Spring 2019 Volume 7 Issue 2
MAY 6-10, 2019 INSIDE: > COTC Explores Offering Nation’s Only Two-Year Ceramic Technology Degree > Adena Partners with Pickaway-Ross OTC to Address Medical Assistant Shortage > When the Rubber Meets the Road - How Our Roadways Impact Distracted Driving > Wright State’s Annual Campus Scholarship & Innovation Campaign Impacts Students > New Cleveland State Program Creates Degree Pathway for International Students > A Statewide Celebration of Ohio’s In-Demand Jobs, Skills, and Industries
Photo: Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
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3 A Message from Chancellor Randy Gardner RED BORDERS Spring is always an exciting time for Ohio’s colleges, universities, and career technical centers, as students get ready for graduation and look ahead to the next step on their career path. In this issue of ConnectED, we’ll look at some of the innovative ways Ohio schools are ensuring that their students are more than ready to be valuable members of the workforce. An ever-evolving health care industry means the demand for medical professionals continues to grow. Pickaway-Ross’ OTC and Adena address that demand through a collaborative effort to bring trained workers to an area where they’re greatly needed. A new partnership at Cleveland State University will bolster the regional economy by providing international students with the opportunity to receive an education in Ohio and turn that knowledge into jobs with local employers. May in Ohio means the observance of the annual In-Demand Jobs Week, where hundreds of events across the state will inspire excitement and awareness among students, job seekers, and employers looking to fill jobs in many in-demand fields. I’m eager to attend several of these events and to learn more about how our campuses and businesses are staying ConnectED to each other and working together to make a stronger state.
COTC Explores Offering Nation’s Only Two-Year Ceramic Technology Degree Central Ohio Technical College partners with the Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation and The American Ceramic Society
Adena Partners with Pickaway-Ross OTC to Address Medical Assistant Shortage PRCTC to offer a six-month program to Adena employees who wish to advance their careers by earning an Medical Assistant certification
New Cleveland State Program Creates Degree Pathway for International Students Partnership with Shorelight Education to significantly benefit Northeast Ohio workforce
When the Rubber Meets the Road - How Our Roadways Impact Distracted Driving April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month - and there’s no better time to be talking about this epidemic
Wright State’s Annual Campus Scholarship & Innovation Campaign Impacts Students Since 1978, the Wright State University community has invested in students through the annual CSIC campaign
A Statewide Celebration of Ohio’s In-Demand Jobs, Skills, and Industries This May 6-10 marks the start of the weeklong, locally led celebration of the jobs, skills, and industries that are in high demand in Ohio
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COTC Explores Offering Nation's Only Two-Year Ceramic Technology Degree Opportunities in the field of ceramic engineering technology have taken a significant step forward with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Central Ohio Technical College (COTC), the Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation and The American Ceramic Society (ACerS). Through the MOU signing, the entities have agreed to work together to launch at COTC the only two-year ceramic engineering technology degree program in the nation. The proposed program, which includes the creation of a Ceramic Learning Lab at the COTC Newark campus, will provide students an economical path to a technical career as well as provide skilled workers for the ceramic and materials processing and product industries. "COTC is extremely excited to collaborate with two such prominent and influential partners in the ceramic industry," said Berry. "We are looking forward to working together to create innovative educational pathways in this field for our students and to meet this industry's demand for highly skilled workers." The unique properties and heat resistance of ceramic
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materials have many applications in this modern high-tech industry and require complex skills to help create new solutions for industry and manufacturing. The proposed program would blend classroom and laboratory experiences, giving graduates an understanding of ceramic material properties, processing, and applications, including manufacturing and quality assurance. For further information about the proposed program, contact Whit Tussing, COTC program director for engineering technology, at tussing.l9@cotc.edu. "Besides creating the only two-year ceramic technology degree in the nation, the team of Orton, the ACerS and COTC, and their close alignment with industry partners, represents the best in public-private partnerships," said Lawson. "We have performed two industry surveys validating the demand for graduates, who will have career opportunities in a range of jobs, including research, product development, production, purchasing, and quality. The team will also raise scholarships to allow for a diversity of students to participate.
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Front row, left to right: ACerS Executive Director Mark Mecklenborg, COTC President John M. Berry, Ph.D., and Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation General Manager Mark Lawson. Back row, left to right: ACerS Bulletin Editor Eileen De Guire; ACerS Development Director Marcus J. Fish; COTC Vice President for Workforce Development, Community Affairs, Extended Campuses, and The Gateway Vicki Maple; COTC Vice President for Academic Affairs Lauri White, Ed.D.; COTC Program Director for Engineering Technology Whit Tussing. "The American Ceramic Society was founded to serve the needs of the ceramic manufacturing industry," said Mark Mecklenborg, ACerS executive director. "We welcome the opportunity to continue to meet the evolving needs of industry and to introduce a new generation workforce to the rewards of working with these unique materials." The Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation and the ACerS have nearly 250 years of combined experience providing services to the ceramic industry, education, and the arts.
