President's Blog

Much to Celebrate This Season

This Friday, it will be my privilege to host the 41^st Owens Community College Fall Commencement. This will be my first Commencement as president of the College, and I am so excited to celebrate our newly minted graduates.

Congratulations to all! Though we’re deeply proud of every class, the last two years have required perseverance through uniquely challenging circumstances. Making it to the finish line today in the face of a global pandemic and all that has wrought is a particularly tremendous achievement, and we salute each and every graduate.

Commencement is one of my favorite parts of a semester along with the first day of classes. Together, these dates connect access to completion, symbolizing the most important things we do as a community college. We ensure that students can capitalize on the opportunity for quality, affordable, flexible higher education, and seeing so many succeed is truly a gift that comes with working in higher education.

An Owens degree is a milestone achievement. It exists as an opportunity for anyone motivated to earn it – regardless of age, educational background, financial or housing status, or family situation – and our Fall 2021 alumni prove how beautifully Owens provides a path for so many people from all walks of life.

Success comes in many forms and for many reasons at Owens. I want to congratulate our NJCAA Division III Volleyball National Champions – including National Coach of the Year Sonny Lewis, National Tournament MVP Maddie White, and First Team All-Americans McKenna Babcock and White – on their stellar achievements.

Looking ahead to the new year, we want to continue these inseparable traditions of excellence and access. We are working with an engaging program called ReUp to help more students who have paused their education to come back to campus on their own terms. Whether individuals need study tips, financial assistance or a clearer path toward their degree, everyone in the Owens family wants to help them succeed. To learn more about the ReUp program and how its coaching programs work, click here.

Along with our peers in the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, we are also keeping a close eye on legislation pending before Ohio’s legislature, House Bill 368. If passed, this bill would pave the way for school districts to weight high school Advanced Placement (AP) courses differently than College Credit Plus (CCP) courses. CCP courses are high quality, accredited and rigorous. Completion of a CCP course means that a high school student has earned college credit. CCP courses provide high school students with a faster, more affordable route to higher education.

Allowing these courses to be designated as quantitatively “lesser than” AP courses would stigmatize more than 77,000 students annually, undermine their $155.7 million in tuition savings, and reduce opportunities for low-income students across the state – including here at Owens.

We are proud to accept CCP courses as the foundation for an associate degree from Owens and an economical path to quality higher education. This program as is allows for more commencements to happen. Owens will continue to work with our partners to not only protect, but to expand CCP so that more members of our community can get a head start on higher education.

Looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, I’m eager to see what our new alumni will do next. Their Owens credential is a marker of their determination and expertise, and it opens so many doors. As our more than 40,000 alumni in northwest Ohio can attest, Owens is a big part of what makes our region vibrant – and we are always here for our graduates as they take that education out into the world.
Congratulations again, and see you the new year!

Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D.
President