ConnectED | Winter 2024

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Winter 2024 Volume 12 Issue 1

EXPANDING THE FUTURE OF AERONAUTICS AND ENGINEERING Kent State's grand opening of the expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering building

INSIDE: > Kent State's grand opening of the expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering Building > $1.3 million grant and local money allows Mid-East to expand CDL training program > Ohioans can receive academic credit for credentials, experience > Edison, Franklin partnership provides education opportunities > UC, CPS partner to train high school students for pharmacy technician certification

Photo: The Ohio State University Mackenzie Shanklin

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A Message from Chancellor Mike Duffey

As Ohio’s 11th chancellor of higher education, I am pleased to share with you the first edition of ConnectED for 2024.

More and more often, the conversation in higher education is about the connection between workforce and postsecondary education. The creative ways our campuses engage in this effort deserve to be shared and celebrated. They run the gamut from highly organized cooperative education (co-op) and internship programs to innovative partnerships with local high schools.

In this issue, you’ll read about the University of Cincinnati collaborating with Cincinnati Public Schools to train high school students for pharmacy technician certifications. Next, a new partnership between Edison State Community College and Franklin University will allow students to pursue a four-year degree at a reduced cost.

A $1.3 million grant to the Mid-East Career and Technology Centers is helping to expand commercial truck driver training. Kent State University celebrated its Aeronautics and Engineering Building expansion. And a credit-forcredentials initiative – ITAGs – through the Department of Higher Education means you may already have earned college credit for your private sector experience.

Higher education is an important part of the American Dream for many Ohioans. Maximizing opportunity for every student requires these kinds of partnerships. When we collaborate, we truly are more ConnectED in our work.

IN THIS ISSUE: Expanding the future of aeronautics and engineering Kent State's grand opening of the expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering Building

$1.3 million grant and local money allows Mid-East to expand CDL training program Mid-East Career and Technology Centers Receives $1.3 Million Grant from Appalachian Regional Commission

Ohioans can receive academic credit for credentials, experience Initiatives provide a pathway to educational attainment and career advancement

Edison, Franklin partnership provides education opportunities Partnership Provides Edison State Students Reduced Tuition for Franklin University Online Courses

UC, CPS partner to train high school students for pharmacy technician certification Hands-on learning energizes students, prepares them for employment

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Expanding the future of Aeronautics and Engineering The grand opening of the new expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering Building adds much-needed space for the study of emerging technologies

By Julie Miller, Kent State Magazine

Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering (CAE) celebrated a milestone in October with the grand opening of the new building expansion, located on the southwest side of the Aeronautics and Engineering Building on the Kent Campus. Construction began in 2021 and was completed in time to receive a record number of new aeronautics and engineering students for the 2023 fall semester.

“Expansion was absolutely necessary,” says Christina Bloebaum, PhD, dean of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering. “The college is larger than ever.

We now have more than 1,280 students.”

University leadership, students, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, and special guests attended the opening event as part of Homecoming Weekend activities. More than 175 attendees participated in this special event, which included tours and student demonstrations.

The festivities began with a special space dedication and appreciation luncheon for representatives of the Timken Foundation of Canton, which contributed to this project. The building’s new Henry and Louise Timken Atrium was named in honor of the couple, who were pioneers in flight.

Henry and Louise Timken shared a fascination with aircraft and flying and were instrumental in establishing the Akron-Canton Airport. The couple owned several private aircraft, which they began purchasing in the 1930s.

Henry Timken was among the first to purchase a privately owned jet, and subsequently owned a Learjet, which emboldened Louise Timken to become the first woman in the United States to be type-rated to fly a Learjet. [A type rating is an additional certification on a license that qualifies pilots to operate a particular make and model of an aircraft.]

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Guests assemble in the Henry and Louise Timken Atrium for the grand opening of the new expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering Building. (Photo: Bob Christy, BS ’95, MA ’22)

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6 Louise Timken earned a pilot’s license in 1943 and was active in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. In 1965, she became the first woman to pilot her own private jet.

Kent State is proud to honor the Timken family's legacy in aviation through the many students whose futures will be forever brighter through the support of the Henry and Louise Timken Foundation of Canton.

Cutting-edge technology assists in the celebration During the atrium dedication, a drone unveiled the Henry and Louise Timken Atrium plaque on the second floor of the new expansion.

Small, autonomous aircraft such as delivery drones and sky taxis will place new demands on the national airspace and global economy. Within the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, Kent State’s new Center for Advanced Air Mobility—directed by Marla Pérez-Davis, PhD, former director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland—is at the forefront of this emerging technology.

