Fall 2019 Tri-C Times

TIMES TRI - C®

MEET STOMP TRI-C’S NEW MASCOT P23

G N I FINDTTER E A BW AY Y? D A E R

IN THIS ISSUE P6:

2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE P14:

P24:

WORLD CHAMPION THE POWER BAGPIPER AT TRI-C OF PHOTOGRAPHY A PUBLICATION OF CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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THANK YOU for your support of

Cuyahoga Community College’s Issue 3 keeping Tri-C where futures begin

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An Educated Workforce Helps Us All.

11/6/19 11:47 AM

PRESIDENT’S Message TO OUR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) has been known as “the community’s college” for many years; but it wasn’t until recently that we really began to think about what that means. In order to truly live up to that reputation, we realized that we must immerse ourselves more deeply in the community rather than wait for the community to come to us.

Tri-C Times’ fourth annual State of the College issue provides a high-level overview of our efforts to do just that. We’ll share what we’ve accomplished over the past year, as well as our plans for 2020. We’ll also highlight key metrics, including graduation rates and degrees/certificates awarded — numbers that continue to climb.

Beyond that, we’ll share the stories of individuals who are actively using their experiences at Tri-C to improve the community, whether by facilitating physical healing, promoting literacy or spreading cultural awareness through the creative arts.

We’ll also introduce you to Stomp — Tri-C’s new costumed mascot, whose presence has already managed to increase the sense of unity and community at and among our campuses.

Finally, we’ll share how the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation’s Presidential Scholarship Luncheon continues to raise critically needed funds to help students throughout Northeast Ohio realize their educational goals.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank you, our stakeholders, for recognizing the value that Tri-C brings to Cuyahoga County with your “Yes” vote for Issue 3 in November. It is with gratitude and pride that we celebrate the successful passage of this operating levy — another incredible milestone in the College’s history.

YOUR WILLINGNESS TO INVEST IN TRI-C ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE PROVIDING LIFE-CHANGING EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

I’m excited to see what the future holds ― a future you have helped to shape.

Sincerely,

Alex Johnson, Ph.D. President

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IN THIS ISSUE:

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EDITOR

John Horton MANAGING EDITOR

Mary Gygli COPY EDITOR

Beth Cieslik WRITERS

Erik Cassano Beth Cieslik John Horton Jarrod Zickefoose PHOTOGRAPHERS

Joseph Darwal Judith Khaner Daniel Levin Tamara London Abdelmasih Markus Jason Miller Cody York

TABLE of CONTENTS President’s Message.................................3 Upfront........................................................5 State of the College....................................6 Student Profile: Anne Gallo......................14 Alumni Profile: Rhonda Crowder..............16 Alumni Notes............................................19 Preventative Care Center.........................20 Mascot Profile: Stomp..............................23 Faculty Profile: Daniel Levin....................24 Presidential Scholarship Luncheon........28 One Last Thing.........................................30

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DESIGN

Bill Reid

FOLLOW TRI-C Tri-C Times is published by the Cuyahoga Community College Integrated Communications Department for its friends and constituents. Feedback and story ideas are welcome. Send correspondence to Tri-C Times, 2500 E. 22nd St., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, call 216-987-4322 or email editorial@tri-c.edu.

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Upfront COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXCELLENCE Tri-C has been recognized as an Aspen Prize Top 150 Community College based on high achievement and performance in student outcomes. The Aspen Institute Community College Excellence Program selected Tri-C for the biennial honor, regarded as the nation’s signature recognition for two-year institutions. The distinction makes the College eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The top 10 finalists for the 2021 Aspen Prize will be named in May 2020.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Cuyahoga Community College earned gold for going green.

Tri-C’s rebuilt Metropolitan Campus Center received LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in September. The award is based on measured and documented evidence of sustainable design. A two-year project reshaped Metro Campus Center into an energy-efficient structure that will save the College more than $24,000 a year in utilities. Tri-C now boasts four buildings with LEED Gold status.

