Chancellor John Carey from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) will visit Clark State Community College on Wednesday, August 24.
“Chancellor Carey makes a practice of visiting public universities and community colleges to stay informed about innovative ideas and practices occurring on campuses across the state to see what is working best in Ohio’s higher education network,” said Steve Proctor, deputy director of communications for the ODHE.
Proctor said Chancellor Carey is particularly interested in Clark State’s focus on affordability for students and families, what Clark State is doing in the areas of applied technologies such as precision agriculture, and current leadership in the area of workforce education.
The Chancellor and his staff have visited Clark State a number of times to share information about ODHE initiatives as well as elicit feedback regarding higher education policy.
“We want to share the good work we are doing around workforce education and development and highlight our Precision Agriculture and Manufacturing programs,” said Clark State president Dr. Jo Alice Blondin. “Clark State’s efforts around increasing college affordability for students and families, such as our Tuition Challenge program, will also be discussed as well as our new Guaranteed Interview program.”
Blondin said the Chancellor and his staff do a great job of keeping informed about new programs and creative solutions meant to reduce the cost of higher education across the state of Ohio. Blondin is also looking forward to sharing national policy perspectives from the National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE), of which she serves as president-elect.
“One policy change that NCWE is championing is the ability for students to use Pell grant monies to pay for short-term credentials, such as certificates,” she said. “At this time, Pell grants are awarded to students who are seeking longer-term certificates as well as two- and four-year degrees. With employers requiring a quick turnaround for trained employees in areas such as cybersecurity and manufacturing, it makes sense that the federal government would leverage Pell grant dollars to assist in upskilling the U.S. workforce.”
Carey was appointed Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education by Governor John R. Kasich in April 2013. He oversees the state’s public two-year and four-year institutions and Ohio Technical Centers, and, with the advice of the nine-member Board of Regents, provides policy guidance to the Governor and the Ohio General Assembly, and carries out state higher education policy.