The new Center for Advanced Air Mobility fosters research, education, and collaboration between faculty, staff, and students in the Kent State community and external partners in government, academia, and industry to address the transformative field of advanced air

A robot dog named Yimo brings President Diacon scissors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pictured left to right: Christina Bloebaum, PhD, dean of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering (at podium); President Todd Diacon; Louise Timken; Jeff Robinson, director of communications, Ohio Department of Higher Education; Shawn M. Riley, chair, Kent State Board of Trustees Photo: Andrea Hallgren Photography

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mobility. It enables companies to test their designs and capabilities in flight, gathers data to inform rulemaking and policy to govern this emerging industry, and teaches students the tools they need to shape and manage the future of air transportation—with a particular emphasis on sustainability and clean energy.

Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a robot dog named Yimo delivered a pair of scissors to KSU President Todd Diacon. Yimo is used in research conducted in the Cognitive Robotics and AI Lab in the Bot Bunker under the direction of Rui Liu, PhD. The lab conducts cuttingedge cognitive robotics research—designing the “mind” for robotic and AI systems for seamless cooperation with humans. Robot mind involves cognitive models based on AI algorithms and theories from cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience.

New spaces, new opportunities The building expansion adds more than 40,000 square feet to the existing building and features the Henry and Louise Timken Atrium, a space that will be used as a community collaboration space and to conduct unmanned aircraft research. The expansion includes adaptable classrooms and research labs as well as new areas for student engagement and hands-on learning.

Featured spaces include: Bot Bunker

The Bot Bunker in the new expansion to the Aeronautics and Engineering building contains the Robotics and Mechatronics Research lab, the largest single lab in the building. Photo: Phil Soencksen, BS ’89

The Bot Bunker is the foundation of automation for the College of Aeronautics and Engineering. The Robotics and Mechatronics Research Lab is the largest

7 single lab in the building and is designed to support researchers in mechatronics, robotics, and cognitive robotics. Humanoid robots, AI systems, and autonomous mechatronic systems for medical applications are only a few of the key areas supported by this lab.

Innovation Way labs are located in a shared corridor on the first floor, with views from the atrium and main corridor. The corridor continues some of the lab facilities found in other sections of the building and includes a makerspace lab, a design and innovation lab, and a pattern and fabrication lab.

Cyber.domain

Foundry activities and the demonstration of processes that require exterior space can take place in a secure yard connecting the new addition and the existing building, which also connects the existing Materials and Processes Lab to the three new teaching labs.

The Runway

The cyber.domain, on the second floor of the new expansion, also includes spaces for students to study and collaborate. Photo: Phil Soencksen, BS ’89

The cyber.domain area, on the second floor of the expanded building, is a collection of three teaching and research laboratories, all with an emphasis on the important area of cybersecurity engineering and computer engineering technology. The cyber.domain is critical to the academic progression of students pursuing these majors as they learn to fend off security issues before they occur and become experts in solving the unsolvable by mastering the art of computer systems and critical thinking.

Innovation Way

A student tries out a simulation workstation in the Runway.

Photo: Matthew Brown, junior photography major

The Runway, located in the lower level, is home to three laboratories that support hands-on, simulated training in all three areas of air traffic control: tower, terminal radar approach control, and en route. The simulation workstations can be used to create any combination of tower, terminal, and en route controller positions, and provide future air traffic controllers with the look and feel of an actual air traffic control facility. This space houses a $2 million Air Traffic Control Simulator that is identical to the equipment found in the Federal Aviation Association’s training center in Oklahoma City.

A Makerspace Lab in the expanded Aeronautics and Engineering Building includes workstations, smaller 3D printers, a laser cutter, 3D scanner, soldering station, and other types of equipment to use in the ideation and implementation phases of the design process. Photo: Phil Soencksen, BS ’89

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$1.3 million grant and local money allows Mid-East to expand CDL training program Mid-East Career and Technology Centers receives grant from Appalachian Regional Commission Story origionally published in the Zanesville Times Recorder

Mid-East Career and Technology Centers was recently awarded a $1.3 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to expand its Commercial Driver License training and testing program.

With the expansion, Mid-East will be able to increase the number of CDL-licensed drivers in Appalachian Ohio, improve income and employment gaps found between the project region and state and national averages, and provide Appalachian Ohio businesses with a qualified and skilled logistics workforce.

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In addition to the ARC grant, Mid-East received $343,750 from the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation to pay for high school students to earn their CDL. The Muskingum County Commissioners also contributed $300,000 to the project and the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority gave its approval to connect the new CDL training facility to the Eastpointe Business Park.