LL 2019 CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

The MetroHealth System made a $1 million investment in Tri-C to better connect community members to life-changing academic and workforce training programs. The gift launches a scholarship fund and provides seed money to open a Tri-C Access Center at MetroHealth’s new Institute for H.O.P.E. (Health, Opportunity, Partnership and Empowerment). The donation builds on a long-standing partnership between the College and the health system. It was announced at the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation’s annual Presidential Scholarship Luncheon. (See page 28.)

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TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

START HERE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE BEGINS AT TRI-C FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NORTHEAST OHIO RESIDENTS EVERY YEAR. WHATEVER THE ROUTE, THE COLLEGE IS COMMITTED TO HELPING EVERY JOURNEY END IN SUCCESS.

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TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

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TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

STATE OF THE COLLEGE

BY PRESIDENT ALEX JOHNSON

HAVE YOU TAKEN A ROAD TRIP LATELY? If the answer is yes, odds are you navigated with a GPS and trusted every bit of advice it offered — even if you wondered whether the directions made sense.

The great thing about these devices is that they usually get us where we want to go. But sometimes, we end up going down a longer road. While GPS does a great job of determining a route, it can lack knowledge of the most effective route. In other words, it lacks context.

It was a wake-up call. As an institution, we recognized that our outcomes were well below what they should be.

At Cuyahoga Community College, that context is our culture — the values and behaviors that define who we are and guide what we do.

At that time, Tri-C graduated fewer than 2,500 students a year, and our three-year graduation rate — as tracked by the federal government — was 3.7%. And so, as a self-regarding institution and self-regarding educators, we set out to change that.

Our culture is grounded in the belief that, when we work together, we can find a better way. And when we find a better way, we make a difference in the lives of others. Let me give you a few examples.

We launched One Door, Many Options for Success — a program that provided structured educational pathways and support that reduced time to completion and increased graduation numbers.

Ten years ago, we were challenged by a number of external forces We introduced the First Year Experience program and developed that compelled us to become a better institution. We faced some tools such as One Record, DegreeWorks and the Collegewide yearlong schedule to help students plan and stay on their sobering regional statistics as well: academic pathways.

• Ohio ranked 38th in the nation in degree completion.

• The skills gap in Greater Cleveland meant that only six in 10 workers were prepared for high-skill, high-wage jobs.

• In the neighborhoods of Cleveland, that ratio was one in 10.

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TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

We pursued cost savings and efficiencies to use every dollar responsibly — a savings of $5.6 million last year. The community recognized that stewardship in November by overwhelmingly approving the College’s levy request. Nearly 65% of Cuyahoga County voted “Yes” on Issue 3 to keep higher education affordable and accessible.

We grew our College Credit Plus program into one of the largest and most successful in the state, allowing thousands of Greater Cleveland teens to build their academic resume without building debt.

We introduced the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center and expanded honors programming to provide distinctive and challenging experiences.

We worked to address the skills gap by expanding our partnerships with employers and increasing our workforce credential offerings.

All of these efforts demonstrate the College’s commitment to academic quality and continuous improvement. Last year, our accreditation was reaffirmed with the highest score possible.

In addition, Tri-C was named a Leader College of Distinction by Achieving the Dream — just one of many national recognitions that show we are a great community college in Ohio and in the nation.

Each accomplishment listed above stemmed from the same approach: We worked together, we found a better way, and we made a difference.

We created six Tri-C Centers of Excellence with a vision to seamlessly blend credit and noncredit programming.

We set Tri-C’s tuition at the lowest rate in Ohio and worked with the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation to award record amounts for scholarships.

BY THE NUMBERS Tri-C launched multiple programs in recent years with one goal in mind: creating clearer pathways to commencement for students. The efforts brought immediate results, with graduation numbers climbing to record highs.

Degrees and Certificates Awarded 2009-10...................2,422 2010-11...................2,760

2014-15...................4,309 2015-16...................3,806

2011-12...................2,669 2012-13...................3,015

2016-17...................4,318 2017-18...................4,444

2013-14...................3,660

2018-19...................4,287

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TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

ENTER: • We removed barriers to entry with an online application for College Credit Plus students.

