Where Data Meets Goodwill: How Evidence and Relationships Are Shaping Our Future in Findlay and Beyond
Posted on January 15, 2026
Every new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on who we are as an institution and, more importantly, who we are becoming. At Owens Community College, our momentum is increasingly shaped by two powerful forces: data-informed insights and the goodwill we build through meaningful partnerships and presence across northwest Ohio.
Neither works alone. Data tells us where and how we are needed, while goodwill ensures we have a meaningful impact once we get there.
How Owens serves our region is a balance between insight and humanity and reflects how Owens is intentionally evolving to meet both the measurable needs of our communities and the deeper work of partnership and trust.
Some of the clearest examples of data shaping our direction have been our enrollment studies: the Feasibility Study for the City of Toledo and our Findlay Enrollment Study, both conducted by Trellis Strategies. The more recent Findlay Enrollment study revealed an essential finding similar to what we heard in Toledo: when prospective students in Hancock County chose not to enroll at Owens, they did not choose another institution. They simply did not continue their education.
This insight matters. It tells us the barrier is not competition—it is connection. It is awareness, accessibility and relevance. The study also confirmed evolving needs in the Findlay area, including the demand for flexible learning options, stronger pathways for adult learners, and programs aligned with workforce opportunities.
These findings helped shape our Findlay Commitment, a renewed, evidence-based pledge to the region. And importantly, this commitment has already led to meaningful action. We reaffirmed academic programs that serve as strong career pathways and began exploring new opportunities in fields such as engineering technology and pharmacy. We also strengthened and expanded partnerships with the University of Findlay, Heidelberg University and Ohio Northern University—the first time these institutions came together in this way, convened by Owens to create clearer, more seamless transfer opportunities for students across the Blanchard Valley.
As significant as these steps are, they reflect the deeper way Owens is moving forward, driven by our belief in the power of goodwill. While data clarifies the needs of our communities, goodwill shapes our capacity to respond in ways that endure.
Goodwill is built through presence, by showing up consistently, listening closely, building trust over time and engaging in the work of our partners long before decisions must be made. It has become one of Owens’ greatest strengths and an unmistakable part of our identity.
We see it when Owens convenes critical conversations, as we did with our university partners in Findlay, when employers reach out to us first, and when nonprofit, civic organizations and K-12 partners invite us into shared work. They trust our collaborative spirit and our solutions-focused approach, and recognize that we bring both expertise and a deep commitment to the region.
This culture of goodwill is positioning Owens as a leading educational institution and a regional connector. We are being recognized as a place where ideas, organizations and opportunities come together to advance northwest Ohio.
Other recent initiatives reflect what happens when data and goodwill intersect. Our Toledo Feasibility Study showed the need for a physical presence in the City of Toledo, that increased partnerships are necessary to prepare tomorrow’s workforce, and large education attainment gaps exist in the City of Toledo. That study led to our microsite strategy and to our letter of intent with the University of Toledo and Toledo Public Schools to collaborate at the Scott Park location to expand access to higher education.
We are fully committed to Scott Park and other microsite opportunities. We launched our first microsite last year, focused on Early Childhood Education in collaboration with Learning Ladder Child Care & Development Center, and we are excited about the replicable, scalable model we’ve created, which is responsive, partner-driven and built around real-time needs.
The Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey reminds us that many students continue to need support with financial and life challenges, which reinforces our commitment to ensuring wraparound resources remain strong and accessible. Transportation data also continues to guide our involvement in regional mobility efforts, helping us advocate for solutions that make education more attainable.
Owens is a proud member of Wood County’s Ohio Workforce Mobility Program WorkLink Steering Committee, led by the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA), Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) and the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), which emphasizes innovation and collaboration among governments, transit agencies, employers and community partners to design flexible, workforce-focused transit solutions.
Taken together, these examples tell a consistent story: data helps us see the challenge, but goodwill brings the right partners together to address it.
Across northwest Ohio, Owens is increasingly the institution communities call first because we convene, listen, and help shape solutions collaboratively. This is what it means to lead—not only through strategy, but through service and presence.
Recently, the President of St. Francis de Sales School, the Rev. Geoff Rose, OSFS, shared a quote at the Global Salesian Leadership Symposium that has stayed with me: “Leadership in the Salesian tradition begins not with power, but with presence.”
As we move into 2026, Owens is entering a moment of alignment between the evidence that guides us and the partnerships that propel us, between strategic clarity and human connection.
Our future will be shaped by both data, which sharpens our understanding of the world as it is, and a culture of goodwill, which gives us the influence to help shape the world as it can be.
We will continue to lead with this balance—this partnership between insight and humanity. It is how we will continue to serve the people, employers and communities of northwest Ohio with clarity, conviction and care.
Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D.
President