ADVANCE FUTURES, TRANSFORM THE REGION. 2018-2023 STRATEGIC PLAN
CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION
Cherelda 2
Success is contagious. Just ask Cherelda Bell. The mother of three spent six years working toward commencement at Tri-C. She studied nights, weekends … whenever she found a free moment. And as Bell pushed herself to achieve academically, she watched her young daughters do the same. “Tri-C didn’t just help me,” the 34-year-old Clevelander said. “It helped my whole family.” Bell graduated in May 2018 with two degrees — an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing and an Associate of Arts. She will enroll at Cleveland State University through the RN-to-BSN program between Tri-C and CSU. That future once seemed unattainable. Bell struggled in her first attempt at college, failing more classes than she passed. She left school and entered the workforce to support her first child. As the years quickly passed, Bell saw little prospect of career advancement, higher earnings or a better future. To change that, she chose to return to Tri-C. “I owed it to myself, to my daughters, to give it another try,” she said. Bell rebuilt her GPA and gradually increased her course load, enrolling full time after a 2015 layoff. Wraparound student support resources made possible by the Tri-C Foundation taught Bell how to make the most of her second chance. She involved herself on campus, too, participating in student government and Black American Council. Multiple scholarships followed, and Bell was selected as a Mandel Scholar and Eastern Campus Student of the Year. As she poured herself into her studies, her daughters followed her example. Homework sessions became a family affair. Academics turned into a household priority. Success became the norm. “I didn’t do all of this just for myself,” Bell said. “Being a mother means being a role model. I’m developing my girls. I wanted them to see what is possible if you keep working and moving forward.”
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
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Cuyahoga Community College Foundation Mission: To provide resources for advancing student success at Cuyahoga Community College and to transform the lives of those Tri-C serves.
Student success is on the rise at Tri-C. Your support for scholarships and life-changing student programs through the Tri-C Foundation is key to that growth. With 50,000 students each year, high-quality associate degree and workforce programs and the lowest tuition in Ohio, Tri-C is a driving force for the economic prosperity and future of our region. Your support for student success through the Tri-C Foundation is an investment toward a thriving Northeast Ohio now and for years to come. To ensure maximum impact, the Tri-C Foundation embarked upon a comprehensive planning process to form the strategies of a five-year plan, culminating with the 50th anniversary of the Tri-C Foundation in 2023. The resulting strategies bring a focus to our work, emphasizing the need to double down on our efforts to support degree and credential attainment and workforce development in high-demand fields. Advance Futures, Transform The Region is a roadmap to ensure a robust return on your investment in student success through the Tri-C Foundation. Tri-C and the Tri-C Foundation play a vital role in addressing poverty, educational inequity and the burgeoning skills gap in our community. This plan affirms that there is no more important organization than Tri-C to uplift individuals and create economic growth for Northeast Ohio. An investment in the Tri-C Foundation is much more than an investment in our students — it is an investment in our region. Thank you for helping Tri-C remain the place where futures begin.
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Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
Tri-C is a beacon of hope for Cleveland. Your support for the Tri-C Foundation helps advance futures and transform the region. Your investment helps address our region’s most pressing issues.
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Skills gap. Only 54% of adults have the required education or skills to meet 2020 workforce demand. Tri-C is the largest workforce training organization in our region. Linking more people to a Tri-C education reduces the skills gap.
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High-demand fields. Key occupations in our region, like health care, IT and manufacturing, offer strong wages, but lack qualified workers. Increased funding for Tri-C’s Centers of Excellence ensures a stronger pipeline of qualified workers for these fields.
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College readiness. 62% of CMSD students entering Tri-C are not college-ready and require remediation courses at the college level. Investments enable Tri-C to expand its college preparatory work within and across CMSD, and to provide wraparound services while at Tri-C to aid in their success.
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Non-traditional student needs. 75% of incoming Tri-C students do not come directly from high school and are juggling families, job and college. The Tri-C Foundation ensures that support services are available to these students including veterans, first-generation college students and students of color.
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College costs. The average student loan debt for a college graduate is $37,000. Tri-C offers the lowest tuition per credit hour in the state of Ohio. Scholarships enable students with great financial need to access the power and value of a high-quality Tri-C education.
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Poverty. 49% of Tri-C’s student population is eligible for the Pell Grant, indicating high economic need. Students earning degrees and credentials from Tri-C can move themselves and their families from poverty to prosperity.