• We streamlined the process for transient enrollments with online approvals.

• We reduced the number of steps in our enrollment process.

• We instituted procedures to reduce the number of students dropped for non-payment.

Following our tremendous progress around student success and completion, we committed to expanding college access.

We held an Access Summit and launched our Access Agenda with its Six Dimensions: Connect, Convert, Enter, Learn, Retain and Complete.

CONNECT: • We opened the first two Tri-C Access Centers in our community to bring resources and services to neighborhoods. Plans are underway to add two more.

• We launched the Access app in March and trained 400 Access Champions dedicated to helping students find their path.

CONVERT: • We put processes in place to increase conversion rates for both College Credit Plus and tech prep students.

• We introduced Super Saturday enrollment events.

LEARN: • Math and English faculty created pathways to increase completion of college-level mathematics and English within the first 30 credits.

• ALEKS, a new assessment tool, provides math assessments and coaching for students entering the institution.

RETAIN: • We piloted a First Year Experience program for workforce students.

COMPLETE: • Since 2014, the number of workforce credentials and certificates earned by our students has grown from just over 1,000 to nearly 19,500.

• In the 2018-2019 academic year, we awarded 4,287 degrees and certificates while raising our three-year IPEDS graduation rate to 21.9%.

BY THE NUMBERS The federal government measures success rates in higher education through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The system tracks how many first-time, full-time community college students earn an associate degree within three years of enrollment. After years of growth, Tri-C’s IPEDS rate now exceeds the national average for community colleges in urban settings.

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Tri-C’s IPEDS graduation rate by initial enrollment year: 2010-2013................................4.5% 2011-2014................................5.2% 2012-2015...............................9.3% 2013-2016............................ 12.6% 2014-2017............................ 15.2% 2015-2018........................... 18.9% 2016-2019............................ 21.9%

TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

are underrepresented in the workforce. We must know what our students need and be their champions every step of the way.

For each step, we worked together, we found a better way, and we made a difference.

It’s good to look at what we’ve achieved together and celebrate.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come. These are remarkable accomplishments that provide a strong foundation from which we can continue to move forward.

So what’s next? What will the next decade look like? Where will our culture-powered GPS take us?

Every person at Tri-C is committed to this effort through their everyday work — bringing individuals into the College, supporting them on their journey and keeping them on the path to completion.

We will focus on providing more individuals with immediate success through short-term certificates and credentials. This will build their confidence, help them get good paying jobs and provide building blocks to a two-year degree and, perhaps, a bachelor’s degree.

Today, we face different challenges than we did 10 years ago. Today, our call to action is the national challenge around enrollment.

The bulk of enrollment declines are driven not by population declines in high school students, but by lower enrollment among those 24 and over — a group that needs continued education and training more than ever, given workforce changes and demands.

Our greatest challenge — and our greatest opportunity — is connecting with those who reside in our core communities and

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TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

We will also investigate and begin to offer bachelor’s degrees in critical areas such as nursing.

We will create a more robust online schedule by 2020 to accommodate those who need greater flexibility or are unable to come to our campuses.

We will create deeper partnerships with other community organizations to provide wraparound services that improve retention and completion and help students graduate more quickly.

We will provide stronger and more seamless pathways to advanced degrees through programs such as Degree Link with Cleveland State University; The Cleveland Humanities Collaborative, which connects our students with Case Western Reserve University; the dual enrollment program with Bowling Green State University; and many more.

We will expand our Centers of Excellence — in IT, for example, so that our students can benefit from opportunities emerging through the impact of 5G on the Internet of Things, blockchain, cloud computing and Westlake’s growing IT corridor.

BY THE NUMBERS Tri-C Workforce Credentials Awarded: 2014-2015............................. 1,034 2015-2016............................. 4,360 2016-2017..........................13,903 2017-2018..........................16,118 2018-2019.........................19,349

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Fast-track workforce training programs at Tri-C offer students opportunities to upskill and earn credentials in high-demand fields such as health care, information technology and manufacturing. These programs prepare students for immediate employment in jobs with growth potential and family-sustaining wages. Each graduate bolsters the regional talent pool, making Northeast Ohio more attractive to employers who will power economic growth and vitality.

