KSU center breaks ground

Staff report

twinsburg, ohio

Kent State University, the second-largest public university in Ohio, recently marked its continuing commitment to providing students with pathways to affordable and accessible higher education with the groundbreaking of the new Kent State University Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg.

A new 44,000-square-foot, two-story building will be constructed in the heart of Twinsburg, accessible from Interstate 480 off of state Route 91.

Kent State President Lester A. Lefton was joined by Kent State University at Geauga Dean David Mohan, Twinsburg Mayor Katherine Procop and other community and university members for the groundbreaking ceremony. The project, a public-private partnership, highlights regionalism by using a Cleveland developer and a loan from the Akron Port Authority.

“We have seen a lot of growth at our academic center in Twinsburg, and we see this trend continuing,” Lefton said. “To better serve our existing students and to offer additional programs, we need a new building with state-of-the-art classrooms, technology, science and medical laboratories. Today, we celebrate Kent State’s latest investment in providing high-quality higher education to Northeast Ohio.”

Mohan, who oversees the regional academic center in addition to Kent State Geauga, explained that the current Twinsburg building has many challenges and limitations that are not designed for 21st-century education.

“The Twinsburg Academic Center is in a historic building known as ‘The Old School,’ which was built in 1921,” he said. “It has aging infrastructure and mechanical systems. The parking capacity has already been surpassed and expected enrollments will soon exceed classroom capacity, even with the best scheduling practices.”

The academic center serves about 900 students. In the new building, which will be called the Kent State University Regional Academic Center, the university can serve up to 1,500 people.

“One of the primary differences is that in the new building, we’ll offer executive-level education and training,” Mohan said. “We do not offer that now. We’re looking for at least six master’s programs offered at the Kent campus to be offered here.”

The new academic center is regionally situated with more than one million citizens within a 30-minute drive. The northern Summit County location attracts a diverse student population, and about 20 percent of its students come from Cuyahoga County, with that number growing each year.

It is also near new facilities, including a growing number of medically related businesses, making the Regional Academic Center an ideal location to offer nursing, public health and executive training programs and serving a high-volume area for health professionals, in particular.

Medical facilities in operation or under construction in the area include the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Health System, Summa Health System, Edgepark Medical Supplies and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Ohio.

Once completed, Kent State University Regional Academic Center will offer a full range of programs, from traditional associate and baccalaureate degrees to master’s degrees and executive training programs. The expanded course offering also will include more continuing education, work-force development and job training, as well as community engagement opportunities.

Kent State’s private partner in this project is Fairmount Properties of Cleveland, the developer of the building. The new facility will be built through a loan from the Akron Port Authority and will take advantage of the federal Build America Bonds program, allowing nearly $1 million in cost savings.

The university has entered into a 30-year tenant lease agreement. After 30 years, the building becomes university property. Fairmount Properties is responsible for such developments as First & Main in Hudson, Ohio; Brunswick Town Center in Brunswick, Ohio; and University Circle College Town in Cleveland.

Kent State University Regional Academic Center is expected to be completed for the fall 2012 semester.