President's Blog

Commencement Season: A Time for Aspiration

In many ways, this is my favorite time of year. I’m filled with excitement and pride for all that our students have accomplished. Whether they’re gearing up for their next educational adventure or starting their careers, it’s a joy to see graduates celebrate their achievements alongside their loved ones and our faculty. Commencement season is also a time of reflection, especially for me as I mark my second anniversary as president of Owens Community College. As I look back at all that we have accomplished together, I am equally delighted to look ahead to our plans for the future.

This year has been a turning point for us. We’ve welcomed new leaders who are building on our past successes by bringing new perspectives and ideas to elevate the student experience. We’ve also sought out external consultants who bring specialized expertise and the latest techniques and tools to augment internal expertise and help us reach – and exceed – our goals.

Together with our faculty, staff, and community, we’ve created a forward-thinking strategic plan that positions Owens as a leader in northwest Ohio. I am so grateful to all of you who participated for being such an important part of our strategic planning process over this past year.

When I reflect on our past two years, what stands out most to me are the strategic investments we’ve made that prioritize the needs of our students, faculty, and staff as well as this region, business and industry.

Our academic programs are constantly evolving to stay relevant, and our program accreditations continue to be successful. Nearly 1,900 students have earned their associate degrees from Owens over the past two years and are now members of our alumni community of more than 43,000.

We’ve centralized our services and resources for students with the renovation of College Hall, and our partnerships with local businesses have allowed us to remain an indispensable partner to the community. We now have various levels of involvement with hundreds of organizations throughout our service district.

Our Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics is a perfect example of those efforts. The Center, made possible through funding from the State of Ohio, is a partnership between Owens, Bowling Green State University, the University of Findlay and multiple industry partners. Last year we signed our operating agreement and hired our first executive director, and we are excited to see the Center moving forward.

We’ve also worked hard to build relationships with lawmakers at all levels of government, and invested in a comprehensive government relations strategy. Since June 2021, we’ve had 70 touchpoints with our legislators, locally, in Columbus and in Washington, D.C.

One of my top priorities has been to lead with integrity and to keep our community informed and engaged through open communication channels. To that end, we introduced the College Forum and Open Office Hours on campus, as well as this blog and our Conversations podcast for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and stakeholders throughout this region.

I believe these efforts have contributed to our strong foundation as we look to the bright future of Owens. I feel positive about our enrollment as we finish a strong year, and am optimistic as we look toward the upcoming semesters.

Later this summer we will break ground on a $32 million renovation to our School of Nursing and Health Professions. Our new space will allow for enrollment growth, double our lab space, and ensure our students are working on state-of-the-art equipment in an interdisciplinary professional education setting that will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes.

This fall we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of our Findlay-area Campus and will learn the results of our Toledo Task Force and Feasibility Study. The study is a team effort, as we are working with an external advisory board, the City of Toledo, JobsOhio and Trellis Company to consider a physical presence in Toledo.

These initiatives align with the strategic plan that will move us forward together over the next five years. The plan’s framework is complete, and is based on six strategic objectives:

• Building a community of belonging
• Expanding our partnerships
• Developing an agile framework
• Deepening employee engagement
• Ensuring a sustainable organization
• Telling our story

We are building out the operational plan to support those pillars in the coming months.

I have such a sense of pride working at an institution that has allowed me to collaborate with award-winning faculty and high-achieving students, experience athletic championships, and witness the impact that Owens has on our community.

We have been sharing that impact through this blog and will continue to do so, although on a different schedule. To better streamline our communications and align with our academic year, moving forward our President’s Blog will be issued tri-annually in September, January and May.

I’m confident that by honoring our past successes, we are preparing for an exciting future. I am already looking forward to our next academic year. Until then, thank you for your support and readership, and have a wonderful summer!

Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D.
President