PIQUA — In keeping with its mission, Edison State Community College is working to provide the communities it serves with the best education and resources possible. A number of institution-wide initiatives will get underway and further develop in 2018, to ensure the tradition, which Edison State was founded upon, continues.

Dr. Doreen Larson, president of Edison State Community College, has shared the following report.

Robinson Student Career Center: Following a generous $2.5 million donation from Thom and Patricia Robinson of the Robinson Fund, Edison State will use the funds to build a 5,200 square-foot student career center and campus entry at the College’s Piqua Campus.

After receiving the funds, Edison State started the architect selection process, landing on SHP Leading Design as the project architect. Most recently, SHP Leading Designs presented the initial concept layouts, which consists of office space, common area, student/visitor lobby, interview spaces, a conference room, and a reception desk.

The projected space is intended to lend itself toward to the promotion and integration of students into a growing regional workforce while serving as a catalyst for students by helping to bridge the gap in the employment process.

The College is planning an official groundbreaking ceremony in 2018, with an anticipated project completion date of 2019.

State Approved Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor: Fall 2017 semester marked the initiation of Edison State as a State approved Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor by leveraging funds through the State of Ohio and partnering with regional industry.

Edison State has a long-standing relationship with a variety of companies to support apprenticeship programs under their State approved sponsorships including Emerson in Sidney and FRAM in Greenville. Under these partnerships Edison State proctors tests for the related hours of instruction in the electrical, toolmaker, and machine repair apprenticeships.

The new Edison State Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor program builds upon the pre-apprenticeship programs found at both Upper Valley Career Center and the Miami Valley Career Technology Center along with enhancing the apprenticeship potential for industries throughout the region.

This new program at Edison State is part of the College Apprenticeship Consortium Project and supported by a $65,000 grant awarded to the college. Key objectives of the grant include: 1) to significantly increase the number and locations of registered apprenticeship embedded work experiences, 2) employ best practices in student and company registered apprenticeship support, and 3) to provide a simplified college-based point of entry process for employers to engage in registered apprenticeship programs.

While the initial focus of the Edison State Registered Apprenticeship Program is placed on manufacturing to meet the in-demand need, other industries will be pursued including information technology, healthcare, and business services.

Guided Pathways: Edison State continues work toward implementing the Guided Pathways project via the Student Success Leadership Institute sponsored by the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.

The Guided Pathways project at Edison State includes a redesigned advising model that is mandatory, proactive, and responsive to students’ immediate needs, along with clear program maps that guide students to successful completion of their educational objective. Also included in the Guided Pathways is an effort to place incoming students accurately using multiple measures of assessment, which include standardize test scores, high school grade point average, and performance in high school mathematics and English courses. Furthermore, as part of the Guided Pathways project, Edison State has a team working to revise the academic and advising information provided to students on the College’s website and in the catalog.

Edison State intends to introduce the Guided Pathways project to students beginning March 1, 2018. Measures will be taken to ensure success of the initiative via monitoring key performance indicators.

As Edison State continues to be a catalyst for higher education with the implementation of initiatives as mentioned, the college remains committed to supporting the community in every aspect of their mission.