The Board of Regents' role is to develop statewide policies and programs that stimulate an otherwise autonomous and complex system of public and private colleges and universities to respond to the needs and interests of the people of Ohio. The institutional Boards of Trustees have full power and authority for the management, planning, and development of their respective institutions. In the event that these appropriations were not made, the Board could collect a special fee from all students, but this has never happened. All institutions are responsible to be audited by the state auditor and to pay for such audits as well as to submit an annual budget plus a quarterly report to the Ohio Board of Regents and Legislative Budget Office. Trustees at public higher education institutions receive no compensation but are reimbursed for reasonable necessary expenses incurred while engaged in conducting official business.
Oversight has responsibility for the review of issues related to higher education in Ohio.
The staff of OBOR regularly assists this legislative group in its review and evaluation process. The Department of Education has responsibility for elementary and secondary teacher education preparation and certification standards. The Board of Regents also works with other agencies, like the Department of Human Services and the Department of Development, on issues such as work-force training and programs designed to provide special support in providing, educational assistance to special groups.