The proposed program, which includes the creation of a Ceramic Learning Lab at the COTC Newark campus, will provide students an economical path to a technical career as well as provide skilled workers for the ceramic and materials processing and product industries.
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ADENA PARTNERS WITH PICKAWAY-ROSS OTC TO ADDRESS MEDICAL ASSISTANT SHORTAGE
As the health care industry continues to evolve, and the baby boomer population gets older, the demand for medical professionals has steadily increased. The result in many areas is a national shortage of trained medical personnel. One area where workers are in demand is the medical assistant (MA) field, where thousands of trained workers are needed.
of qualified MAs to fill openings in many of its outpatient clinics. To help address the shortage of MAs in the region, Adena Health System and Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center’s Ohio Technical Center (PRCTC) partnered to offer a six-month program to Adena employees who wished to advance their careers by earning an MA certification.
Medical assistants are often the first caregiver a patient encounters on their way from the waiting room to an examination room. These health care professionals are cross-trained to perform administrative and clinical duties, such as assisting physicians during a patient examination, taking patient vital signs, entering and updating patient records, scheduling appointments, and much more.
Mary Richards, 39, and Starr Patrick, 42, were each working at Adena as patient access representatives (registrars) when they heard about the MA education program.
Adena, like many health care operations, has been challenged to find a substantial number
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“I’ve always had an interest in medicine, but never thought I could do it - especially at this age,” Richards said. “Between raising kids, working, and life in general, I thought I would never have the time to go back to school. With some encouragement from my family, co-workers, and my boss, I decided to go for it.”
7 “I’ve always wanted to take care of people,” said Patrick, whose background already included nursing school. “When this program opened up, I told myself I was going to give school one last try. This class was better for me than others I have taken because it allowed me to not only learn, but I got a high-quality, hands-on experience in a small classroom setting, which made it easy to ask questions and get answers.” The MA program was customized by PRCTC and offered free of charge through the Learning and Organizational Development Department to help employees who are looking to further their education and expand their skills. Both Richards and Patrick agreed that not having to pay a penny out of pocket was a great motivator in registering, and was a huge benefit of being an Adena employee. Classes were offered in the evenings on the campus of Adena Regional Medical Center, making it easy and convenient to balance the women’s daily job duties and classes. “I always put my education on the back burner because I wanted to have the finances to support my children’s education first,” Richards said. “This gave me the opportunity to do something for myself, and do what I wanted to do.” Richards and Patrick are now both working at Adena as fulltime MAs. They each say they are more financially successful than they had been in their pre-
vious roles. They are also enjoying every minute of their new jobs, and seeing a positive change in their personal lives as well. “I feel so rewarded,” said Patrick. “It is so nice to be on a consistent schedule, and for once in my life, I thoroughly enjoy what I am doing. Working with the providers has been a great experience so far, and I’m excited to continue this journey.” Richards added, “I am proud to show my children that no matter your age you can achieve your dreams. I am a prime example that you are never too old to reach for the stars. If you apply yourself and work hard, you can do anything.” Located in southern Ohio and serving their namesake counties and surrounding communities, Pickaway-Ross’ OTC served 557 students with 249,044 hours of training in 2017-18. PRCTC also served an additional 3,361 individuals through a variety of business and industry training and assessment services.
“I ALWAYS PUT MY EDUCATION ON THE BACK BURNER BECAUSE I WANTED TO HAVE THE FINANCES TO SUPPORT MY CHILDREN’S EDUCATION FIRST. THIS GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING FOR MYSELF, AND DO WHAT I WANTED TO DO.”
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New Cleveland State Program Creates Degree Pathway for International Students Partnership with Shorelight Education to significantly benefit Northeast Ohio workforce Cleveland State University (CSU) and Shorelight Education today announced the launch of a new strategic partnership that will provide international students with the opportunity to receive a transformative CSU education and bolster Cleveland’s growing regional economy and highly skilled workforce.
