The Driver

The arrival of Cincinnati State’s branch campus in Middletown has helped to cement the redevelopment of the city’s downtown core and is helping to revive it’s economy.

Michael Chikeleze, who has been the campus’s only director since it opened nearly two years ago, said the future is very bright in Middletown as Cincinnati State continues to build partnerships with the local business, industrial and heath care communities, the city and county and area school districts.

“We’re excited to be in Butler County,” he said. “To meet the demands of the area, we’re adding more academic courses and programs, do workforce development and are looking to keep the cooperative education component focused.”

He said the Middletown campus, which is Cincinnati State’s second-largest venue of its four campuses, is also working to align its academic program to where the jobs are.

“Our goal is to attract and keep students in the region as part of an educated workforce with the job skills that are in demand,” Chikeleze said.

He said students can take the path toward a technical, two-year associate’s degree to get the skills needed to enter the workforce or take academic courses to transfer to a college or university with a four-year program. In addition, he said the programs at Cincinnati State are complimentary to those offered at Miami University Middletown.

Cincinnati State Middletown offers 13 associate degree programs, five certificate programs and online courses, he said.

Chikeleze said about 200 students were originally projected to enroll at the Middletown campus in fall 2012.

In nearly two years, the number has jumped to more than 600 students whose average is age is 30.

“We’ve far exceeded our original enrollment projections,” he said. “Sustaining growth will be the challenge as well as managing change and keeping up with growth.”

The college, which is Butler County’s first community college, currently operates out of the former Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. building at 1 N. Main St. that is still owned by the city. Chikeleze said there are 25 full-time employees at the Middletown branch with another 40 to 50 adjunct faculty who teach a variety of courses.

“We’re a full-service campus with classes, tutoring, financial aid, IT (information technology), police and academic advising,” Chikeleze said.

He said the college is working on a strategic plan and foresees an enrollment of 2,000 to 3,000 in five years. In addition, Boston-based Higher Education Partners provided the private funding to assist Cincinnati State to establish the Middletown campus, with city and college officials, are already looking at acquiring additional properties to handle the future campus growth.

“We’re in growth mode,” he said. “Our future is good. Over time, we’ll be better known in the Middletown area. The important thing is continue what we’re doing and become a known option in the next 10 to 15 years.”

Chikeleze said the Middletown branch is working on building awareness and developing partnerships with various educational and nonprofit organizations.

“We’re helping students and people change their lives,” he said. “We already have a lot of successful stories in providing an opportunity for someone to go to college.”

City Manager Judy Gilleland said Middletown made a major investment in developing the Cincinnati State branch campus.

“Over the next year, the city will have recouped all of its investment or more,” she said.

Gilleland estimated that amount to be an additional $100,000 on top of the $450,000 the city originally invested. However, she did not have an estimated economic impact spin off from the campus but said it could be 10 to 20-fold over the city’s initial investment.

“Cincinnati State has three other downtown buildings to grow into and I envision there will be more,” she said. “Cincinnati State will also compliment the programs at Miami University Middletown.”

Gilleland, who is retiring in about two months, said the campus is important to the downtown community and is an important downtown anchor. One of her original goals when she was hired as city manager several years ago was to transform the downtown district into an arts, entertainment and education district.

“That is coming to fruition and I’m pleased with the development of downtown,” she said.

Gilleland said the project was a win-win for the city and Cincinnati State’s administration and board of trustees.

“They believed and embraced the city’s vision in redeveloping the downtown,” she said. “It’s also helping to reinvigorate the entire community.”

While he isn’t sure if anyone really knows the impact Cincinnati State will bring to the region in the coming years, Rick Pearce said the college is working close with the business community to address their workforce development needs.

“Many companies in our area need a highly specialized workforce with special skills, whether that be technical manufacturing or IT,” said Pearce, who is the president and chief executive officer of The Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton. “The current educational system, by no fault of theirs, is just not fulfilling those needs. The world is changing so rapidly.”

Pearce said as new programs are developed and adopted into the curriculum at Cincinnati State and employers begin to hire those skilled individuals, you will see more students and facilities begin to see the benefits of those programs.

“The obvious end result would be that we would have an influx of facilities move to the area, due to the fact that the area has a skilled workforce,” Pearce said. “I see Miami University and Cincinnati State complimenting each other with the services they offer. Many students are anxious to obtain the necessary skills and join the workforce quickly. What Cincinnati State has to offer could be perfect for them.”

He said once those students are in the workplace for a number of years, they may discover new interests that take them down another path.

“Miami University will be there ready to assist them in reaching their next set of goals,” Pearce said. “It’s going to be extremely beneficial to the area to have two post-secondary institutions of learning serving the educational needs of the next generation.”

Some local school districts are already working to become affiliated with Cincinnati State.

Last month, the Middletown Board of Education approved the opening of an enrollment center for the college at Middletown High School.

The Middletown board will be providing space at the high school for students to talk with college admission representatives, discuss financial aid options as well as assist seniors with dual enrollment courses or to sign up for classes at the downtown college.

The Franklin Board of Education last month approved a memorandum of understanding that would create a dual enrollment program with Cincinnati State, said Superintendent Michael Sander.

He said in addition to students being able to earn dual credits for high school and college courses, Franklin teachers would be working with the college to develop a syllabus that would be rigorous enough to meet Cincinnati State’s standards. Sander said it would also create an opportunity for Franklin teachers to be approved to teach at Cincinnati State.

“I’m not sure how many teachers would be participating, but I think there will be a fair number,” Sander said. “Our juniors and seniors like to be academically challenged.”

He said the district was moving slow on the memorandum of understanding rather than rushing things through. Sander said the Warren County Educational Service Center would coordinating the program for the county’s school districts with Cincinnati State.