ConnectED - Winter 2015

SOUTHERN STATE, SCHNEIDER PARTNER FOR TRUCK DRIVER

TRAINING PROGRAMSouthern State Community College has partnered with one of the nation’s largest truckload carriers to offer a Contract Training Program through Southern State’s Truck Driving Academy for students seeking a

Class A commercial driver’s license

> NEOMED, Cleveland State tackle healthcare needs> Transforming Toledo’s tomorrow> Startup Spotlight> University of Akron student helping preserve the planet> The Beauty of C-TEC’s ESOL Program

INSIDE: Winter 2015 Volume 3

Issue 1

This is a quarterly e-newsletter designed to connect Ohio higher education to the business community. In this publication, you will learn about the efforts of the Ohio Board of Regents to move students from the classroom to the workforce; and about research and idea development happening within the University System of Ohio that is benefiting Ohio businesses.

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Southern State, Schneider Partner for Truck Driver Training Program Collaboration trains students seaking a Class A commercial drivers license

Penta Career Center & Cherry St. Mission: Integrated Change AgentsPartnership program seeks to transform Toledo’s tomorrow

The Beauty of C-TEC’s ESOL ProgramPilot class launched in 2014 is gaining interest

Primary Care Partnership for the CommunityNEOMED, Cleveland State address changing healthcare needs

RED BORDERSTwo of the words that are used frequently around our offices are “pathway” and “pipeline.” The latter refers to having a smooth transition between secondary education (P-12) and post-secondary education,

and the former refers to the course you set to arrive at your chosen career or occupation. In each issue of ConnectED, we try to show how our University System of Ohio institutions and the business community are working together to give students plenty of career pathways from which to choose, and how those collaborations create affordable and accessible pipelines for all students. In this issue, our first of 2015, you’ll read about a partnership between Southern State Community College and Schneider that helps aspiring truck drivers get trained for a successful career. You’ll also learn how an Ohio Technical Center and a Toledo-area mission are working to tackle the issues facing the undereducated and the unemployed. I hope you enjoy this issue of ConnectED, and I hope you’ll let us know what stories you’d like to see in a future issue. Who knows – one of them may help you set your own career pathway.

John CareyChancellor, Ohio Board of Regents

14Startup Spotlight: TinyCircuits How a former co-op student is using current students to help grow his company.

16U of A Student Taking Steps to Preserve the Planet A passion for research and the environment collide

ConnectED: Connecting Higher Education to Business 3

Southern State, Schneider Partner for Truck Driver Training ProgramStudents looking to obtain a CDL would be wise to look into Southern State Community College’s TDA ASAP.

In an effort to promote and encourage careers in truck driving, Southern State has partnered with Schneider – one of the nation’s largest truckload carriers – to offer a Contract Training Program through Southern State’s Truck Driving Academy for students seeking a Class A commercial driver’s license.

The program is offered at Southern State’s 17 TDA facilities across southern Ohio.

“We partnered with Southern State because the college has a presence near a number of high-need areas in Ohio – Washington Court House, Wintersville, Cincinnati, and Columbus, to name a few,” said Rob Reich, senior vice president at Schneider. “We’ve hired many of their graduates over the years. Their training meets the highest standards and prepares graduates for the industry.”


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Schneider covers the cost of the truck driving program, which includes instruction, behind-the-wheel driver training with instructors, licensing, and all endorsements. Candidates go through a pre-approval process and Schneider pays the tuition upon successful completion of the program. The program, which takes 160 hours to complete, is conducted during a standard Monday through Friday, four-week schedule.

Southern State’s Truck Driving Academy offers driver training facilities in Athens, Clinton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Meigs, Perry, Pike, Ross, and Warren counties.

“We have a strong Truck Driving Academy, and providing this opportunity with Schneider will only make it stronger,” said John Joy, Southern State’s dean of workforce development and community service. “Offering these incentives up front puts students on the fast track to a long and successful career.”

Schneider employs and leases more than 795 drivers and owner-operators throughout Ohio and is currently hiring statewide.

“We are committed to investing in the residents of the area and providing new careers,” Reich said. “Schneider’s business is growing, especially in Ohio. We are putting our money where our mouth is to develop and hire new drivers to meet our customers’ needs.”


