As Marcia Ballinger, Ph.D., strolls the campus of Lorain County Community College, its hard to miss her smile.
It could be the joy she feels on another unseasonably warm, sunny January day in Northeast Ohio. More likely, its her sense of pride at all the talented, creative minds that have found their way to LCCC the college has seen a 94 percent increase in the number of people earning degrees since 2011, and 61 percent of Lorain County high graduates start their college experience there. These numbers no doubt contributed to the institution being named the top community college in the country for Excellence in Student Success by the American Association of Community Colleges in 2018.
I view us as the portal of opportunity, says Ballinger, LCCCs president. Every students dream matters. So every day, we have to make sure that not only do we keep that dream alive for the students of today and tomorrow, but also for future generations.
This effort has evolved to include a closer partnership with the regional business community.
Were expected to be flexible, agile and nimble partners with those employers, whether thats advanced manufacturing, health care, biomedical whatever the industry sector is, Ballinger says. We need to not only meet them where they are to help create that talent pipeline and solutions for what they need, but also work with them on future development.
Community colleges have been instrumental in providing new programs and curriculum that establish a baseline of skill sets related to advanced technologies being implemented in the workforce, says Matt Hlavin, CEO at Thogus, a plastic injection molding company based in Avon Lake.
There has been a gap for years between the business community and educational institutions, Hlavin says. It is very taxing for employers, particularly small businesses, to have to retrain new employees upon hiring. LCCC is a forward-thinking educational institution that listens to our needs and has been a critical resource for preparing students to enter the workforce with the skill sets we need.
No one knows how the future will unfold, and new technologies, as of now still confined to the imagination of the next great innovator or entrepreneur, await. The goal at LCCC is to create an environment where students can become those innovators and succeed in the workplace.
One of LCCCs signature programs is the University Partnership, which allows students to earn bachelors and masters degree from four-year universities from LCCCs campus. Ballinger helped develop the program, then enrolled to earn her MBA from Kent State University.
Its a program that was desperately needed, Ballinger says.
We were the largest county in the state of Ohio without public access to a four-year university, Ballinger says. Our educational attainment at the bachelors degree level was the lowest among the counties in Northeast Ohio. So we created this concept, passed a tax levy in 1995 and started offering the program in 1998.
After earning their bachelors degree, students can remain in Lorain County while earning more advanced degrees.
We provide the first two or three years, then the universities provide the final courses, all on this campus, says Ballinger. I had the great opportunity to be in one of the first classes. That gave me a sense of the adult student experience, something that Ive held very close to me.
It was a significant step in strengthening the colleges role as an economic engine in Northeast Ohio.
Another pivotal moment occurred in 2001 when the Patsie C. Campana Sr. Engineering and Development Center today the Campana Center for Ideation and Invention opened. The facility recently underwent a 10,000-square-foot expansion.
In the past three months since the CCII grand opening, we have had more than 12 companies, both publicly and privately owned, tour and/or enter into discussions with LCCC and CCII seeking support, ideas, consultation, or simply wanting to understand what LCCC has to offer, says Bob Campana, CEO at Campana Capital and son of Patsie. As Northeast Ohio companies become aware of the capabilities and competencies at LCCC and CCII, we can support them by providing prototyping and parts manufacturing using digital and conventional manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), subtractive manufacturing (CNC machining), welding, laser cutting and water jet cutting, to name a few.
LCCC has also partnered with local industry to launch an Applied Science in Digital Fabrication Technologies degree that prepares students for these and other related fields, and teaches tasks such as prototyping, proof-of-concept exploration and rapid tooling.
Ballinger says the Campana family has truly epitomized entrepreneurship and innovation in its effort to support the college and its role in the community.
Theyve been stalwart supporters of the college, she says. The center really takes it to new heights and new levels. Its a launchpad for students in the community to explore, experiment and find a fit for their talents.
Just as businesses often work with customers to keep up with their changing needs, LCCC is carrying on a continuous dialogue with the business community to achieve similar goals.
