Local colleges and universities adding new programs and initiatives for 2022-23
School is back in session and the college and universities of Greater Cincinnati have been hard at work to increase student opportunities, expand their programs and celebrate achievements.
We checked in with the area’s schools to get the latest news on these initiatives. Here’s a sampling of some of the changes that have been made to higher education in the region.
Chatfield College
Chatfield College has two new initiatives this year. The first is the implementation of a Professional Development Academy, which is a non-degree seeking program.
Christina Mullis, director of admissions and marketing, says the Professional Development Academy has courses in a variety of topics that are focused on aiding individual professional development.
“This program is really for anybody who’s looking to get a little bit more of an edge on their career or to maybe learn about something that they have an interest in,” Mullis says. “Actually, for a real-life example, I just completed my certificate in nonprofit management.”
These courses are powered through MindEdge, whose team created the curriculum. The courses are fully online and people can complete them on their own time. Most are structured with a mixture of reading and videos. Each end with an assessment of knowledge and some can even be done from your phone.
One unique thing about the Professional Development Academy through Chatfield is that the proceeds from the courses go to the college’s student support programs.
“Our tagline is ‘PD with purpose,’” Mullis says. “You’re doing your professional development and you’re also serving a purpose of helping people in the meantime. You [would be] helping students with life skills and tutoring and mentoring and things like that.”
The other initiative Chatfield implemented will allow people to host events on the campus grounds.
A little over 170 years ago, a group of Ursuline sisters came from France to the Brown County area and started a boarding school. That property now operates as the oldest part of the campus of Chatfield College.
“It’s a very historical area,” Mullis says. “It’s just gorgeous, it sits on 100 acres. It’s really quiet. There’s a pond and we’ve got this beautiful stone chapel that the sisters designed. And what we have really decided is, ‘Why don’t we share this space?’”
People will be able to rent this area for special events such as weddings. There are additional spaces and buildings to hold receptions, baby showers, graduation parties, etc. Like the Professional Development Academy courses, the proceeds from the event rentals will go back to support the students.
“The students that we support at Chatfield tend to be first-generation students who have a lot of need in navigating the college experience,” Mullis says.
The rental aspects of Chatfield have been named Julia’s Meadow. Julia’s Meadow is named after Julia Chatfield, one of the Ursuline sisters and the founder of Chatfield College.
“We just want to let people know when you’re thinking about your special events and where you want to have them, not only do you get this beautiful, historic space, but you can also know that by having your event through Julia’s Meadow, you’re empowering students to achieve their dreams.”
Eastern Kentucky University
Lots of new things have been happening at Eastern Kentucky University, including the inauguration of a new president, David McFadden.
McFadden, who was sworn in this past spring, is the third Eastern Kentucky University alumnus to be president.
“He’s from Johnson County, [which] is considered a low-income part of Kentucky,” says Sarah Baker, director of public relations. “[EKU has] been called the ‘School of Opportunity,’ that’s been kind of our coined brand for a really long time because we try to make higher education accessible and affordable for people in that region. And him being from that region of eastern Kentucky definitely makes it unique.
“His passion for that cause is a little stronger than maybe someone who comes from out of state or another area to be our president.”
To increase the affordability of higher education, Eastern Kentucky University has partnered with Barnes and Noble to offer free textbooks and tutoring. In the past three years, EKU has ramped up a program called Booksmart, which is through Barnes and Noble and offers free textbooks for all undergraduate students.
“All students are at that same level of ready on day one of class,” Baker says. “So students who maybe didn’t have the income to purchase textbooks, that’s no longer an issue. We don’t have any disparities between students on day one. They’re all ready.”
The free tutoring, which is with a company called Bartleby, also through Barnes and Noble, will roll out this fall.
“We’re able to offer this free online tutoring platform for all our students,” Baker says. “[We really care about] equity, making sure all of our students have the same opportunities, no matter their economic position or what they’re aware of.”
Another new initiative coming is called Big E Central.
“It used to be, when you were coming to Eastern, if you had a question about scholarships versus your financial aid, those were two different offices,” Baker says. “They didn’t really work together. So now we have Big E Central with student services, financial aid, all the student success pieces are together.”
The Exceptional Eastern Experience, or E3, is another new initiative geared towards students who lost opportunities in high school due to the pandemic, such as going to prom or being on a sports team. E3 will provide a unique student life experience through events like concerts or performances by Saturday Night Live cast members. There is also a professional speaker series to aid in professional development.
Gateway Community and Technical College
One of the recent happenings at Gateway Community and Technical College has been taking place at its Urban Metro Campus. The Urban Metro Campus, which includes the Center for Technology, Innovation and Enterprise and the Transportation Technology Center as well as the Professional Services Center, acts as the hub for student services in the Covington, Kentucky, area.
Students in nearby high schools, including Dayton, Bellevue, Lloyd, Newport, Ludlow and Holmes, are able to get career technical education through Gateway Community and Technical College, an initiative that began a couple of years ago.
What’s new is the expansion of the information technology and logistics programs as well as exposure to manufacturing programs.
“[We] have entry-level exposure to welding and HVAC. Computerized machining is the only thing we don’t have there at this time,” Fernando Figueroa, Gateway’s president and CEO, says. “And that may change depending on the success of the initiative.”
Two things are currently happening with the manufacturing programs. One is increasing access to the programs for students in grades 9-12. The other is working with an assessment process called New Science, which focuses on student aptitudes and interests.
