State of the College
Update | Monday, September 30, 2019
Highlighting impressive student successes at the College, President Harrison encouraged community leaders to join in “moving the needle” further. “The time is
now,” he said. “We can’t do it alone.” He was speaking to roughly 300 people – civic
leaders, elected officials, and others at Friday morning’s State of the College address
to the community in Mitchell Hall.
The presentation featured student metrics showing how Columbus State has improved student success. One illustration is the narrowing of the achievement gaps for low-income students and students of color. The College earned the prestigious national Leah Meyer Austin Award this year for those still-improving results.
The president went on to say that the future of work will involve deep partnerships with employers. He cited programs already in place with Honda, Worthington Industries, and Accenture as examples.
Associating with public agencies, including the Department of Job and Family Services and Catholic Social Services (CSS) is also having an ongoing impact. CSS now has caseworkers on our campus to assist students.
Dr. Harrison promoted public-private partnerships which have allowed the College to set up programs with high schools. Five years ago, 500 high school students were taking Columbus State courses. By last year, that number had surged to 7,000. The increase is due to partnership programs generously funded by the AEP Foundation and JPMorgan Chase, along with assistance from Ohio’s College Credit Plus program.
Mitchell Hall was another prime example of public-private partnerships making a difference. The president revealed a rendering of the soon-to-open Mid-Ohio Food Market at Columbus State. Working with Mid-Ohio Foodbank, the new Market will be a community grocery store with fresh food and vegetables, free of charge. “Being in a food desert, we’re being intentional,” he said, “by using resources at Mitchell Hall to make 250 ready-to-eat meals a week to be distributed to the community.”
In closing, the president said, “The path to economic mobility is a good job that leads to a career path. As we look at the next ten years, none of us can do it alone. Let’s do it together. We look forward to working with you to make it happen.”
(Pictured above: President David Harrison addressing attendees at the State of the College address on Friday, September 27.)
Go to 2019 Update Archive Go to Employee Update
Latest Update Stories