TRI-C 2020 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

Our Access Centers are just the first step toward a future in which we are more integrated into the lives of our neighbors.

This will involve every person at the College and require a thorough and objective evaluation of every touch point that students and the community have with Tri-C. We will be dedicated and passionate Access Champions who are committed to improving and accelerating the student journey.

Our work will continue to be guided and defined by our culture.

We will continue to create job hubs like the Transportation Innovation Center in Euclid, which is strategically located near Amazon and Lincoln Electric, to allow people to walk from home to a training site and to a job.

Because if we work together, we will find a better way, and we will make a difference.

We will continue to be a powerful economic driver in Greater Cleveland as a result of the people we educate.

Perhaps the most significant change is that the community will become our center. For too long, we have seen ourselves as a destination — an insulated place the community had to seek out.

The journey to advanced college degrees often begins at Tri-C. In a recently tracked threeyear period, nearly 35,000 students benefited from the convenience and low cost of a Tri-C education before transferring to a four-year institution.

Top transfer destinations for Tri-C students include: Cleveland State University........................5,597 Kent State University...................................3,405 The Ohio State University..........................2,178 University of Akron........................................2,176 Ohio University.................................................1,953 Baldwin Wallace University......................1,430 Bowling Green State University................. 853 University of Cincinnati................................... 787 John Carroll University..................................... 731 Case Western Reserve University............ 696

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PIPE DREAMS

TRI-C STUDENT PROFILE

STORY BY Jarrod Zickefoose PHOTOS BY Tamara London

ANNE GALLO DEFIES STEREOTYPES WHILE WINNING BAGPIPING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN SCOTLAND Anne Gallo has a great icebreaker. When she’s in a class for the first time, and the instructor asks her to tell the other students something about herself, her response turns heads.

“I’m like, ‘I play bagpipes,’” said Gallo, who attends Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus.

As of this summer, she can make that opener even more interesting.

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Gallo can now say she is a world champion bagpiper.

In August, she was named Piper of the Day at the Glasgow International Piping Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. In her category, Grade 2, she scored the most aggregate points in the competition’s three events.

“I knew it was a good performance,” said Gallo, who lives in North Royalton. “I don’t think it was my best, but I knew it was good.”

TRI-C STUDENT PROFILE

Even for someone who chose an ancient instrument, Gallo is an uncommon performer. For one, she’s a woman. Once prohibited from playing bagpipes, women still form a minority of players.

The 22-year-old is also young among performers usually associated with graying hair. At Glasgow, Gallo was the youngest competitor in her group by at least a decade.

The international success comes after only six years playing the instrument.

“It wasn’t until I was 16 that I got serious about the bagpipes, and that’s when I actually started playing them,” Gallo said. “I’m kind of like a baby in the bagpipe world.”

Gallo’s large family is Scottish. Her two sisters are Highland dancers. Her eldest brother plays bagpipes, and another brother plays drums in Highland competitions.

Her mom also plays bagpipes. In fact, Gallo said she had her “Eureka!” moment watching her mother play in a solo competition.

“I found out you earn points. The video-game generation in me was like, ‘Oh, cool,’” Gallo said.

So, she found a teacher she liked and got serious.

“I hadn’t played for a while, and he actually laughed when I first played for him,” she said. “I was like, ‘OK. I’m going to show him I can do this.’”

Before long, Gallo — a self-described “lazy piper with a natural talent” — was competing at Scottish festivals across the country. Not long after, she was winning praise and medals.

In addition to her competitive solo playing, Gallo is a member of the Great Lakes Pipe Band — at Grade 2, the highest-level pipe band in Ohio.

While her summer competition schedule keeps her too busy for classes, the rest of the year she adds studies to her to-do list along with working in the Western Campus College Credit Plus office. Gallo earned an Associate of Arts degree from Tri-C this past summer. She’s still taking

classes at the College as she prepares to transfer to Cleveland State University to study supply chain management.

