After reading this resolution I find that for one of the few times in my life I’m speechless.
Who is in charge and overseeing this project?
We turned over two fairly new buildings to HEP for the bargain basement
price of $202,000.
We obtained a million dollar 108 CDBG for the restoration of this project.
Classes for Cincinnati State start in about 45 days.
….and now we are informed that we still DO NOT HAVE a signed contract for this deal and that City Hall is still paying the utility bills on this building while it is being remodeled.
….that City Hall will not receive payment until 2-15-2013?
”The current agreement with HEP calls for the payment of the $200,000 will be completed by 2/15/2013.”
Ms. Gilleland and Mr. Pratt both need to be removed from this dealASAP.

Tell me again that these are not acts of pure desperation….
It is evident that City Council is busy taking a nap on the couch while all this non sense has been going on at City Hall and millions of dollars are going down the drain.

Here is the link to the Downtown Fund 2012

Acclaro
    Several times we have heard that CS-HEP was going to invest 3 million dollars in this project…however they have never really stated over what time period these dollars would be invested in this project.
    It is my understanding that they are only going to remodel 3 floors of the CG&E building before the August 2012 classes. I would not think that you would need more than the HUD 1 million loan to do the first three floors of this building.
    If in fact the project needs to be completed before HUD would allow the building to be signed over why have Ms Judy and Mr Pratt continued to say over the past 6 months they would have a signed contract very soon.
    Why is City Hall footing the entire bill for this  project right down to the $450 sign they had made and now all the utilities.
     If City Hall doesn’t know the terms of this contract…then who does???

Posted: 12:16 p.m. Friday, July 20, 2012

Board of regents OKs new Cincy State health degree

Staff Report

CINCINNATI —

The Ohio Board of Regents has given Cincinnati State Technical & Community College approval to offer an associate’s degree in health information technology.

Cincinnati State President O’dell Owens said the new degree program — and the way it will be taught — demonstrates how information technology is changing both
medicine and education.

The City of Middletown still does not have a signed contract with CS-HEP
The million dollars HUD 108 CDBG Loan has not been approved by HUD.
City Hall is still paying the utility bills for the CG&E building.
Current number of applications for fall classes at CS is 120.
How many of these classes are for online students are unknown at this time.

How many jobs and students will Cincinnati State bring to Downtown for this investment is still unknown.

Cincy State ready to move in next month

By Michael D. Pitman
Staff Writer

CINCINNATI —
    One month out from opening its first branch campus in Butler County, Cincinnati State Technical & Community College officials say they are right on track.
    School officials are set to move into the Cincinnati State Middletown building at 1 N. Main St. by Aug. 14 — a date that’s been revised since the city of Middletown and school signed contracts with contractor and school financier Higher Education Partners.
    Some items are being moved into the building’s second floor, said Carla Chance, Cincinnati State executive vice president of facilities to the school’s board of trustees Tuesday afternoon. And over the next few weeks, more items will be gradually moved in.
    “We are where we need to be by the end of July,” she said.
    And while moving into the buidling is on target, enrollment is ahead of schedule, said Cincinnati State Director of Admissions Gabriele Brockermann.
    “It’s been quite a daunting task over the past five months, but we’re very, very pleased,” she said.
    The school has reached its Aug. 1 goal of 100 admitted students a week ahead of schedule, Brockermann said. As of July 24, she said 103 have been admitted and 95 have registered.
    “It really is a first effort for myself along with my other colleagues on the Middletown committee,”Brockermann said. “We’ve never done this where we’re literally had to launch the opening a brand new campus in such a short period of time. It’s really been quite a challenge.”
    Though the goal is 100 shy of the school’s 200 students enrolled by Aug. 29, school officials believe they’ll achieve it, said Jean Manning, vice president of Marketing and Communications.
    “Historically speaking, August is your busiest month with enrollments because so many people wait till the last minute (to enroll),” she said.
    Enrollment has been aided by the school’s marketing efforts, Manning and Brockermann said.
    The school has marketed to prospective students, and former student who haven’t completed their education, through direct mail, radio and print advertising, billboards and being visible in the four-county targeted area.
    Manning said the school has invested in more than $160,000 to attract prospective students. The school’s goal is to exceed 200 students in the inaugural year.
    The largest investment has been $60,000 in direct mail campaigns to residents in Butler, Warren, Preble and Montgomery counties. The school has also invested $58,000 in print and radio advertising.
    The Cincinnati State board of trustees are excited about the opening of the new campus, and are pleased with the progress.