“What we have found is that our students, particularly in northern Kentucky, have a high aptitude and competencies relevant to manufacturing and a lot of the key industries that we have, but their interest or exposure to them is next to nothing,” Figueroa says. “What we’re trying to do is really bring those two houses together in order to improve the number of individuals who … match the interests and then the places where they can work afterward.”
Gateway Technical and Community College has also expanded its nursing program due to the need for nurses in Kentucky.
“For Kentucky, a lot of our nurses have, since the pandemic, been getting involved in travel nursing and leaving the state in great numbers,” Figueroa says. “And so our region in our state is focused on a statewide health collaborative, trying to get our hospital networks working with our colleges and universities to improve the number of individuals who are capable of being RNs.”
Another expansion that has come to Gateway Technical and Community College is the Lineworker Technician Certificate Program. Thanks to a $25,000 grant to the college from the Duke Energy Foundation, the program will add more students and in turn, add more people to the workforce.
Mount St. Joseph University
Mount Saint Joseph University recently welcomed a new head women’s basketball coach, Maisie Elston.
Elston comes to Mount St. Joseph after a one-year stint as assistant coach at Indiana University East, and five seasons at Earlham College, where she was assistant coach and later interim head coach.
“We are extremely excited to bring in Coach Elston to take the reins of our women’s basketball program. We are confident that Maisie will come in and build a program with a championship team culture and consistent identity on and off the court. During this extensive search it became clear to the search committee that Coach Elston was exactly what we needed to lead this program going forward,” said Melanee Wagener, Mount St. Joseph director of Athletics, in a press release.
Mount St. Joseph University recently expanded its Department of Liberal Arts, with the addition of a new liberal arts major, and five new concentrations. Along with the Liberal Arts major, the department will also offer concentrations in English, history, philosophy, religious studies and theater.
Mount St. Joseph University specifically highlighted its mission statement as being indicative of how important these programs are to the university’s mission and core: “Mount St. Joseph University is a Catholic academic community grounded in the spiritual values and vision of its founders, the Sisters of Charity. The university educates its students through interdisciplinary liberal arts, and professional curricula emphasizing values, integrity and social responsibility.”
Northern Kentucky University
March 21, 2022, Northern Kentucky University officially opened the Western & Southern Contact Center, which gives students an opportunity to be employed with flexible hours that work around their class schedules.
The center is a continuation of a partnership between NKU and Western & Southern. In the past, Western & Southern has been involved in career fairs, class projects and more.
NKU President Ashish Vaidya says, “We are excited to partner with Western & Southern to provide this work-integrated learning opportunity for our students, The new contact center will allow our students to work part-time and gain meaningful real-world experience while pursuing their degree simultaneously.”
In addition to the new center, NKU entered into a partnership with Gateway Community and Technical College, Miami University and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College called “Moon Shot For Equity,” which aims to close equity gaps in higher education.
In a press release, the school said, “Data show that barely half of all Black and Latinx students who enter college earn their undergraduate degree within six years compared with nearly 70% of White students. First-generation students and those from families with lower incomes also graduate college at significantly lower rates than students from more privileged backgrounds, regardless of race.”
Each participating school agrees to implement over a dozen research-tested practices to break down systemic barriers to higher education. These practices include academic relates policies and training programs.
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati has waived its SAT and ACT test requirements for applicants in 2023 and 2024. The decision is intended to increase equity and access to higher education, and to ease stress on students.
According to a University of Cincinnati press release, Jack Miner, vice provost of Enrollment Management, said, “Research indicates universities that have implemented test-optional policies in recent years are not seeing an academic slide, and those same universities are gaining a more diverse student body. This is also the case at UC, which has seen a record increase in diversity for all populations as well as first-generation students. “
Xavier University
In June, Xavier University welcomed Nezam Al-Nsair as the founding dean of the College of Nursing. The college, established in 2019, is the fourth college at Xavier. Nursing was first offered at the university in 1981 and has grown to be its most popular undergraduate program.
Al-Nsair has over 20 years of experience, including working to expand and grow multiple other nursing programs at other institutions. In addition to that work, Al-Nsair was also the founding dean of the Myers School of Nursing & Health Professions at York College of Pennsylvania.
In a Xavier University press release, Al-Nsair said, “I would like to explore the possibility for growth and expansion for the college, especially with the adult learners or graduate programs. I think there’s room for us to assess the market need, and how can we be part of the workforce development for our community and our community partners. We should do needs assessments and explore what else can we do to serve our communities on a local, regional and national level in terms of new graduate programs, building on existing programs, certificates or micro-credentialing.”
In addition to bringing onboard a new nursing dean, Xavier University received recognition as a collegiate Purple Star for “outstanding commitment to the military community.” The program recognizes institutions in higher education that support and are inclusive for military-connected students.
In a press release, Xavier University President Colleen Hanycz said, “This designation is truly an honor, one that evidences Xavier’s longstanding commitment to the military community. Our university will continue to build upon this tradition and to employ strategies that will strengthen our service to military-affiliated students, and their families, in the years to come.”
Criteria for being chosen as a Purple Star institution include having a dedicated military/veteran point of contact and/or office on campus, establishing priority registration for veterans and service members, surveying student veterans and servicemembers—along with spouses and dependents—about needs and challenges, and allowing for the establishment of student-led groups and organizations for veterans and service members.