“I love Tri-C. It’s going to be hard to leave it … I like the whole atmosphere of it. The people I meet, the teachers. I’ve had a lot of really good teachers,” she said.

In the meantime, Western Campus has something of a celebrity walking its halls.

“When I was walking around in Scotland at the big festival, this random person points at me and goes, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s the world champion!’”

Gallo said. “I was like, ‘What the heck is going on here?’”

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TRI-C ALUMNI PROFILE

GIVING THE GIFT OF

WORDS

RHONDA CROWDER ROSE FROM THE STREETS OF CLEVELAND’S HOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL WRITER. THROUGH “HOUGH READS,” THE TRI-C ALUMNA INSPIRES MORE READERS AND WRITERS TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS. STORY BY Erik Cassano PHOTOS BY Jason Miller

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TRI-C ALUMNI PROFILE

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TRI-C ALUMNI PROFILE

RHONDA CROWDER REMEMBERS THE MOMENT SHE WANTED TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL WRITER. “I was going through the YOU [Youth Opportunities Unlimited] program, working at the Cleveland Children’s Museum,” Crowder said. “A mentor gave me a copy of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and as soon as I read that, I knew I wanted to be a writer.”

She called Cuyahoga Community College and registered for fall classes in 1994. On her way to graduating in 1998 with an Associate of Arts degree, she became an honors student, joining Phi Theta Kappa and becoming the treasurer of the Metropolitan Campus chapter.

In the 21 years since graduating from Tri-C, she has earned a bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University; worked as a reporter for the Call & Post; served as associate publisher of Who’s Who in Black Cleveland; and launched her own creative services agency, Rhonda Crowder & Associates.

AN UPHILL BATTLE Crowder is a professional writer who grew up in Hough. To give an idea of how rare of a feat that is, consider that an estimated 95% of Hough’s population deals with some form of illiteracy.

The numbers aren’t much better in other inner-city Cleveland neighborhoods. In nearby Kinsman, the illiteracy rate is an estimated 98%.

Community-based organizations are trying to chip away at the problem. In 2017, Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood became the first in the United States to be designated a “Little Free Library Neighborhood,” taking the Little Free Library concept — small outdoor boxes where area residents can take, leave and share books — and turning it into a communitywide initiative.

But amid all of her professional success, the 45-year-old hasn’t forgotten her roots in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, where she has coordinated the project she hopes will be her lasting legacy: Hough Reads, an initiative that battles a widespread illiteracy problem in the neighborhood Crowder once called home.

“IF YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF ADULTS CAN’T OR DON’T READ, IT WILL TRICKLE DOWN TO CHILDREN. IT BECOMES A CYCLE. WHERE THE LITERACY RATE IS LOW, POVERTY IS USUALLY HIGH.”

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TRI-C ALUMNI NOTES Margaret Bernstein, a Little Free Library board member and friend of Crowder’s, wanted to expand the initiative to Hough and asked Crowder to coordinate the effort.

Marc Whitmore Class of 2013

But Hough Reads goes beyond Little Free Libraries.

It’s active in its approach, taking reading to the people.

“We have book giveaways,” Crowder said. “We go out and read books to kids and adults. We have activities to get people enthusiastic about reading, in a way that doesn’t make them feel insecure if they have literacy issues.”

Hough Reads is currently run by Crowder and Wayne Dailey, creative director at Rhonda Crowder & Associates. The initiative relies on volunteers to lead activities and on community partners for support.

It’s a grassroots effort to tackle a massive problem, but Crowder is unfazed.

She realizes that every book shared and every event coordinated is an opportunity for someone to discover the value and joy of reading.

She realizes this because she lived it.

REKINDLING A LOST LOVE

Crowder came close to becoming part of the illiteracy and poverty statistics.

A diligent student as a child, she became disinterested in education soon into her high school years.

“I basically blew off 10th and 11th grade,” she said. “When it came time to become a senior, I only had one credit for senior-level classes. I had to make up classes that year, but I did manage to graduate.”

Marc Whitmore always listened to the Black Keys, the Grammy Award-winning rock band from Akron.