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
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Thomas 6
Thomas Matheis wanted to launch into a career in film. When Thomas Matheis graduated from high school, he wanted to continue his education at an institution that could launch him into a career in film production. He chose the Media Arts and Filmmaking program at Tri-C because he felt it offered the most “hands-on” experience in the area. His successful high school career qualified the Eagle Scout for an Honors Program Fellowship at Tri-C, which included a full scholarship, made possible through support of the Tri-C Foundation. He also credits Lee Will, Student Production Office program manager, for her guidance and mentorship. “My professors made a huge impact on my life and my career and recommended that I apply to work in the Student Production Office, where I had the opportunity to use high-end camera and lighting equipment and learn the technical skills I need for my career.” Matheis graduated from Tri-C last year with an Associate of Applied Business degree in Media Arts and Filmmaking and attended Tri-C’s Intensive Film Crew Training Workshop. The young filmmaker now works regularly in the film industry, moving toward his goal of becoming a cinematographer. “I’m taking any job that comes my way,” he said. “Since graduating, I’ve worked on Acts of Violence, starring Bruce Willis, Escape Plan 3, with Sylvester Stallone and Dave Bautista, on Native Son, The Last Summer and Them that Follow. Recently, I have worked on Moondance and Year of the Beetle. It was just announced that Native Son and Them That Follow will be premiering at Sundance.” Matheis credits Tri-C for the training he needed to work in a competitive industry. “Tri-C taught me the skill set and attitude I need to work on a film set,” he said. His advice for future students is straightforward: “Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.”
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
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Your support changes lives. Every year, more than 50,000 students take advantage of the educational opportunities that Tri-C provides. The College offers academic pathways that lead to a multitude of degree and certificate options to prepare students for many distinct career opportunities vital to the success of Northeast Ohio. More than 85% of Tri-C graduates continue to live and work in Northeast Ohio after completion, contributing to the vitality of the local economy. With the continued generous support of business partners, corporations, organizations, friends and alumni, the Tri-C Foundation provides critical scholarship support to many outstanding students with financial need and funding for program development and enhancement to ensure educational excellence.
Top 10 Student Majors of Scholarship Recipients
340
291
250
133
82
ASSOCIATE OF ARTS
NURSING AND PRE-NURSING
HEALTH CAREERS PROGRAMS
ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
80
61
51
100
50
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY
ENGINEERING
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
As Tri-C grows to become the single most important organization in the creation of greater economic prosperity in our region, the scope and impact of the Foundation’s work must grow exponentially. An investment in Tri-C is an investment in Northeast Ohio. 8
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
The Tri-C Foundation has established three strategic priorities to advance futures and transform the region.
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Student Experience: Improve attainment by increasing program funding to drive student success.
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Workforce including health care, IT and manufacturing: Ensure more students have the resources to enter and succeed in workforce training programs that lead to in-demand jobs in our region.
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Affordability: Increase access and reduce costs for students through scholarship support and cost efficiencies.
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
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Antonio 10
Antonio Bohanon appreciated Tri-C’s smaller class sizes. Antonio Bohanon never imagined himself designing wings for aircraft, but that’s what he does as a CNC programmer at NobleTek in Wooster. Nine years ago, Bohanon participated in Tri-C’s Youth Technology Academy, a one‑of‐a‑kind, STEM‐focused high school program that trains students for the technical workforce. There, he saw his passion for engineering and technology flourish. “It really set me up for where I’m at now,” he said. After graduating from high school in 2009, Bohanon decided to study electrical engineering at the University of Toledo. Three years in, his father passed away. With only one year left to graduation, he made the difficult decision to leave school. Back in Cleveland, Bohanon struggled for direction. His uncle, a CNC machinist, suggested that he look into Tri-C’s Precision Machining program. In September 2014, Bohanon enrolled in the 14-week Precision Machining Technology I program. His interest piqued, he enrolled in Precision Machining Technology II and III as well, earning certificates in each while working full time. Bohanon appreciated the accessibility of instructors and program staff at Tri-C. He was especially thankful for the wealth of hands-on learning opportunities, which suit his learning style better than typical classroom lectures. He was able to transfer many of his engineering courses from the University of Toledo and apply them toward an associate degree. These credits, combined with the certificates he earned from Tri‐C, left him needing only a few more courses to graduate. In December 2016, he received an associate degree in applied industrial technology. Bohanon’s position at NobleTek, secured with help from the College, allows him to meet with clients across the country and earn certifications in new, complex software. “I wouldn’t have received this opportunity or the attention of the company without the skills and help that Tri‐C gave me,” he said. Your support of the Tri-C Foundation provides countless students like Antonio with the support needed to learn marketable skills.
