President's Blog

Greeting 2022 with big milestones and new partnerships

When I joined Owens as president last June, one of my first priorities was to learn what our students, faculty, staff and partners need most from this institution. Since then, every day has been a joy and a privilege working to address our collective needs, exceed expectations, and together, make this College a hub of education, training and opportunity for northwest Ohio.

Listening Sessions

In our conversations, the values of the Owens community came through loud and clear. Our strengths and opportunities remain – and will continue to be – rooted in our people. From student and faculty connections to the transfer agreements and employer partnerships we maintain with local institutions, relationships are at the heart of what makes Owens a driver of student success and economic growth.

And for our faculty and staff, we continue to seek ways to expand communication and engagement and demonstrate appreciation for all you do to support our students. We recognize your dedication and see your commitment.

Above all, these listening sessions affirmed, reinforced and amplified the points that participants raised – both college-wide concerns and shared praise. People across the board remain incredibly passionate about our mission and our community, and it’s clear that the Owens experience is an overwhelmingly positive one.

College Forum

At some of the listening sessions, we discussed the concept of a College Forum, a monthly opportunity to assure communication, engagement and inclusion among the College’s senior leadership, faculty and staff. Agendas will include substantive college matters – like strategic enrollment management, planning and capital requests – as well as informational items to help assure transparency and involvement​ throughout our institution. After additional vetting last semester, we are launching the College Forum in February. I encourage all members of the College community to look for more information in future editions of ONews.​

Equity and Inclusion

Following the development and adoption of our Equity Statement by the Board of Trustees on February 2, 2021, Owens engaged the Bowling Green State University Equity Consulting Team to conduct an Equity Audit of our college. The report stated key recommendations​ to engender a more inclusive college environment for both students and employees. From human resources strategies to updated fundraising, sustainability and communications models to a more accessible campus, the actions we take based on these findings will help make Owens a more inclusive place for all. To assure continued progress, we are creating the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force, an ad hoc team charged with developing an Inclusion Strategic Plan for Owens. The Task Force’s work will begin this semester and continue to align with and help guide the College’s overall strategic planning efforts to begin in Fall Semester 2022.

Community Outreach and Partnerships

Our 2021 Fall Semester was perhaps defined more than anything by our community outreach and the partnerships we strengthened along the way. The launch of the new Dana Incorporated Advanced Manufacturing Training Center generated many of these, as did our MOU with the University of Findlay and Bowling Green State University to explore the creation of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics.

In addition, we are now officially part of the Amazon Career Choice program, meaning that Owens is now a sanctioned educational provider for full-time associates and staff taking our courses for credit. Additionally, Owens has placed significant effort to engage business and industry independently and through partners such as JobsOhio. We’re excited to create more career pathways for our students going forward.

We have also been actively engaging our K-12 partners by meeting with several area superintendents. As part of deepening our partnership with Toledo Public Schools, we’ve continued to expand our relationship with the Toledo Technology Academy to offer certificates and even an associate degree in design and technical studies. We have also been meeting with the Toledo Pre-Medical and Health Science Academy and are working to align our avionics program. Many of these offerings are made possible through College Credit Plus, assuring that high school students are able to earn college credit for college coursework while in high school, putting them on a quicker – and more affordable – path to higher education, career and the workforce.

All of our efforts outlined above speak directly to Owens’ commitment to support and help drive economic development throughout our region and the state, providing opportunities and streamlined pathways for individuals to launch their careers and for employers to hire and retain talent.

Fundraising, Gifts, Grants and Capital Planning

Earlier this month, we welcomed Dr. Melissa Starace​ as the Interim Executive Director​ of the Owens Community College Foundation. Dr. Starace’s expertise and background will be instrumental as we assess our needs in advancement and chart our path forward.​ We celebrated a strong year in annual giving, with alumni contributing a record $290,875. Employee giving also increased to 34 percent in 2021, and our employees gave $55,775. Our signature fundraising event, the Owens Community College Foundation Golf Classic raised $71,509 and the Dana Center capital campaign reached $1.8 million. To end the calendar year, we were honored to accept an $80,000 gift from Frankel Dentistry to name our Dental Hygiene Lab.

In addition to our philanthropic efforts, Owens is the proud recipient of several major grants:

• A $232,050 TRIO EOC grant will provide services for low-income students​.
• A $102,839 RAPIDS grant will be used for equipment to train in CNC machining, process controls and welding technology​.
• A $102,800 campus safety grant will be used to install a remote locking system on the Center for Performing Arts​.
• A $95,000 Gates Foundation grant will be used for our Fast Track program​.
• A $186,966 Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) grant will allow students to complete short-term certificates in business, health, skilled trades, manufacturing and pre-apprenticeships.
• $278,100 in Choose Ohio First scholarships will go to first-year students enrolled in STEM programs.
• $100,000 from ODHE will support advanced manufacturing on the Findlay campus.

Looking ahead, our capital requests have taken shape into a six-year proposal to support renovations, notably for the School of Nursing and Health Professions​, Alumni Hall​, and the Findlay-area campus, as well as in the health and transportation technologies departments and the Center for Emergency Preparedness (CEP).

Strategic Enrollment Management Plan

We are proud to have completed Owens’ first Strategic Enrollment Management Plan this summer and presented to the Board of Trustees at the meeting on October 5, 2021.  Strategies and tactics from this plan began being implemented in Spring Semester 2021 and will continue through 2023. The plan will be shared with the broader College community at the College Forum in February and at the Center for Teaching Innovation in March. The Plan focuses on the 3 Rs – recruitment, retention and revenue – and aims to increase our targeted student population while improving retention and completion​.

Findlay-area Campus

There’s no question our Findlay-area campus has deserved greater attention, and my 2021 listening sessions reinforced that knowledge. That’s why we launched the Owens-Findlay Task Force, charged with submitting a proposal for the Findlay-area Campus that includes a discussion of recommended academic programs, enrollment projections, a cost-benefit analysis and a discussion of relevant data and other supporting information. The task force submitted their report prior to the holiday break and their recommendations are being analyzed. We look forward to sharing next steps with the College and community.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead to the rest of 2022 and beyond, I remain excited about where Owens is heading. From continued engagement with partners and the community to seeing the completion of several meaningful College-wide task forces, we as an institution are thriving. I am honored to have been appointed to area boards including the Regional Growth Partnership, Raise the Bar Hancock County and the Toledo Museum of Art. I look forward to my continued participation with these organizations! As we begin to look to finalize the work we began in this academic year, we also must look ahead to the next where we will begin our new strategic planning process and continue to strengthen and grow our partnerships. We will also launch the Owens-Toledo Task Force to recommend a physical presence in the City of Toledo, meeting the needs of students and strengthening our presence in Lucas County.

As always, we value your input! Like I said, our biggest strength as a college is the people who make Owens a community.

Happy New Year!

Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D.
President