These days, though, he listens closer than he ever dreamed possible. Whitmore serves as drummer Patrick Carney’s sound engineer and worked with him to build a new recording studio and engineer the band’s latest album. He spent part of 2019 on the road with the Black Keys during their North American tour.

Bilou Isaac

Class of 2017

After high school, she worked as a housekeeper for a while — but low income and long hours led her to seek a new direction.

That’s when she entered the YOU program, and a copy of Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography found its way into her hands. It opened her eyes to the work of female African American authors. Through Angelou’s book, Crowder started to believe she could be a writer.

She brought that belief with her to Tri-C. In her years at the College, Crowder learned many lessons she still uses to provide Hough Reads with a strong guiding hand.

“As treasurer of PTK, I learned a lot about how organizations run.

My classes taught me how to look at problems critically and solve them. And I continued to develop my love for reading and writing and the desire to share it with others,” she said.

“All of that stems, in some way, from my time at Tri-C. I built my foundation there.”

For more information on Hough Reads, visit ioby.org/project/hough-reads.

Coffee beans fuel mornings for most people. For Bilou Isaac, they fueled his next step in higher education to build on his Associate of Science degree from Tri-C. Isaac received the University of Akron’s first “Zips for Haiti” scholarship to return to Northeast Ohio and pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Students at Akron created the scholarship fund through sales of Haitian coffee beans in a partnership with Akron Coffee Roasters.

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CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY

STORY BY John Horton PHOTOS BY Cody York

TRI-C’S PREVENTATIVE CARE CENTER BEGAN OFFERING LOW-COST HEALTH CARE SERVICES A DECADE AGO. THIS FALL, THE CENTER SCHEDULED ITS 5,000TH APPOINTMENT.

Alan Davis took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew the next few minutes would be a struggle. Slowly, while lying on his right side, he began inching his left leg forward on a table pulled close to his bed.

The 63-year-old Cleveland man clenched his teeth while straining to move the disagreeable limb and work his weakened hip flexors and extensors.

Whenever he slowed down, Bryant Dela Cruz encouraged him to push harder.

“Straighten that leg all the way,” said Dela Cruz, a secondyear student in the physical therapist assistant program at Cuyahoga Community College. “Now bring it back. Good … good ... Now let’s do it again.”

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Similar conversations filled the room at Tri-C’s Preventative Care Center at Metropolitan Campus. The center provides low-cost health care services to community members while giving Tri-C health career students learning and training opportunities in a clinical setting.

Tri-C opened the center a decade ago, with the initial setup powered by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. This fall, the center scheduled its 5,000th appointment.

“The College is dedicated to offering this service,” said Heidi Shenk, who oversees the center. “It’s really an opportunity to offer something to the community and help those who need care.”

The center fills with people every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon during fall and spring semesters. Davis became a regular three years ago as he sought to combat the spinal stenosis he inherited from his father.

His goal is to gain enough strength and stability to shed his walker: “If I stopped doing what I’m doing, I’d stop moving,” Davis said. “I want to get better. That’s why I keep coming back.”

The same dynamic took place across the room, where Tri-C student Oleh Zavatskyy walked 67-year-old Theresa Vodka through a series of exercises to rehabilitate a back injury and lessen her sciatic pain.

Zavatskyy bounced ideas off Tri-C’s Chris Headrick throughout his session with Vodka. Headrick is the academic coordinator of clinical education with the College’s physical therapist assistant program.

“We like to let the students problem-solve and come up with things to do,” Headrick said. “Our goal is guide them without micromanaging.”

The center is staffed by students studying to be medical assistants, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapy assistants and dietetic technicians. They work under the supervision of licensed or certified health care providers.

A few paces from where Dela Cruz worked with Davis, Tri-C instructor Sharon Kanz kept a watchful eye on their interactions. She occasionally offered Dela Cruz tips or stepped in to demonstrate a technique.

Rotations through the care center are built into the curriculum of Tri-C’s health career programs. Shenk said the sessions bring classroom lectures and textbook lessons into real-life focus for students.

