Local colleges are adding labs, programs and facilities to stay ahead of the game

This year, many local colleges in the Greater Cincinnati area are looking toward the future, a future that has a need for highly trained students in specialized fields. As technology changes, the need for talent increases, and the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and Butler Tech are adding labs, programs and new facilities to help train this new generation of highly skilled workers.

University of Cincinnati

The Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati has announced an Applied AI Lab to ensure students, faculty, staff, its business partners and other valued college stakeholders can use the latest AI advances to solve real-word business problems, according to UC News.

This new lab is a collaboration between the Center for Business Analytics and Lindner’s Department of Operations, Business Analytics and Information Systems (OBAIS). The Applied AI Lab will serve students and business partners in addition to being an incubator for AI “starter kits” and adding to AI expertise for Lindner faculty and staff.

“As artificial intelligence—particularly generative AI—continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the establishment of the Applied AI Lab underscores Lindner’s commitment to leading in this transformative field,” Jeffrey Shaffer, Applied AI Lab director, Kirk and Jacki Perry professor of Analytics and assistant professor-educator of OBAIS, said to UC News. “We are uniquely positioned to provide cutting-edge training and education not only to our students, faculty and staff, but also to our partnering companies through the Center for Business Analytics.”

The Applied AI Lab will offer a Center for Business Analytics training course for Generative AI in Business: Applications, Challenges, Ethics and Governance. Additionally, students can earn an Artificial Intelligence in Business graduate certificate and local companies or organizations can take training courses from the Public Center for Business Analytics. For faculty and staff, AI’s Got Talent is a course that covers the basics of generative AI, best practices and how to leverage AI for teaching and research purposes for Lindner faculty and staff, according to UC News.

“The Applied AI Lab’s approach is quintessential Lindner, empowering business problem solvers via generative AI and beyond,” Lindner Dean Marianne Lewis said to UC News. “And in a field changing this quickly, cooperative education is critical. This is where Lindner excels, with our students, faculty, staff and business partners collaboratively learning and practicing and, in doing so, developing new AI knowledge. Together we learn and thrive.”

Xavier University

Recently, Xavier University announced that it would be adding five new majors to its undergraduate program. Each program will begin in fall 2025.

“These new majors align with our commitment to providing students with a cutting-edge education that prepares them for the challenges and opportunities for the future,” Rachel Chrastil, Xavier University provost and chief academic officer, said in a press release from the university. “We are excited to leverage our existing strengths in health sciences, computer science and the humanities to provide students with rigorous experiential preparation in high-demand fields while emphasizing the responsible use of science and technology, preparing our students to be leaders who make a difference.”

These five new programs will be artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, genetics, neuroscience and microbiology. Artificial intelligence will be an interdisciplinary program, focusing on equipping students with the knowledge and skills to develop systems and applications for the AI field. Those enrolled in the program will be trained in machine learning, natural language processing, robotics and practical coding skills.

Through hands-on experience, the cybersecurity program will provide students with a robust foundation in programming. Students will be trained to have a deeper understanding of hardware, systems and compliance. The genetics program will allow students to explore the study of genes and their structure, function and impact on human health and diversity, according to the press release. Students will take Xavier’s existing biology and chemistry classes along with modern genetics, molecular biology and genomics courses.

Combining biology and psychology, the neuroscience program will explore both areas to break down the boundaries between them. Students will develop an understanding of cellular, molecular, cognitive and behavioral aspects of the brain, according to the press release. Finally, the new microbiology program will focus on the study of microorganisms and their impact on human health, food safety and the environment. Through this program, students can learn and understand the principles that rule microbial life and also develop laboratory skills.

“The addition of these new offerings demonstrates Xavier University’s dedication to training students and professionals of the future for lives of impact and meaning,” the press release says. “Xavier is uniquely positioned in each field to strategically leverage pre-existing academic strengths to meet the needs of students and train them for a rapidly evolving job market.”

Butler Tech

Butler Tech has announced that it will be building an Aviation Education Hangar at the Middletown Regional Airport. This will be accomplished with the help of a $1 million grant from the JobsOhio Ohio Site Inventory Program (OSIP) in partnership with REDI Cincinnati, a local business incubator that is the “first point of contact” for companies considering the Cincinnati region, according to its website.

The City of Middletown is also a partner in this project. Its planned location at the Middletown Regional Airport will have a “significant impact” on the workforce pipeline in Dayton for the aviation industry, according to a press release from Butler Tech.

“With the increase in the need for aviation professionals, the Butler Tech Aviation Education Hangar creates a dynamic opportunity for the Middletown Airport to support the industry and increase opportunities for education in the aviation space,” J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO, says in the same press release. “The Middletown Airport’s location between the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and Dayton International airports, along with its proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, makes it ideally situated to bring industry leaders and students together to prepare the future aviation workforce.”

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in nearby Dayton makes the development of this Aviation Education Hangar unique. The aviation industry supports 87.7 million jobs around the world, according to Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders, with 11.3 million jobs being directly in the industry. These jobs include airport operators, other airport-based roles (retail, car rental, customs and immigrations, freight forwarders and catering), airlines, air navigation services and civil aerospace, which includes 1.3 million engineers and designers of civil aircraft, engines and components.

The $15 million project will include a 28,000-square-foot facility, which will host classes and “state-of-the-art” labs. Aviation maintenance, engineering, private pilot training and unmanned aircraft systems will be some of the skills taught and developed in the labs.

Middletown Airport, which is an active airfield, supports FBO (Fixed Base Operator) operations for many aircraft annually and will be ideal for future aviation mechanics.

None of this would be possible without the OSIP grant from JobsOhio, which has allowed the project to move from “preparation to construction.”

“This OSIP grant is a crucial piece of the puzzle, allowing Butler Tech and our partners to begin immediate construction,” Jon Graft, superintendent and CEO of Butler Tech, says. “With all this funding secured and the recent FAA approval for the Air Frame and Power certification, we can now transform the site into a hub of aviation education, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities and preparing them for high-demand careers in the aviation industry.”

“The investment at the Middletown Regional Airport represents an innovative approach to strengthening our region’s aviation corridor with a talent pipeline, allowing educators to train students using a relevant curriculum through hands-on learning labs,” Kimm Lauterbach, president and CEO of REDI Cincinnati, says. “This commitment supports Butler Tech’s dedication to producing students who are both career-ready and prepared for college.”

The total cost of the project is $15 million and made possible by the Butler County Commissioners ($7 million), the city of Middletown ($500,000), the JobsOhio Site Inventory Program in partnership with REDI Cincinnati ($1 million) and Butler Tech
($6.5 million).