OXFORD — Miami University will soon begin the process of establishing an academic division specifically for the regional campuses in Middletown and Hamilton.

The Miami University Board of Trustees approved Friday the proposal first introduced by Provost Bobby Gempesaw to give the regional campuses the autonomy to offer degree programs that will address the economic needs of the community.

The creation of the academic division, similar to the Farmer School of Business or the College of Arts and Science, will allow the campuses to create their own degree programs without the approval of academic departments in Oxford.

The resolution represents a major change in focus for the regional campuses, from being “satellites in orbit whose main purpose is to feed students to the Oxford campus” to increasing the availability of affordable degree opportunities that can be fully completed on these campuses, Gempesaw said.

The next step in the process will be to form a committee to oversee the creation of the new division.

The makeup of the committee, including the number of members it would include, remains to be decided, Gempesaw said.

The proposal has been the subject of controversy and concern among some Miami University faculty members and regional campus students since it was presented. At least two letters signed by professors across all campuses protested specific provisions of the proposal that would give the new academic division authority to hire its own faculty without the consent of academic departments in Oxford. The University Senate voted overwhelmingly in opposition to the proposal and those provisions.

Miami University President David Hodge’s recommendation of the proposal, however, sent out in a letter dated April 25, tempered the language somewhat.

“I am recommending that regional campuses faculty may be appointed in the new division’s programs and departments or through discipline-based academic departments in other divisions or both,” he said.

But some professors say that the language is still vague enough to allow the new division to circumvent having professors vetted by the academic departments they would teach in.

“We’re not sure we gained anything,” said Nancy Solomon, a zoology professor who helped compose and circulate the letters of protest. “We felt the letter said that they don’t care what the faculty thinks.”

Solomon said the professors she’s spoken to would “possibly” be willing to serve on the committee to ensure that their concerns are addressed as the process continues.

“We still want to do what we can, but everyone is kind of disheartened now,” she said.

Gempesaw said that faculty input has so far been an important part of the process and he expects to continue to receive their input.

“We should be working with the faculty on this because we are all a part of Miami University,” he said.