Weve had to flip our own paradigms in terms of how we educate by having employers at the table designing with us, versus the old models, which weve done now for six decades, Ballinger says. It was a very intensive, community-based process to look at what the preferred future is for what were trying to create. We used a process called VUCA, where you look at volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
By doing so, Ballinger is confident the college is creating a bright future for itself and for its students.
But getting there while navigating constant change will require a flexible approach, Ballinger said at the CCII grand opening. We are living in a VUCA world. Thats why we approached our visioning process with strategic foresight, knowing the century that were in now is best described as the age of uncertainty, a century where rapid change has become the norm.
LCCC is talking to businesses about things like automation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and blockchain, and exploring how to work these new technologies into its curriculum.
Four years ago, we werent talking about blockchain or about big data or about the Industrial Internet of Things, Ballinger says. We have degree programs in all of those areas now, again with employers at the table driving their development.
When it comes to automation, the college is seeking to create a sense of opportunity rather than fear. Instead of worrying about being replaced by a robot, Ballinger wants students to be excited about the chance to build new robot machinery.
How do we continue to teach individuals to be able to work for themselves? Ballinger says. We have been laser focused on more individualized services to ensure that we are getting students to more meaningful credentials and degrees in shorter amounts of time. We want them employed in more meaningful careers, where they are earning greater salaries for both themselves and their families.
LCCC values its position as a launching pad into the workforce for students of all ages across Northeast Ohio. In addition to the University Partnership and the Campana Center, programs such as the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise (GLIDE), Innovation Fund Northeast Ohio and NEO LaunchNET aim to spawn more creative, innovative minds. And the colleges Fab Lab, a 5,000-square-foot makerspace where people can make just about anything was the first Fab Lab outside of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. when it opened in 2005.
The college is counting on voters to approve an operating levy renewal on the March 17 ballot that would sustain support from the existing 1.8 mills and add 0.5 mills, an additional investment of less than $1.50 per month per $100,000 in property value.
Its critically important for Northeast Ohio to have a talent pipeline for our employers that is aligned, Ballinger says. We need to continue to envision and explore what the future can be and not be bound by building off of the past. We need to stay focused on what we can be and what we need to be.
Robert Lando, CEO of AgriNomix, says his company has hired several graduates of LCCCs Automation Engineering Technologies program who were trained in the skills his company a supplier to the North American horticulture industry based in Oberlin needs.
Those students have grown with us, and they made an enormous contribution to our company, says Lando. LCCC has invested in very knowledgeable faculty and paired them with cutting-edge motor control centers and todays sophisticated robots in order to provide students with valuable and applicable training.There are high-paying jobs waiting for grads from LCCCs programs we need more student to take advantage of these amazing programs.
Thoguss Hlavin says substantial progress is already being made.
The role community colleges are playing in evolving the future workforce to prepare them is already having a positive impact, he says. Long term, this will enable companies to remain competitive, as well as prepare their students to make more money and build a stronger economy.
NAME:Marcia Ballinger, Ph.D.
TITLE:President
COMPANY:Lorain County Community College
Education: Bachelors degree, journalism, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; MBA, Kent State University (LCCC University Partnership); doctorate in education community college leadership, Walden University.
Who are some of your mentors?I would say that certainly, having been here for 28 years, I have had mentors here including my predecessor, Roy Church, as well as a number of community college leaders. My dad was an educator and my mother instilled in me that hard work ethic. Ive been very fortunate to have worked within an organization for almost three decades and to have been partnered with so many incredible, amazing people who inspire me every day. But at the end of the day, its our students and graduates who truly have been my inspiration.
Local success stories:Our two new mayors of our largest cities in Lorain County, Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield and Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley, as well as State Rep. Joe Miller, are alumni of Lorain County Community College.
Pivotal dates in LCCC history:
1966 LCCC moves to its current location, making it the first community college in Ohio with a permanent campus.The campus opened with three buildings: Engineering Technologies, Mechanical Services, and Physical and Social Sciences.