Aside from physical and occupational therapy sessions, the center offers services such as blood pressure readings; glucose and cholesterol screenings; pain management; bone density screenings; nutritional coaching; stress management; and exercise and education programs.

“Our students receive the experience of working in a clinical environment without leaving campus,” Shenk said. “They learn so much working with people who are dealing with real pain and problems. What happens here can’t be replicated in a classroom. It’s invaluable to the learning process.”

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Four strokes upended 36-year-old Jarvey’s world a few years ago, transforming his athletic build into a collection of uncooperative muscles. The man who once skied and played softball suddenly couldn’t tie his own shoes.

Dela Cruz expects to graduate from Tri-C in May once he finishes his clinical rotation, an in-the-field training opportunity that he feels more than ready to begin following his experience in the care center.

The 32-year-old from Brook Park said the life-changing work of a physical therapist assistant convinced him to enter the field. His time in Tri-C’s Preventative Care Center drove that point home.

“You’re not just providing care for someone,” Dela Cruz said.

“You’re giving them skills to become stronger, to take control of their life. It’s amazing to see someone gain that power.

You see the difference you can make for someone.”

Someone like Dave Jarvey.

Dela Cruz spent part of a recent session in the care center helping Jarvey work to reverse the damage from his strokes.

A cone-stacking exercise focused on rebuilding hand strength, as well as coordination and trunk stability.

Again and again, Jarvey went through the drill. Dela Cruz coached him with each repetition.

Jarvey said his goal is to return to his old self. The father of three from Cleveland said he has seen improvement since beginning his physical therapy sessions at Tri-C in 2018.

None of it, he said, came easy.

He credited the support he found at the care center with giving him the power to continue.

“These kids … they won’t let you give up,” Jarvey said. “They give me hope here. I can’t say enough about the job these students do. If these are our future caregivers, we’re all going to be in good hands.”

NO PHYSICIAN REFERRAL IS NEEDED FOR AN APPOINTMENT AT TRI-C’S PREVENTATIVE CARE CENTER. MANY SERVICES ARE FREE; OTHERS COME WITH A MINIMAL FEE OF $5 TO $10.

CALL 216-987-3555 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

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The fuzzy, friendly Triceratops made a full red-carpet entrance at the Metropolitan Campus Center amid lights, smoke effects and a cheering throng. Stomp continued finding fans on visits to the Eastern, Western and Westshore campuses and Brunswick University Center.

Stomp’s introduction continues the rebranding of Tri-C and its athletic teams. All Tri-C sports programs have adopted Triceratops as their nickname, and the renovation of both the Metro and Eastern gyms feature new floors and paint jobs with the Tri-C Triceratops logo.

But Stomp’s reach will go well beyond campus. Look for our new dinosaur friend to make appearances at events across Northeast Ohio.

STOMP QUICK FACTS Height:

7 feet

Tri-C Major:

Plant Science (What else would you expect from an herbivorous dinosaur?)

Jersey Number:

63

Favorite Color:

(The year Tri-C was founded)

Favorite Movie:

Jurassic Park

Teal

Favorite Cartoon:

The Flintstones

—TRI-C PRESIDENT ALEX JOHNSON

What’s seven feet tall, teal and filled with Tri-C school spirit? Students, faculty and staff at all four campuses found out this fall with the debut of Stomp, Tri-C’s firstever costumed mascot.

“A MASCOT HAS THE POWER TO RAISE THE SPIRIT OF THE ENTIRE COLLEGE COMMUNITY. STOMP IS STRONG, CONFIDENT AND BOLD — QUALITIES THAT REFLECT WHO WE ARE AT CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE.”

MEET

Favorite Off-Campus Hangout: Cleveland Museum of Natural History FALL 2019

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TRI-C FACULTY PROFILE STORY BY Beth Cieslik

THROUGH A LENS OF HOPE

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Daniel Levin

TRI-C PROFESSOR DANIEL LEVIN BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO MAKE TOUGH TOPICS ACCESSIBLE When Daniel Levin first entered luthier Amnon Weinstein’s workshop in Tel Aviv, Israel, his response was visceral. From the pungent scent of varnish to the piles of spruce and maple shavings, everything in the room gave off a palpable energy.

