Posted: 3:51 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

3 Butler County higher education institutions outline collaboration

By  http://www.journal-news.com/staff/rick-mccrabb/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer

BUTLER COUNTY — 

Instead of competing for students, officials at three local higher education institutions said they’re collaborating to offer residents additional options that will raise their earning potential.

Representatives from Butler Tech’s adult education, Cincinnati State Middletown and Miami University’s branch campuses spoke Thursday morning during a State of Higher Education luncheon. Their message was clear and consistent throughout their presentations: After graduating from high school, students need to obtain industry credentials or attend a two- or four-year degree, all available locally.

They said Butler County is unique because students have all these opportunities in their backyards.

Kelly Cowan, interim president of Cincinnati State Middletown, spent more than 20 years at Miami University. She said there was a time when there were “gaps” in education locally, but now every resident has access to job training or higher education to prepare them for the “next level in their lives.”

Cincinnati State hosts about 120 Middletown High School students who attend Middie State. Cowan called this “an extremely exciting collaboration” between the college and Middletown City Schools District and hopes those high school students continue their education nearby at Cincinnati State.

She also said, as soon as next fall, Cincinnati State Middletown will offer a culinary school, and students will take their first year of classes in Middletown and earn their food safety certification. After that they probably will transfer to Cincinnati State because of it offers $12 million in kitchen facilities to prepare its students for the full-service food industry.

Cowan also said Cincinnati State will start offering a shuttle service for Middletown students who want to take classes at the Cincinnati State Clifton location. She said 75 percent of Middletown students surveyed said they would take a shuttle if a service was available.

Gary Cates, vice chancellor of the Department of Higher Learning, said he recently toured Marion, Ohio, located about 40 miles north of Columbus, with a similar population as Hamilton and Middletown. There, he said, Harding High School is beginning a “diploma plus acceptance” program where every graduate will be expected to know their “next pathway” before they walk across the stage at graduation, whether that’s acceptance into adult education, a two- or four-year college or university, an apprenticeship or the military.

He believes the program shows “great promise” and expects other districts around the state to adopt a similar program if it’s successful.

Gates said research has shown that households with higher educations earn higher wages and have a lower unemployment rate. He thanked those higher education representatives for being “change agents” in the community.

Then he added: “We got to change the way we deliver our product.”

Rick Pearce, president of the Chamber serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton, said if all the institutions have the ability to serve as “huge economic engines” for the region.

To meet the changing needs of the region, MUM will offer 10 new degree programs between 2016 and 2018, said Michael Pratt, dean of regional campuses.

He said since 2013, MUM has recruited international students, mainly those from China. He said that program had 38 students enrolled in 2013 and more than 300 this year. He said while students at MUM may be unable to take courses in China, international students can be brought to Middletown.

Kristina Reed, marketing director at Butler Tech, said the center specializes in business and industry, public safety, healthcare, human resource development and assessments. Those courses range from two weeks to 13 months, she said.

She said over a five-year period 93 percent of the students at Butler Tech find job placement after graduation.

“Our students succeed,” she said.