With the grant funds, Mid-East will prepare an 11-acre site and purchase a fleet of eight used, Class A 48-foot

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Mid East Career and Technology Center was proud to host Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik to learn more about Mid East's CDL Center and grants awarded to its program. Commissioners joined State Representative Holmes, Mayor Don Mason, Superintendent Matt Sheridan, County Administrator Eric Reed, Steven Foreman and Eastin Lewellen of MVESC, and Tanner Kilpatrick of Mid East for a tour and discussion about the future plans for the CDL Center.

tractor trailers to expand capacity for skills testing.

The district will construct an access road to connect the CDL facility to the nearby industrial loop, which will ensure a safer traffic flow from the facility to the main highway.

Mid-East CTC partners with 13 local and city school districts to provide adult and high school career and technical program options for Guernsey, Muskingum, Noble, and Perry counties and beyond.

Finally, the district will expand its current high school pilot program to an additional 12 area high schools by training additional instructors, providing training materials and working with districts to cover student physical exams and testing fees.

Mid-East's program expansion goal is to train 200 students to pass the CDL course, which will benefit businesses by filling commercial driver needs over the course of three years. The district anticipates the program will become self-sustaining through training and testing fees by 2026 and will use estimated revenues to replenish gravel and repair and maintain the fleet of trucks.

Heavy Equipment Operations adult students were practicing on the pad for their CDL certifications.

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Ohioans can receive academic credit for credentials, experience As an adult student, working more than 30 hours each week while taking 15 semester hours of coursework at Lorain County Community College (LCCC), Robert Tennent was finding it challenging to balance work, school, and life. But a credit for credentials initiative through the Ohio Department of Higher Education, supported by the DeWine-Husted administration, has made things easier for him.

Industry-Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guides – or ITAGs – are a way to award academic credit for already-earned credentials. This relatively new option impacts a broad range of high-demand career fields, including business technology, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare, information technology and cybersecurity, and transportation, with more to come. To learn more about qualifying credentials, visit transfercredit.ohio.gov/edu.

Tennent was able to apply Microsoft certifications that he earned in the IT field, which aligned with ITAGs, for academic credit toward a degree. He studied for and completed the certifications on his own.

Robert Tennent, a student at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio.

“Being able to have those certifications count for college credit saved me time and money,” Tennent said. “And having this credit recognized is a great feeling for me. I thank Lorain County Community College for participating in the ITAG credit-for-credentials work.”

LCCC President Marcia J. Ballinger, Ph.D., said implementing ITAGS is a way to meet students where they are in their academic journey.

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Numerous statewide programs are available to encourage employees to upskill their credentials, including: Second Chance Grant Program Provides scholarships to students who have been out of college for a year or more.

“LCCC is committed to helping students reach their goals quickly and affordably,” President Ballinger said. “ITAGs allow students to earn credit for what they already know, providing a pathway to educational attainment and career advancement.”

Tennent jump-started his collegiate program by receiving credit for prior learning. He is one of many students to be awarded credit for credentials from their occupation and work experience. To earn this type of credit, students need to provide proof of earning a qualifying credential to the admissions office at their intended public community college or university, much like submitting a transcript from another institution to receive credit. The credential must be current to qualify for credit. Students should consult with the organization that awarded their credential to ensure that it is still valid.

Earning industry-recognized credentials is not the only method for receiving credit for prior learning.

Ohio’s public colleges and universities award credit to service members and veterans for training received in the military. Credentials earned through Ohio Career Technical Center programs also can lead to college credit. In addition, colleges assess and award credit for experience gained through employment that aligns with college courses.

Talent Ready Grant Program Provides funding for short-term certificates at an Ohio community college, an Ohio Technical Center, or a state university branch campus.

Work Ready Grant Program Provides funding to Ohio residents who demonstrate the highest levels of financial need enrolled in a qualified program at an Ohio community college, an Ohio Technical Center, or a state university branch campus.

TechCred Reimburses employers for employees earning technical certificates.

Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) Reimburses training providers for eligible Ohio residents earning approved microcredentials.

One Year Option: Awards college credit for programs completed at Ohio Technical Centers.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, more than 86,000 Ohioans are designated as “likely completers” if they re-enroll in academic programs.

Receiving credit for knowledge gained through work

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experience can be the link between a job and returning to receive a college degree.

Workforce, median lifetime earnings increase with higher degree attainment.

