President Nellis visits Eastern Campus, meets with St. Clairsville business and industry leaders
Photo courtesy of: 51ĀŅĀ×51ĀŅĀ× President M. Duane Nellis met with area business leaders to discuss local economic development, education and opportunities for improving community relationships during an August 13 roundtable luncheon on the Eastern Campus.
51ĀŅĀ× President M. Duane Nellis met with area business leaders to discuss local economic development, education and opportunities for improving community relationships during an August 13 roundtable luncheon on 51ĀŅĀ×ās Eastern Campus.
Dr. Nellis was joined by Interim Dean of 51ĀŅĀ× Eastern Dr. Bob Klein and Executive Dean of Regional Higher Education Dr. Bill Willan. It was the fifth and final stop on Dr. Nellisā regional roundtable tour that included visits to Lancaster, Zanesville, Chillicothe and Ironton.
Nellis began the meeting by sharing one of OHIOās strategic pathways ā to create a holistic engagement ecosystem ā that focuses on working alongside the businesses and entities within each of the Universityās campus communities and engaging more fully with their surrounding regions.
āEach of OHIOās regional campuses is vital to our overall engagement efforts because they serve as not only a pathway to a transformative education, but to meaningful professional careers as well,ā President Nellis said. āI truly believe that creating a more engaged ecosystem between the University and the region, at all of OHIOās campuses, can lead to economic growth and shared success.ā
Nellis also highlighted OHIOās continued commitment to being part of the solution for the stateās opioid crisis by working to collectively elevate the impact of the regionās opioid-related initiatives. He noted that the ongoing opioid crisis will continue to affect area opportunities for jobs fulfillment and increased economic success if left unchecked.
āItās important that we work together to eliminate the root of the opioid problem in order to ensure our regionās long-term wellbeing and economic prospects,ā Nellis said.
Roundtable attendees during the Eastern Campus visit represented numerous local industries, including: manufacturing, business and entrepreneurship.
Attendees shared a desire to look to the future and explore opportunities for increased STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning and stressed that it will be important to provide the areaās next generation of students with pathways to both four-year and two-year degree programs; they also noted that increasing local internship opportunities and fostering strong professional mentoring pipelines will be essential to keeping OHIO graduates in the region.
Dr. Nellis agreed and noted that successful career pathways often begin early in a childās educational development; he said it will be important for OHIO to increase its relationships within local school systems to inform area students of the great career opportunities that are available nearby.
Dean Klein shared that 50 percent of the students on OHIOās Eastern Campus are already being placed in professional internships within the local community ā he said itās a figure that, although encouraging, is ripe for improvement.
āOften times, higher education is simply viewed as oneās ticket away from their hometown,ā Dean Klein said. āItās important that we showcase the opportunities and lifelong value that can be realized by reinvesting in oneās local community, too.ā