CSU President Harlan Sands and Shorelight Education EVP and Co-founder, Basil Cleveland
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9 Shorelight’s signature undergraduate and graduate support programs will help CSU recruit and retain top international students from across the world and ensure their success as they progress through graduation. The collaboration between Shorelight and CSU will allow more international students to access CSU’s robust undergraduate and graduate programs; the university features 10 colleges and more than 175 academic programs. As a core component of the partnership, Shorelight and CSU will work collaboratively with the City of Cleveland and local businesses to build a strategic workforce pipeline that will connect qualified international students who complete their studies at CSU with companies eager to employ highly skilled and talented students in Northeast Ohio. As part of the new three-pronged relationship, CSU will serve as the academic provider – delivering high-quality undergraduate and advanced degree programs in a number of fields, and featuring thousands of experiential learning opportunities. As the operational and programmatic provider, Shorelight will deliver technology-enabled services and resources to help engage and support international students throughout the application, enrollment, and academic experience. Finally, the City of Cleveland will help connect talented, globally-minded international graduates with employment opportunities in the Cleveland area in their chosen field to support the local economy.
“Cleveland State has long been an anchor for the city of Cleveland, helping to promote educational and economic growth for our community,” said Cleveland State University President Harlan Sands. “This unique partnership with Shorelight Education will expand that mission and establish CSU as a beacon institution for students from around the world, bringing an even richer diversity of viewpoints and experiences into our classrooms, communities, and places of work.” “Working with CSU and the City of Cleveland, we are presented with the truly unique opportunity to create a groundbreaking initiative that benefits the entire campus community—current students, international students, the university itself, and the local Cleveland economy,” said Shorelight CEO Tom Dretler. “Our team is thrilled to use our global reach and experience to further expose CSU and the City of Cleveland to the world, and ensure that international students are supported and successful throughout their academic and professional journeys.” The relationship will leverage Shorelight’s reach and experience serving international students to complement CSU’s Engaged Learning approach, which emphasizes experiential and practical learning leading to tangible post-graduation outcomes. By introducing international students to a one-of-a-kind academic track that will ultimately place qualified students into workforce opportunities in and around Northeast Ohio, this strategic partnership will directly connect companies in need of talent to fully prepared students who have successfully completed targeted, industry-aligned programs at CSU. The programs will officially begin in the fall of 2019.
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When the Rubber Meets the Road –
How Our Roadways Impact Distracted Driving Distracted Driving Awareness Month was observed in April - and there’s no better time to be talking about this epidemic. Every day in the U.S., approximately nine people are killed and more than 100 injured in distracted driving crashes caused by cell phones, dashboard touchscreens, voice commands, and other invehicle technologies that pose a threat to safety, according to the National Safety Council. The Risk Institute at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business is working to bring those numbers down. The Risk Institute is a collaboration of companies and researchers that work to understand and develop effective risk management strategies. The institute helps organizations understand and manage risk from legal, operational, strategic, and financial perspectives, among others. “Efforts to reduce distracted driving must include solutions that go beyond new laws,” said Risk Institute Executive Director Phil Renaud. “We believe that solution lies at the intersection of our unique, four-pillar approach: behavior, technology, urban planning, and legislation. Only then can we reduce crashes and save lives.” To meet that need, a recent study from The Risk Institute reveals the important impact that modifying road design can have on reducing the frequency and severity of distracted driving crashes. Key findings include: •
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Distracted driving-related crashes account for approximately 8 percent of overall Ohio crash fatalities and 6 percent of Ohio serious injuries. Distracted driving crashes are five to 10 times more likely to be fatal. Distracted driving-related crashes are up to 49 percent more severe when they occur on a highway system.
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The risk of vehicle crashes due to distracted driving is found to be highest in the Columbus area. Roundabouts were found to be the single most effective road design in reducing the rate of crashes and crash severity. Overall, within the data (2013-2017) there were no fatal crashes within roundabouts.
Ohio State University city and regional planning researchers Zhenhua Chen, assistant professor, and Youngbin Lym, his Ph.D. student, found a 35 percent increase in distracted driver fatalities in Ohio and a 23 percent increase in serious injuries for the period 2003-2013. Additionally, distracted driving crashes were more severe in some road environments, such as work zones, where they were up to two times more likely to be fatal. This research found that urbanized areas such as Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati had a much higher risk of vehicle crashes than other regions in Ohio. Even the length of a roadway segment or number of lanes had an impact on the frequency of distracted driving crashes. On the other hand, roundabouts had a significant effect on reducing the severity of distracted driving-related crashes. Other road environments that have a median or a shoulder with an asphalt pavement were also found to have fewer distracted driving crashes. Awareness has grown around drunk driving, smoking, and wearing seatbelts - and now it’s time for the conversation to change around distracted driving. It’s up to everyone to help pump the brakes on this issue. To learn more about The Risk Institute and its research, visit https://fisher.osu.edu/centerspartnerships/risk-institute.