“WE ARE COMMITTED TO INVESTING IN THE

RESIDENTS OF THE AREA AND PROVIDING NEW

CAREERS.”-Rob Reich, senior vice president

at Schneider


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Data from Schneider shows that graduates of the program can earn up to $51,000 in their first year with Schneider and more than $71,000 per year within three years. In addition to the Contract Training Program that Schneider offers to Southern State graduates, it also offers a tuition reimbursement program for graduates at truck driving schools. Interested candidates can contact Southern State at 800-344-6058, ext. 4560, or Schneider at 877-782-1766. Candidates may also apply online at www.schneiderjobs.com (select “Driving School Programs” and complete the pre-approval form).

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Primary Care Partnership for the CommunityNortheast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Cleveland State University (CSU) have established a partnership to address the changing health care needs within urban metropolitan areas. Through innovative health care workforce development, NEOMED and CSU seek to improve the health and economic vitality of the Northeast Ohio region. The partnership prepares a diverse group of students to enter and ultimately thrive within the state’s healthcare systems. The main strategies through which this is accomplished are creating pathways to health professions, partnering with the whole community, and identifying, garnering, and combining assets.

NEOMED is the public medical university serving the 4.5 million citizens of Northeast Ohio. More than half of all of the graduates of the NEOMED College of Medicine have remained in Ohio, with a significant proportion establishing practices in Northeast Ohio. Most recently, 72 percent of the College of Medicine’s 3,279 graduates remained in Ohio. This is the highest retention rate of all of Ohio’s medical colleges.

The NEOMED-CSU Partnership includes an Urban Primary Care Initiative, which seeks to connect pre-med and medical students directly to urban communities in Cleveland, where they may return to serve as primary care physicians after completing their residency training.

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Currently their are 68 CSU students enrolled between the two different programs.

The Post Baccalaureate/M.D. program is open to both career changers and those in need of academic enhancement who have an interest in a primary care specialty and urban medicine. The two-year Post Baccalaureate curriculum at CSU will also include urban health courses and seminars. This program currently has 56 students enrolled.

For students interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in any academic areas who would like to pursue a career in

medicine, NEOMED and CSU have created the Baccalaureate/M.D. program. This program allows CSU undergraduates of most majors to apply for admission to the Baccalaureate/M.D. program, which includes a reserved seat at NEOMED’s College of Medicine. This program currently has 12 students enrolled.

Students who are admitted to the NEOMED-CSU M.D. programs will have seminars and courses in urban health and opportunities to complete many of their neighborhood-based experiences at various hospital and ambulatory care sites located in the Cleveland metropolitan area.

Erik Porfeli, Ph.D., associate professor of family and community medicine and assistant dean for community engagement and admissions, said he believes that it is important for a primary care physician to maintain a strong connection with the patient and that the physician should have a full awareness of the community.

“The NEOMED-CSU Partnership for Urban Health is part of a national movement to recognize that all communities, rich and poor, have resources that can be used to promote the health and success of Ohio,” he said. “The partnership aims to help our children succeed in school, go to college, and enter needed and secure health care careers thereafter. Perhaps most importantly, the partnership helps our communities chart a path for our best and brightest children from all walks of life to remain in Ohio and help our communities grow and thrive as productive adults working in health care.”

For more information, please visit www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/csu.

“THE PARTNERSHIP AIMS TO HELP OUR CHILDREN SUCCEED IN SCHOOL, GO TO COLLEGE, AND ENTER NEEDED AND SECURE HEALTH CARE CAREERS THEREAFTER.”

-Erik Porfeli, Ph.D.NEOMED associate professor of family and community medicine

and assistant dean for community engagement and admissions

ConnectED: Connecting Higher Education to Business 9OhioMeansJobs can help guide your career search.

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PENTA CAREER CENTER & CHERRY ST. MISSION: INTEGRATED CHANGE AGENTSIn a county where more than 60,000 residents over the age of 25 do not have a high school diploma or equivalent, there can be competition for educational attainment or there can be collaboration.

