President's Blog

Celebrate Community College Month with My New Podcast

This and every April, we’re honored to recognize not only Owens but all the nation’s community colleges. As institutions of opportunity, we have the power to help transform the economic trajectory of millions of students across the country. We contribute to vibrant regional economies and thriving communities.

Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner has a bird’s-eye view of what our state’s community colleges are accomplishing for our students and regions as a whole. A former schoolteacher, Chancellor Gardner was appointed by Governor Mike DeWine in January 2019 after a long career as a legislator whose districts always included Owens. Beyond that, he also has some personal ties to the Express community — both his wife, Sandy, and his son, Brooks, are Owens graduates.

That makes Chancellor Gardner the perfect first guest for my new podcast. Our in-depth conversation started with his Owens connections, not only personally but also as a leader who oversees Ohio’s 23 community colleges, as well as 112 other campuses and institutions across the Buckeye State.

The Chancellor shared his son’s experience as an example of the value of community college. Brooks Gardner finished high school knowing he wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance, so he first completed an associate degree at Owens before transferring to Bowling Green State University and graduating into a career in Toledo.

“The credits matched up perfectly,” Chancellor Gardner recalled, “As a state rep and state senator, I always viewed Owens as an important economic development and education leader in the region.” It’s no wonder, as his own family is proof of that!

From there, our discussion turned to the economic power of community colleges — most notably, our role in the recent decision by Intel to locate its new semiconductor production facility in central Ohio. “It’s really an exciting time in Ohio,” he said. “Any CEO who’s thinking about expanding in the greater Midwest has to at least make the phone call to Ohio.”

Chancellor Gardner pointed to how Ohio educational institutions’ shared commitment to partnerships uplift the state and its diverse regions. “We work together to utilize each other’s strengths,” he explained, noting that Owens has been a leader on that front, with our numerous transfer articulation agreements and the new Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics currently being explored. “We have community colleges and adult career centers and even private training centers that are all a part of making sure that we meet that workforce need,” so major companies like Intel can find exactly the workers they need locally.

We also talked about a number of new programs the state has launched to help students, especially those returning learners, come back to campus in ways that make sense for their particular finances, families and career goals. “Our businesses will not be as strong if we don’t have that kind of continual upskilling of our workforce, and community colleges are right in the forefront of that,” Chancellor Gardner said.

All in all, our conversation has something of interest for everyone — and I hope you’ll take a listen.

Share your thoughts with me at president@owens.edu and stay tuned for our next episode.

Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D.
President