CINCINNATI — Cincinnati State is struggling with lower enrollment and smaller budgets, but leaders and faculty are hopeful better times are ahead.
President O'dell Owens announced his resignation Wednesday to become medical director at the Cincinnati Health Department. His departure marks the end of his five years as president.
College officials named Provost Monica Posey interim president while a national search commences to find a permanent replacement.
Cincinnati State's enrollment is down 10 percent compared to a year ago, at 9,664. Coupled with a state-mandated tuition freeze, the college is dealing with less money coming in and leaving many open faculty positions unfilled.
"We are a lean and mean organization," said Cathy Crain, chairwoman of the board of trustees.
Like community colleges throughout the Midwest, Cincinnati State is being hit hard by a dip in the population of high school graduates and by a growing economy. When jobs are plentiful, would-be students tend to forgo the investment of time and money into a degree or certificate.
"For the last several years we have tightened our belt. I think all of the community in the college realize these are difficult times," Crain said.
Officials are using several strategies to try to change those trends. Perhaps the most successful so far is the college's embrace of College Credit Plus, Ohio's program to offer high school students college credits. High school students earn college credit for courses taught by college-certified teachers at their high schools or at Cincinnati State.
Enrollment has ballooned from about 30 students taking these sorts of classes three or four years ago to 1,309 this fall. Last year, 2,003 students participated over the course of the full year, a number Posey hopes to match by spring.
"We're energized and working on our spring recruitment," Posey said. "I'm proud of everyone for what they're doing."
The second major initiative is a pending collaboration with an outside consultant to boost enrollment and to better market the college. Crain said details of the new partnership are still being ironed out, but she's optimistic the investment will translate into higher enrollment.
"We're looking forward to having that expertise. It could be a game changer for the college," Crain said. "It could help us enormously with enrollment."
Finally, the board and administration are making plans to launch a new capital campaign that would pay to renovate aging facilities.
Praise for outgoing President O'dell Owens
O’dell Owens has been an asset to Cincinnati State during his five-year tenure as president. I’ve visited the campus several times, including when President Owens graciously offered to host a Board of Regents meeting there, and I have always been impressed with the work that is being done to successfully prepare students for their future. The Cincinnati State STEM Academy, which offers high school students dual enrollment to Cincinnati State, and the partnership that Cincinnati State has with the University of Cincinnati are just two examples of how Cincinnati State has flourished under President Owens’ leadership. I know he will be greatly missed at the college, and I look forward to crossing paths with him in his new role as medical director of the Cincinnati Health Department.
-- Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor John Carey
College officials have not established a fundraising goal and launch date, Crain said.
Posey is a Cincinnati State veteran well-versed in various initiatives already under way at the college, which she hopes will make the transition smooth.
"We have a lot of energy around building enrollment and increasing student retention," she said.
By all accounts, student retention — keeping students for a second year to keep working on an associate's degree — is an area that needs improvement. Overall, 46 percent of 2014's first-year students returned this fall. The rate was slightly better for full-time students at 48.5 percent.
Posey said a pilot project involving 300 students is under way this fall that's modeled after the City University of New York's successful retention program. Students are given a greater number of "wrap-around" services like more counseling and financial incentives for completing coursework.
If the results boost retention, the college will look for a way to pay for broader implementation of the program.
"We're also working on implementation of some of the important initiatives at the state level like reducing the number of credit hours in academic programs as a way to make a degree more affordable and quicker to obtain," Posey said. "We've had to analyze all of our programs and find tightening opportunities."
Pam Ecker, a faculty member and spokeswoman for the faculty union, said budget cuts have taken a toll on morale among teachers.
"We have a lot of faculty positions that are frozen because of the financial situation, and certainly we want to return to a full complement of faculty," she said. "But I'm hopeful that we can work together to address some of these challenges."
The college has 210 full-time faculty members. The college did replace some retirees and added a new position for the welding program, said Jean Russo-Gould, vice president of marketing and communications.
Crain expressed pride in the college despite recent enrollment and budget reductions.
"We are a great institution, and we will continue to be a great institution, and we always appreciate and need the community's assistance," Crain said.
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