    And as much as a buzz that’s been created since Cincinnati State signed its contract with Higher Education Partners — and the city sold the building to HEP — there’s been an equal amount of excitement of the board.
    “We think it’s going extremely well, and with the help of all the Middletown community we look for great success,” said Cincinnati State board of trustee President Cathy Crain.

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
July 25, 2012

The construction on the Cincinnati State project is in progress and looking great!

Some members of staff and I toured the facility last week. Many improvements

have been made to the building that will bring modern classrooms to downtown.

The Construction is scheduled to be completed sometime in the next month.

Regents approve Health Information Technology degree at Cincinnati State!!!

The Ohio Board of Regents has given Cincinnati State formal approval to offer an associate’s degree in health information technology.

That action marks a crucial final step in the development of a program that is designed to meet employer needs in what is projected by the U.S. Department of Labor to be an area of high demand.

The program at Cincinnati State will provide graduates with the necessary skills to find positions in hospitals, health care systems, physicians’ offices, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, insurance and managed care providers and other providers.

It will also be integrated with a Health Information Technology program offered at Miami University’s branch campuses, so that students might pursue a bachelor’s degree in the same field.

“This is a good example of how we want Ohio’s higher education system to work for students, families and business,” said Chancellor Jim Petro. “There will clearly be a demand for trained workers at all levels in the health information technology field. Cincinnati State and Miami University are working together to offer the necessary education and training in a smart, cost-effective way.”

Cincinnati State President O’dell M. Owens, a physician, said the new degree program – and the way it will be taught – demonstrates how information technology is changing both medicine and education.

“We need whole new skill sets to support the medical professional today,” Dr. Owens said. “At the same time, we’re finding that our students have different approaches to learning those skills.”

The Health Information Technology program at Cincinnati State will be offered in online, traditional and hybrid classroom formats, and will be available at its new Middletown campus. The program will incorporate the College’s traditional co-op requirements.

The program, co-chaired by Cincinnati State faculty Bob Nields and Cindy Kneip, will offer two majors:

Healthcare Programming and Systems Analysis. This will focus on the application of software development and analysis within the health care industry, and train graduates for jobs as software developers or analysts who support healthcare software applications.

Healthcare Informatics. This will provide students with the knowledge and skills to understand, “mine,” analyze, report and support healthcare data throughout the continuum of care.

“This is an exciting program for us because while it builds on our historic strengths, it’s a new field with enormous growth potential,” said Dr. Monica Posey, Academic Vice President at Cincinnati State.

Cincinnati State has one of the largest nursing training programs in the region, as well as health care programs that train students to operate specialized medical equipment, become respiratory therapists, prepare operating rooms for surgeries and the like.

Because of its long history of placing students in clinical rotations, and because of its work with the Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati, Dr. Posey said, faculty and staff at the College have maintained a solid understanding of workforce demands and the technological changes that are transforming the industry.

In particular, she said, national and regional studies show that the industry is moving rapidly to incorporate new development in the information technology field into both clinical care and efforts at cost-effectiveness, improved patient access to their records and the like.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, she noted, employment in the health information technology area is projected to increase by approximately 20 percent through 2018.

Research cited by the Regents suggests that salaries for workers in starting positions have potential to be between $34,000 and $44,000 annually.

Cincinnati State will launch its Health Information Technology associate degree program in the 2012 Fall Semester.

Dr. Posey said initial enrollment is projected at approximately 25 full-time and 20 part-time students.

Both the Cincinnati State and Miami University regional campus programs are supported by a $4.9 million U.S. Department of Labor training grant to the Health Careers Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati. Miami University and Cincinnati State are among the partners in the Health Careers Collaborative.