The Penta Career Center (Penta) and Cherry Street Mission Ministries (Cherry St. Mission) - serving Toledo and surrounding Lucas County - have chosen collaboration, through a partnership to tackle the issues facing the undereducated, the under- and unemployed, and the people simply seeking more training. The two entities have set out to, in the words of Penta Adult Education Supervisor Rhonda Hogrefe, “transform Toledo’s tomorrow.” The Toledo Public Schools joined the effort last summer, and together all three are working to incorporate a full circle of services and community outreach, with the goal of less competition and fewer gaps in service for students.

Cherry St. Mission recently purchased the old Macomber High School building, which closed in 1991, to create what staff members are calling the Life Revitalization Center. This site will serve as the main location for the



Cherry St. Mission, and is already hosting an Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) and GED program through

the partnership with Penta. Future plans could include expansion to comprise comprehensive adult career training programs and, potentially, a Toledo Public Schools vocational training option in downtown. Adult programs offered would also focus on helping Cherry St. Mission residents and clients find work or additional

educational opportunities.

The Life Revitalization Center had opened as of December, and Penta officially began classes in two rooms at the new

Macomber site. In further collaboration, the classrooms were furnished through a donation of unused classroom furniture from the

University of Toledo. The Life Revitalization Center also features access to public transportation on three of the four corners, providing a more convenient location for many Toledo residents.

The revitalization of downtown Toledo is something taken seriously by residents and businesses alike. This partnership not only brings

three competing education entities together, but also serves to connect adult students to local businesses that need particular

skill sets.

“Collectively, we can offer not an option, but a solution to their problems, and create a personal action plan for student

success,” Hogrefe said.

The partnership between Penta and Cherry St. Mission seeks to provide better access to educational resources and opportunities for those

seeking to complete a GED, or acquire additional education or training. This collaboration could be just the start of a new beginning for downtown Toledo.

ConnectED: Connecting Higher Education to Business12


The Beauty of C-TEC’s ESOL Program

In early 2014, Knowlton Development Corporation (KDC Columbus), a manufacturer of health and beauty products, was looking to enhance training programs at its campus in New Albany. Word of mouth led them to Kelly Wallace, director of adult education at the nearby Career & Technology Education Centers of Licking County (C-TEC).

But Stacie Trace, HR director at KDC, was also thinking of something else. “KDC has a very diverse workforce, both permanent and temporary,” she said. As the company’s business and workforce expanded, many of its workers were immigrants from far-away countries like Nepal and Somalia. “I was looking to help our employees develop more fluent language skills, because I wanted them to succeed both at KDC and in their communities, and recognized that English was a barrier for them.”

Trace asked if C-TEC also offered ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes, and a new collaborative project was born. Holly Pretcher, C-TEC’s ABLE director, worked with Trace to custom design and launch a pilot ESOL class for KDC employees in April 2014. In order to maximize attendance, the class was offered on

the KDC campus so that participants could easily attend before their normal shifts.

For the next 12 weeks, C-TEC’s ESOL instructors led a series of two-hour ESOL classes on the KDC campus. Four core English language areas - speaking, listening, reading, and writing -- were addressed each week, as well as specific lessons on using English in the workplace, including understanding workplace instructions, asking questions about workplace processes, reporting equipment issues, and more. Students also learned to use a computer, search the internet, and discussed civics-related lessons.

Wallace said the first pilot session “exceeded everyone’s expectations.” At the end of the course, 30 of the 31 students who attended regularly improved their English skills on a standardized test. More importantly, KDC managers noticed significant changes in the workplace. “The most notable change is their self-confidence,” said Trace. “The ESOL students are much more outgoing than they were when we started this project.” In addition, the newly skilled students have helped bridge the communication barrier between KDC and its temporary workers, many of whom speak little to no English at all.

Meanwhile, the ESOL classes have continued. The first pilot group is currently finishing its second 12-week session, with plans for an expanded third session, most likely starting in mid-February.

“I am so pleased with the progress of our employees,” Trace said. “They are awesome workers that want to learn and do a good job here. I am so happy for them. It’s definitely a win-win situation.”


TinyCircuits is an Open Source Hardware company specializing in designing and manufacturing very small (Tiny) electronics. The company was started in 2011 with the goal to create easy-to-use modular electronics that plug together quickly (like little electronic legos) to create complex projects and products. TinyCircuits received initial funding via a Kickstarter campaign in the fall of 2012, which raised enough money ($109K) to build up their design and manufacturing operation in downtown Akron.