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
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GOALS AT A GLANCE
GOAL
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2010
2018
2023
Impact graduation numbers
2,380 certificates and degrees awarded annually
4,314 certificates and degrees awarded annually
6,000+ certificates and degrees awarded annually
Eliminate financial barriers for students
2,233 students awarded scholarships annually, totaling $1.6 million
2,737 students awarded scholarships annually, totaling $3.2 million
3,750 students awarded scholarships annually, totaling $4.4 million
Enhance Centers of Excellence
Not applicable
One Tri-C Center of Excellence with an endowed fund for programming and scholarships
All Tri-C Centers of Excellence with an endowed fund for programming and scholarships
Expand number of students earning workforce credentials
1,000 credentials awarded
16,000 credentials awarded
17,000 credentials awarded
Enhance experiential learning opportunities in high demand fields
1,000 student placements
6,100 student placements
8,000 student placements
Eliminate academic barriers for students
44% Fall to Fall student retention rate
47% Fall to Fall student retention rate
52% Fall to Fall student retention rate
Broaden alumni involvement
Not applicable
Establish alumni ambassador program
300 active alumni ambassadors, including a robust alumni council
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
Cuyahoga Community College Foundation | Advance Futures, Transform The Region.
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Agustin 14
Agustin Torres traveled a long road to discover what really matters in life. The native of Veracruz, Mexico, graduated from Tri-C in May 2018 with an Associate of Arts degree and will continue his education at Case Western Reserve University. It’s a long way from the future Torres envisioned when he moved to the U.S. more than 20 years ago. In 1996, he was a bartender at the Hard Rock Café in Cancun when the company transferred him to its Cleveland location. He planned to take full advantage of the opportunity. “I came to Cleveland, I worked to save money, and I was going to start my own bar and restaurant,” Torres said. “I had a vision of what success looked like — defined by material wealth — and that’s what I wanted.” He found co-owners willing to help finance his ambitions and by 2008 was operating a pair of restaurants in Lake County. It was the quintessential immigrant success story: come to America with little more than a dream and build a business from the bottom up. But there was trouble behind the scenes. “Long story short, I ended up in jail for a day, and I lost just about everything — including my car.” Torres said. He had a bicycle, though, so that’s how Torres started his long journey back. “My probation officer told me that Cuyahoga Community College had a GED program,” he said. “I never graduated from high school in Mexico, and I decided then that education would be the key to turning my life around.” Torres spent much of 2010 and 2011 pedaling though the streets of Lakewood to get to class. Released from probation upon completion of his GED, he enrolled full time at Tri-C, where he discovered a new passion: helping others who need a second chance. He was honored to be selected as a Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholar in 2017. “Tri-C opened up a new world for me,” he said. “I’ve grown as a person in ways I never imagined.” Financial gifts to the Tri-C Foundation provide support to students like Agustin, who are seeking a new path.
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Tri-C Foundation 2018-2019 Board of Directors
OFFICERS Trina M. Evans, Chairperson James B. Aronoff, Vice Chairperson Louis G. Joseph, Vice Chairperson Bernie Moreno, Vice Chairperson John E. Skory, Vice Chairperson Katherine T. O’Neill, Secretary Gregory J. Skoda, Treasurer DIRECTORS Christopher Bart Akram Boutros, M.D. Gail A. Bowen Robert P. Brandon Zack E. Bruell Whitt Butler Micki Byrnes Shelly Cayette Rick A. Chiricosta Paul Clark Delos M. Cosgrove, M.D. Jay Coury Steven J. Demetriou Joseph DiRocco David A. Doll Deborah V. Donley Adam Fishman
Wayne Foley Paul Fox Susan Fuehrer Aaron Grossman Chris Hyland Nicolette Jaworski Alex Johnson, Ph.D. Jason Jones Jim Keene Jerry L. Kelsheimer Douglas A. Kern Catherine M. Kilbane Fred L. Koury Kathy Krieger David Kuntz Virginia Lindseth, Ph.D. Gena C. Lovett Jay Lucarelli Kyle Merrill Karen Miller, Ph.D. Gloria Moosmann Tracy A. Oliver Jon J. Pinney, Esq. Andrew E. Randall Matt Reville Sean Richardson Kelly Ricker
Shelley Roth Daniel Saltzman James A. Strassman Rachel Y. Talton, D.M. Eddie Taylor Jr. Kevin S. Thomas Ted Tywang David W. Whitehead Vanessa L. Whiting, Esq. Lorna Wisham Margaret W. Wong, Esq. Thomas F. Zenty III Zdenko Zovkic Directors Emeriti: William M. Hegarty Jr. Marsha E. Hughes Richard A. Johnson Rena J. Olshansky Jerry Sue Thornton, Ph.D. Megan O’Bryan Vice President, Development and President, Tri-C Foundation
Cuyahoga Community College Office of Resource Development and Foundation 216-987-4868 | foundation@tri-c.edu | www.tri-c.edu/give
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