Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio, and Stark State College in North Canton, Ohio, have officially launched a combined Judicial Court Reporting program.

Robyn Hennigan, assistant professor and program coordinator of Clark State’s Judicial Court Reporting program, said the all-online program entails learning to write a realtime theory on a stenographic writing machine at established speeds to provide instantaneous translation of the spoken word.

“We are having great student success so far,” said Hennigan. “Students are already progressing in speeds, and we are getting great feedback from them regarding the support they are receiving.”

The 65-credit-hour Judicial Court Reporting curriculum is an even split between the two colleges. Students take online courses at both institutions and earn an associate degree upon completion. Both institutions are reflected on the graduate diploma. “We are in the process of creating a career enhancement certificate in captioning that would follow the associate degree,” said Hennigan.

Clark State hopes to see increased enrollment in the Judicial Court Reporting program, as the demand for skilled workers in the field continues to grow. Careers are available in live programming, courtrooms and classrooms. “It offers a huge range of opportunities,” said Hennigan. “It's a high-paying IT career option where opportunities are abundant, and life-long learning is at the forefront.”

For the second year in Ohio, Governor John Kasich and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor signed a proclamation declaring February 14-20 Ohio Court Reporting and Captioning Week.

“Court reporting in Ohio has been a valued industry for many, many years,” said Hennigan. “To have support from our Governor and Lieutenant Governor instills in the individuals in the profession, as well as Ohioans who rely on our services, that court reporting and captioning is an honored and noble profession worthy of recognition and praise.”