2004 LCCC enrollment tops the 10,000 mark in the fall semester for the first time in the colleges history. That year it was named one of the states fastest-growing colleges.
2011 President Barack Obama endorses the start of LCCCs Innovation Fund America, a program in concert with the American Association of Community Colleges Virtual Incubator Network that is intended to equip other community colleges with the tools and support to implement this program to stimulate high-tech entrepreneurship in their communities.
2016 LCCC Community Learning Center opens at Lorain High School.
Continued here:
Marcia Ballinger embraces LCCC's role as an economic driver for the region - Smart Business Network
- QazInnovations: Kazakhstan seeks to bring volume of innovative ... - inform.kz/en - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- World Earth Day: What is green finance, and why do we need it so much? - The Economic Times - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Netarts Bay cleanup scheduled for Earth Day with SOLVE and ... - Tillamook Headlight-Herald - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Shaping humanitarian and ethical governance in Pakistan - The Express Tribune - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen on the U.S. ... - Treasury - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Investing in nature: Building local economies through conservation - McKinsey - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Lalith's economic vision for Lanka: Export or perish - The Sunday Times Sri Lanka - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy to help A.P. govt. implement energy-efficiency projects - The Hindu - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and ... - The White House - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- A Restraint Approach to U.S.China Relations: Reversing the Slide ... - Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Carrollton Mayor and City Council Election Preview 2023: Meet your ... - Star Local Media - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Governor Kelly Signs Bipartisan Bill to Expand Teacher Workforce in ... - Kansas Governor - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Indigenous Peoples Must Have Full Representation, Participation in ... - United Nations - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- The EPA Region 6 Announces a Total of $23 Million to ... - U.S. EPA.gov - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Kansas governor strikes funding for anti-abortion pregnancy centers ... - Kansas Reflector - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Can You Fight for Climate Justice Without Being Antiwar? - Common Dreams - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Sustainable Tourism: A World leading to the road of Environment consciousness - Nomad Lawyer - NomadLawyer - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Atlanta's Cop City and the Struggle for Climate Justice - Resilience - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Jaishankars visit to Uganda, Mozambique went almost unnoticed but it indicated Indias bold gambit in Africa - Firstpost - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Natural resource - Wikipedia - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Non-renewable resource - Wikipedia - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Minister Wilkinson Launches Phase 2 of the Regional Energy and Resource Tables - Canada NewsWire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Executive Secretary participates in Russian Energy Week to advocate for decarbonization in the UNECE region ahead of COP27 - UNECE - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Renault Group: The Future Is NEUTRAL: The circular economy is stepping into a new era! - Yahoo Finance - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Economy Expected to Contract Further in 2023, as the Fed Appears Resolved to Tame Inflation - PR Newswire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Brazils Runoff Election Will Have Enormous Effects on the Global Climate Crisis - Truthout - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Health disparities and health inequalities: applying All Our Health - GOV.UK - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Opinion: Biopolitics is the invisible hand shaping mental health - The Connecticut Mirror - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Avaaz urges Georgieva and Trudeau to lasso-in commitments from IMF to attend December's vital UN Biodiversity Talks in Montreal - GlobeNewswire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Kochi as a global city? Why not, asks the man behind Ahmedabads mega city story | Manorama English - Onmanorama - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Hennessy and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Announce partnership with Group Black and The Bishop Gallery to make "America's Most Influential... - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Pollution Prevention Week highlights ways to reduce, reuse and recycle waste - Michigan (.gov) - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- England headed for incineration overcapacity, warns UKWIN - Resource Magazine - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- 3 years of the Principles for Responsible Banking: our vision for change United Nations Environment Finance Initiative - UNEP Finance Initiative - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Isn't It Time To Challenge The Growth Paradigm? OpEd - Eurasia Review - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Coalition of Nearly 50 Organizations Launches 'Tear the Paper Ceiling' Campaign to Raise Awareness Around the 70+ Million Workers in the U.S. Skilled... - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Remote work can actually be more productive: More Hub readers respond to the work-from-home phenomenon - The Hub - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Mendocino Public Health on record-setting Sept. heat: We can't just treat this as a once-in-15-years occurrence - The Mendocino Voice - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Carbon