Ohio is seeking to develop a more credentialed and competitive workforce. The Ohio Bureau of Labor Market Information expects that between 2020 and 2030, 55% of job growth in Ohio will be in occupations requiring a postsecondary credential, with 42% in occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Guaranteed Transfer Pathways are designed for individuals with a certificate or industry-recognized credential to earn an associate degree, as well as for individuals with an associate degree to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Additional information on eligibility for the grant programs may be obtained from a college or university advisor.

Along with building Ohio’s 21st-century workforce, earning a college degree can provide a significant increase to a person’s future income. According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the

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Ohio’s transfer credit initiatives support students as they work to attain licenses, certificates, or degrees. The Ohio Department of Higher Education has created a Credit Transfer Tool to assist students in understanding how previous coursework, career-technical credit, military credit, credit-by-exams, and credentials can transfer to Ohio’s public colleges and universities.

For more information, visit transfercredit.ohio.gov.

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Edison, Franklin partnership provides education opportunities Origional story from Sydney Daily News

Edison State Community College President Chris Spradlin, left, and Franklin University President Dr. David Decker sign a partnership certificate during an official signing ceremony providing Edison State access to Franklin's pathway portal.

Photo | Edison State Community College

Edison State Community College and Franklin University hosted an event to officially mark the expansion of their 25-year articulation agreement by providing access to Franklin’s new pathway portal.

Through the partnership, Edison State students and graduates gain access to online courses needed to earn a four-year degree with Franklin at a reduced tuition rate of $298 per credit hour, said an Edison press release.

The signing event marked the culmination of a collaboration between the two institutions that helped bring this innovative student-focused pathway portal to life. The pioneering, user-friendly, online tool provides students with real-time information on how their associate degree credits at Edison State will apply toward each of Franklin’s bachelor’s programs to create a cost-effective and seamless transfer experience.

Edison State President Chris Spradlin opened the official signing ceremony, hosted on Edison State’s main campus in Piqua, sharing comments about the special, longstanding partnership between the two institutions that led to the ability to launch the pathway portal. Dr. Tom Milligan, Edison State trustee and Franklin alumnus, next shared comments about how the partnership helps positively impact the landscape of higher education.

Dr. David Decker, Franklin University president, shared comments about how the shared understanding that a college degree has become necessary for individual

economic opportunity and America’s competitiveness in the global economy, helped guide the collaboration between the two institutions. He further shared that without Edison State’s partnership, this new studentfocused tool may never have come to fruition, thanking Edison State for its willingness to partner to introduce the pathway portal.

Decker was followed by a high-level demonstration of how the pathway portal works and commentary by Clarissa Kiehl, a current Edison State/Franklin pathway portal student. Kiehl shared how the portal provided insights and benefits on her education journey.

The ceremony concluded with the signing of the partnership certificate and a ceremonial pen exchange.

To learn more about the pathway portal and its many benefits, visit www.edisonohio.edu/portal.

Celebrating 50 years of service, Edison State Community College is committed to providing higher education and advanced training opportunities for the people of the greater Miami Valley. Edison State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and recognized with the highest order attainable by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. With locations in Piqua, Greenville, Eaton, and Troy, Edison State continues to build on its Bold Legacy toward a Bright Future.

Visit us online at www.edisonohio.edu.

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UC, CPS partner to train high school students for pharmacy technician certification Hands-on learning energizes students, prepares them for employment

By Tim Tedeschi | UC News

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A partnership between the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is helping high school students earn class credit, and a potential paycheck, through pharmacy technician training.

Major pharmacy chains including CVS and Walmart have scaled back or shifted their pharmacy hours in the past year due to staffing issues, and a 2022 National Community Pharmacists Association survey found 70% of pharmacies were struggling to fill staff positions, particularly for technician roles.

Sarah Woodward, a teacher at CPS’ Woodward Career Technical High School, said the pharmacy tech program began six years ago as a way for students to earn a workforce credential, which is one of the requirements students can achieve toward earning an Ohio high school diploma.

The students complete online training in preparation for the pharmacy technician certification exam in March, but Woodward said the modules can become monotonous and boring. To receive more handson training, the students come to UC’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.

Hands-on activities at the College teach high school students how to make suspensions, creams, and ointments and how to work in a sterile environment, among other skills needed to become a pharmacy technician.

Photo/Alyssa McKinney/UC College of Pharmacy.

Experiential learning

On a Wednesday morning in November, students from Woodward and Shroder High School rushed around the college’s skills lab, working to determine the brand name, generic name and disease applications for nine bottles of medication in front of them. Across the hall, students geared up in lab coats, masks, hair coverings, and gloves as they learned how to work in a sterile environment.