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Ohio State's Zhenhua Chen, assistant professor in City and Regional Planning at the Knowlton School of Architecture.
About the Risk Institute The Risk Institute at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business is a collection of forward-thinking companies and academics that provide effective risk management strategies to not only protect firms, but position firms to create growth and value. The Risk Institute helps members consider risk from all perspectives: legal, operational, strategic, reputational, talent, financial, and many more. The Risk Institute operates at a unique intersection between faculty, students, and professionals from a broad cross-section of industries. With a leading-edge approach to risk management, The Risk Institute creates a unique exchange for risk-centered conversations, ideas, and strategies that can't happen anywhere else.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will be releasing a final report from the Ohio Distracted Driving Task Force soon.
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WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY’S ANNUAL CAMPUS SCHOLARSHIP AND INNOVATION CAMPAIGN (CSIC) CONTINUES TO IMPACT STUDENTS Since 1978, Wright State University’s faculty, staff, and retirees have invested in students through the annual Campus Scholarship and Innovation Campaign (CSIC). That long legacy of giving continues with this year’s CSIC, which launched April 1. The theme of the 2019 campaign is “For Our Students.” “Our faculty, staff and retirees have made Wright State the great university that it is today,” said Amy Jones, director of annual giving. “Their incredible generosity has left a lasting impact on our students. We’re counting on our Wright State family to step up once again and help support our students during this year’s CSIC.” Like any previous CSIC, faculty, staff, and retirees may choose among Wright State’s more than 1,900 scholarships and programs when designating their gifts. “One hundred percent of their donations will go directly to the funds that they choose,” said Jones. “No administrative fees are ever taken out of their gifts.” During last year’s CSIC, 49 percent of Wright State’s full-time faculty and staff participated, contributing nearly $475,000 to scholarships, programs, research, and athletics. For the 2019 campaign, the goal is 50 percent participation among full-time faculty and staff.
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For the second year in a row, CSIC donors will be recognized as members of The Flight Crew. “This is our way of honoring faculty and staff for their support of Wright State University and our students,” Jones said. “Last year, we welcomed 945 members to our inaugural class.” As a token of appreciation, each member of The Flight Crew receives a lapel pin. “They can proudly wear their wings and show the world that they are helping our students soar,” said Jones. To learn more about the 2019 Campus Scholarship and Innovation Campaign or to make a gift online, visit wright.edu/csic.
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In-Demand Jobs Week: The Statewide Celebration of Ohio’s In-Demand Jobs, Skills, and Industries This May 6-10 marks the start of the weeklong, locally led celebration of the jobs, skills, and industries that are in high demand in Ohio called In-Demand Jobs Week. Ohio has more than 270,000 job postings that are considered “in-demand,” in fields ranging from engineering and graphic design to accounting and physical therapy. Although Ohio has an abundance of in-demand jobs, more than 60 percent of which pay in excess of $50,000 per year, few Ohioans know those opportunities exist locally. In-Demand Jobs Week inspires students and job seekers to become excited about opportunities in Ohio. Over the past several months, business, education, and community leaders have partnered and planned career-exposure events and activities in their communities. Currently, there are more than 300 events planned across Ohio. “The purpose of in-demand jobs week is to highlight the great careers available in Ohio and how to get the education and training you need to get started,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “Businesses need talent, and if you have the right kind of skills and training, it can lead to rewarding career. We want to help Ohioans, young and old, build the skills they need to earn more and support a good quality of life for themselves and their families.”
To learn more about events in your area, visit the In-Demand Jobs Week website at http://omj.ohio.gov/indemandjobsweek.
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15 Photo: The University of Toledo
A special thank you to all of those who contributed stories and articles: COTC Explores Offering Nation’s Only Two-Year Ceramic Technology Degree Eileen De Guire The American Ceramic Society
Adena Partners with Pickaway-Ross’ OTC to Address Medical Assistant Shortage Bill Bussey Ohio Technical Centers
New Cleveland State Program Creates Degree Pathway for International Students William Dube
Cleveland State University
When the Rubber Meets the Road - How Our Roadways Impact Distracted Driving Mary Stankiewicz Belle Communication
Wright State’s Annual Campus Scholarship & Innovation Campaign Impacts Students Kim Patton Wright State University
A Statewide Celebration of Ohio’s In-Demand Jobs, Skills, and Industries Julia Poling Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation
Thank you for reading ConnectED. We appreciate any suggestions or ideas to improve this newsletter. We welcome story ideas, links to articles of interest, and news releases. Please send story ideas to Jeff Robinson at jrobinson@highered.ohio.gov.
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