Ridge Secures $6 Million Investment from Leading Climate Investors and Maritime Industry Leaders - Business Wire - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Regenerative Travel Is the Next Phase of Responsible Tourism - Outside Online - Outside - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- NNPC: Between rebranding and reforms, By Tijah Bolton-Akpan - Premium Times - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Embodying the spirit of Malaysia - The Edge Markets MY - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Nonprofit executive takes on state-appointed economic development role - MiBiz: West Michigan Business News - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Noble Mineral Exploration Signs Exploration Agreement with the Constance Lake First Nation - Junior Mining Network - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Progressively Deepening Bilateral Partnership - The Geopolitics - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Oil money is flooding into Guyana. Who will benefit? - Reuters - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Remote-work revolution exposes need for better data, tracking tools to evaluate workforce, pay and economy - The Spokesman Review - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- We need rare earth elements for a greener future, but there's a catch - CBC.ca - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- BRNHA the steward of the living traditions of WNC: Opinion - Citizen Times - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- The Fiji Times Back in history: Future of forestry sector - Fiji Times - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Hochul announces grand opening of Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center - Troy Record - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Predicting the Future of Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Columbia University - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- JD.com Ranks 46th on 2022 Fortune Global 500 - Yahoo Finance - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Minister Wilkinson Releases New Report Showing the Impacts of Climate Change and Necessity of Climate Adaptation in Ontario - Canada NewsWire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Do Armenians have a future as an independent nation? Part 4 - Armenian Weekly - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Getting the diagnostics right 2 - BusinessWorld Online - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- GrammaTech and T.E.N. Announce Call for Nominations for Product Security Executive of the Year Awards - Business Wire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Energy Vault and Jupiter Power Announce Agreement for Battery Energy Storage Projects in Texas and California Totaling 220 MWh - Business Wire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- The North East LEP: Thinking bigger and planning together for the future - Bdaily - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- It's not enough to buy American. You also need to sell American all around the world. - The Ripon Society - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Bid to designate 50k acres in UP as wilderness highlights tension over public lands - MLive.com - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- A 'Living Wall' At Texas A&M Could Be The Key To Smarter Cities - Texas A&M University Today - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Architects and designers must embrace the circular economy - Project Scotland - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Strategic Minerals increases Tin and Tantalum production in June and Q2 2022 at its Penouta Mine - Yahoo Finance - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Issues of the Environment: Improving recycling rates and quality of recycling materials in Washtenaw County - WEMU - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Joe Oliver: The Liberal Cabinet Needs an Intervention - The Epoch Times - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- SDG&E and Cajon Valley Union School District Flip the Switch on Region's First Vehicle-to-Grid Project Featuring Local Electric School Buses Capable... - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Reimagining business: The greatest debt of all time - Newsroom - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Moody's affirms A1 rating of Newfoundland and Labrador, changes outlook to stable - Moody's - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- New Mexico's oil and gas revenues are breaking records and complicating budgets - New Mexico Political Report - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- FACT SHEET: White House Announces over $40 Billion in American Rescue Plan Investments in Our Workforce With More Coming - The White House - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- The Class of 2022 Is Ready to Workon Their Terms - SHRM - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Faraday Copper Announces Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Copper Creek Project in Arizona; Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources Exceed... - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Inside the Triangle's latest job opening data: What boards are showing and who's hiring - WRAL TechWire - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Reserve Bank keeps blinkers on inflation, raising OCR to 2.5% - Stuff - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Abe's drive to bring back Japan | The Interpreter - The Interpreter - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- UCF Hospitality Researchers Expertise Is Tapped for Global Sustainable Tourism Report - UCF - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Feminist Economics and the Fight for Human Rights - OHCHR - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Biden Administration announces historic coastal and climate resilience funding - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Why green ammonia will be the workhorse of EU's future hydrogen economy - EURACTIV - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]