Being a very small startup, wise use of money is critical, and they’ve had a tremendous benefit using students from colleges and universities in northeast Ohio to fill the majority of roles in the company. TinyCircuits has students from Stark State College assisting with electronics production; a software contractor student from KSU helping with smartphone app development; and have heavily relied on engineering students from the University of Akron’s Co-Op program to fill engineering roles. A current co-op student from Akron, Ben

Startup Spotlight: TinyCircuits



Rose, has played a critical part in new product development at TinyCircuits, including leading the product design of the new TinyScreen product, which is a quarter-sized display that can be used in applications such as smart watches. TinyScreen launched on Kickstarter in the fall of 2014 to huge success, raising $130K in one month.

Ken Burns, president and founder of TinyCircuits, started the company as a side project in a spare bedroom of his house in 2011.

Today, students help grow his company. Ken knows first-hand the value of the experience that these students are receiving, as he was a co-op student from the University of Akron.

“My Co-Op experience gave me my first exposure to engineering in a real-world business environment, and taught me lessons that I could never learn in school,” Burns said.

For more information on TinyCircuits, please visit tiny-circuits.com.

Startup Spotlight: TinyCircuits

“My Co-Op experience gave me my first exposure to engineering in a real-world business environment, and taught me lessons that I could never learn in school.”

Ken Burns, president and founder of TinyCircuits




U of A Student Taking Steps to Preserve the PlanetAs the cliché goes, if you look up “star student” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Eddie Machek. The University of Akron student excels both inside and outside the classroom, as he looks to further his education to the highest level while making an impact along the way.

After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from U of A, Machek chose to continue on to earn a master’s degree in the same field, which he will complete later this year. His ultimate dream job is professor at a high-end research institution, where he can work on several projects that he said will prove challenging and beneficial to preserving the environment.

The research in which Machek currently is involved would do just that. He is part of a collaborative team that includes colleagues from the University of Illinois as well as the

University of Koblenz, Germany, who are researching pharmaceuticals not removed through common water treatment processes. The group is hoping to influence both

the community and medical researchers to take a hard look at what compounds threaten the world’s watersheds and should be avoided.

Machek didn’t always want to be a professor at a research institution; at one time, he thought he may want to pursue hands-on engineering. In order to determine his career pathway, he participated in several internships with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) as an undergraduate. The experience, while beneficial to his learning, helped him to realize he wanted to pursue a more research-oriented path, and to “help educate the next generation of engineers.” Machek’s involvement with the American Society of Civil Engineers student group was also a huge influence and provided him with great networking opportunities.

Giving back to the University of Akron has also influenced Machek’s decision to follow his desire to teach. Over the last few years, he has been involved with U of A’s tutoring services. The tutoring program helped Machek learn effective communication and teaching skills, enabling him to achieve his main tutoring goal of helping students realize that success comes from perseverance, rather than simply being smart.

“People who never quit, rarely fail,” Machek said, adding that if his students were unfamiliar with the subject matter, he helped them to

understand the material and to stop doubting themselves.

Next fall, Machek plans to seek a Ph.D. in environmental engineering, yet another step along his pathway to protecting the environment and teaching young minds to value themselves and the world around them.

STUDENT PROFILE

Edward J. Machek Jr. B.S. Civil Engineering, M.S. Civil Engineering – The University of Akron

Edward Machek

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 [email protected].

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

Southern State, Schneider Partner for Truck Driver Training Program Ken Smith John Joy Schneider Southern State Community College

Primary Care Partnership for the Community Jared Slanina Erik Porfeli, Ph.D. Heather M. GriesbachNEOMED NEOMED NEOMED

Penta Career Center & Cherry St. Mission Integrated Change Agents Rhonda Hogrefe Penta Career Center

The Beauty of C-TEC’s ESOL ProgramStacie Trace Kelly Wallace Erin Wheeler KDC Columbus C-TEC C-TEC

Donna Albanese ABLE

Startup Spotlight: TinyCircuitsKen Burns Deanna R. Dunn TinyCircuits University of Akron

U of A Student Taking Steps to Preserve the PlanetEdward Machek Joette Dignan Weir Eileen Korey University of Akron University of Akron University of Akron

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