“We like doing the work and engaging in everything they teach us, and we learn it quick and fast,” said Woodward student Lontez Black. “Being part of this is fun. We are engaging more. We are hands-on students, so we love doing this stuff. It’s great to come here.”

“It can be challenging trying to learn the different medicines and keep up, but I think it’s been a pretty cool experience,” added Shroder student Desean Richard. “Probably the most fun thing I like about it is being able to get outside of school and actually come to UC and go in depth with different things.”

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CPS students in the laboratory. Photo/Alyssa McKinney/UC College of Pharmacy.

UC’s Michael Hegener said the visits to the college have also included activities teaching students about compounding medications, legal requirements when working in a pharmacy, and how to make suspensions, creams, and ointments.

“Dr. Hegener has been fantastic at finding ways to keep the kids motivated and encouraged and excited about doing it, because the online learning is really dull,” Woodward said. “So he has created some fun ways to keep the kids engaged and motivated to keep pushing forward.”

The partnership provides an early exposure both to potential careers in pharmacy and to what college is like, Hegener said.

“Not only do they come and do these activities, but they also came and sat through an actual course at the college,” said Hegener, a doctor of pharmacy, director of the Wuest Family Pharmacy Practice Skills Center and associate professor of pharmacy. “I think it’s great these students get to see what the college life is like early, get a feel for pharmacy and see the College of Pharmacy here, and hopefully down the road they’ll think about pharmacy as a career.”

Shroder teacher Gloria Ononye said students return to the classroom energized after visits to UC, and interest in the program is growing.

“At my school now, a lot more students in their junior year are saying that they want to be in pharmacy, and I think it’s because of the experience the current students are sharing with their peers,” Ononye said.

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Since I’m doing hands-on work now, when I get to work in a pharmacy it will be easier. It will be like second nature working there.

- Lontez Black, Woodward Career Technical High School student

Career development

The students will have a chance to continue their hands-on learning in actual working pharmacies due to the state approving a waiver for the program. Typically, pharmacy technician trainees must be at least 18 and high school graduates to train in pharmacies, but students in the program can begin working as a trainee at 17 and while still in high school.

“The goal here is these students have said they want to work after leaving school, and so we’re trying to get them not only working as a pharmacy technician, but working as a certified pharmacy technician at a higher salary and with more responsibility,” said Patricia Achoe, director of equity and inclusion at the College of Pharmacy.

Ononye said two Shroder students have already begun working as trainees at a pharmacy, which will provide them an additional leg up when it comes time to take the technician certification exam, in addition to a paycheck.

Teachers said the online pharmacy technician training can be dull, but coming to the College of Pharmacy energizes students.

Photo/Alyssa McKinney/UC College of Pharmacy.

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I think it gives you a step ahead.

There are other things I would be interested in for a career, but pharmacy will always be something I can come back to.

- Desean Richard, Shroder High School student

Students Black and Richard said they are both planning to work in a pharmacy in the spring to continue their training.

“I think it’s helping me while growing up,” Black said of the program. “Since I’m doing hands-on work now, when I get to work in a pharmacy it will be easier. It will be like second nature working there.”

While they are not sure if they want to pursue pharmacy as a permanent career, both students said earning the pharmacy technician certification will be beneficial now and in the future.

“I think it gives you a step ahead. Instead of just going to work at a restaurant or something, you can get a step into the real world through joining a real field,” said Richard. “There are other things I would be interested in for a career, but pharmacy will always be something I can come back to because I’m going to work for the diploma.”

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Photo: Wright State University19

A special thank you to all of those who contributed stories and articles:

Expanding the future of Aeronautics and Engineering Julie Miller | Associate Director, Communications | Kent State University Nick Gattozzi | Office of Government and Community Relations | Kent State University $1.3 million grant and local money allows Mid-East to expand CDL training program Bill Bussey | Executive Director | Ohio Technical Centers Margaret A Hess | Executive Director | Ohio Association of Career Technical Superintendents Kim Tatman | Public Information Coordinator | Mid-East Career and Technology Centers Ohioans can receive academic credit for credentials, experience Dr. Paula Compton | Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director, Articulation and Transfer | Ohio Department of Higher Education

Edison, Franklin partnership provides education opportunities Bruce McKenzie | Chief Marketing Officer & Director of Communications | Edison State Community College Linda Steele | Vice President, Marketing | Franklin University UC, CPS partner to train high school students for pharmacy technician certification Tim Tedeschi | Public Information Officer | University of Cincinnati Thanks for reading ConnectED. If you have any story suggestions, links to articles of interest, or news releases to share, feel free to send them to Jeff Robinson at jrobinson@highered.ohio.gov.