Panel’s plan calls for Mahoning Valley community college

Panel’s plan calls for Mahoning Valley community college

CLEVELAND — The results of the Northeast Ohio Universities Collaboration and Innovation Study are in, and they call for a community college in the Mahoning Valley.

The report, released Friday, came after a year of research by officials from Youngstown State University, the University of Akron, Cleveland and Kent State universities and the Northeast Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

The result was 18 recommendations aimed at increasing college enrollment and reducing tuition costs.

YSU already has taken the lead, without state sanction, in developing plans for a local community college, after a directive from its board of trustees to come up with a plan.

The university has been working on a collaborative approach that would involve area career and technical centers and perhaps other colleges in creating a community college that wouldn’t have a central campus — but would offer classes in a variety of settings, essentially taking the educational process to those who would enroll.

The Valley is the only area in the Northeast Ohio region without a community college.

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.