lake County). He is a former Lorain County prosecutor, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and former U.S. magistrate judge.

• Mike Halleck (Columbiana County). He currently serves as president of the Columbiana County commissioners.

• Kimberly Bates-Bozich (Jefferson County). She is the former co-owner of Bozich Food Services and corporate secretary at Bates Amusement Inc.

The Governance Authority will assume the responsibilities of the dissolution and closure process effective Aug. 29, with the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate.

“While every effort was made to avoid closure, I believe that this was the right decision and that the best interests of the students and taxpayers of Ohio were properly served,” state Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said in the news release.

State Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Township, chairs the House Higher Education Committee.

“Fortunately, Ohio has many great public institutions to assist in this transition,” he said in the news release. “I especially want to thank Youngstown State University, which has helped students transfer programs and continue their higher education goals. We must move on from this unfortunate situation with the best interest of these students above all and a willingness to support them.”

Eastern Gateway has faced significant financial and academic challenges in recent years. In the academic year 2023-24, the state Controlling Board approved three state subsidy advances to the college. The advances allowed the college to successfully finish the academic year, avoiding a mid-academic year shutdown that would have been highly disruptive for students.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.