A grant from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland allowed him to find out.

“The Weinsteins’ Workshop: The Luthiers Who Restored the Violins of the Holocaust” is a series

That energy is what Levin, a photography professor at Tri-C, set out to capture in his 2015 series of photographs documenting Weinstein’s mission to rescue and restore violins played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust.

Historian James A. Grymes’ 2014 book, Violins of Hope, brought the story to light. But Levin wanted to know more.

“There was already a lot of information out there about the violins themselves,” he said. “What I was interested in was, ‘Who is this guy, and what are his skills? What does a luthier do? What does his workshop look like?’”

DANIEL LEVIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY ONE OF HIS STUDENTS, JUDITH KHANER.

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of 73 photographs taken by Levin during his visit to Tel Aviv. It’s part of the traveling “Violins of Hope” exhibition, in which audiences can see the violins themselves as well as hear them played.

Levin, who lost an entire side of his family in the Holocaust, feels fortunate to be part of the project.

“I love that my photographs help make the story accessible to people of all ages and faiths,” he said. “There’s such beauty in these instruments as objects, and it’s a victory that they’re being played.”

After 9/11, though, the father of three decided to spend more time on the ground than in the air.

He joined Tri-C In 2002, at the urging of fellow photographer Garie Waltzer — the woman who founded the College’s photography program in the 1970s and spent the next three decades building its curriculum.

Levin is grateful to have landed in a place where diversity is the norm and, most importantly, where it’s celebrated.

“My classroom always has an amazing mix of people — a high school kid sitting next to a guy who’s just retired from working on the line at Ford, next to a prosecutor. These students, who probably never would have said hello on the street, end up pushing and encouraging and challenging one another in this wonderful way.”

Students are encouraged to interpret assignments in their own way and to find unique approaches to convey beauty and meaning through their photographs.

“I tell them to avoid clichés,” Levin said. “A bee on a flower, two people walking into the sunset — pictures like that are sweet, but they have no meaning anymore. They don’t provoke a raw response.”

ARTISTIC EVOLUTION Not only does Levin challenge his students to grow as artists, he pursues growth and change in his own endeavors as well.

The series includes photographs of Weinstein cleaning, restoring and polishing the instruments, as well as a few candid shots of the luthier outside of working hours — visiting his local flea market or meeting his wife, Assi, for lunch. Many are accompanied by descriptions that provide clarity and historical context.

“It’s definitely a documentary project,” Levin said. “There’s nothing ambiguous about it.”

FROM THE STUDIO TO THE CLASSROOM The frank, uncomplicated style of “The Weinsteins’ Workshop” is Levin’s signature. After earning a BFA in documentary photography from The Rochester Institute of Technology, he assisted established artists for a few years before “hanging his own shingle” as a commercial photographer.

Operating out of a studio in downtown Cleveland’s Artcraft building, Levin specialized in environmental portraiture — capturing a subject in their own surroundings. He spent much of his time traveling to photograph a wide range of people, including public figures like Margaret Thatcher and George H.W. Bush.

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Since earning an MFA in visual art from Vermont College of Fine Arts several years ago, his interest in contemporary art — vastly different from the documentary style he was accustomed to — has grown.

“It’s more about ideas and metaphor,” he said.

“The intention behind it is to stir up conversation among viewers, even if it’s in their own head. It’s exciting to make.”

Levin’s latest project, “If Not Kindness,” is the largest-scale work of his career. A time-bending look at oppression, it comprises a series of tableaus built on-site and photographed in various locations throughout America. It is still under production.

TRI-C FACULTY PROFILE

Currently, Levin is preparing for “The Weinsteins’ Workshop” openings in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The exhibit will open in Sioux City, Iowa, in spring 2021. (It appeared in Cleveland in 2015 and Phoenix in 2019.)

He cherishes the opportunity to reach so many viewers and tell such an important story through his art.

“It’s an exciting time to be a photographer,” he said. “This time, this moment, is a democratization of photography. It’s never been more popular than it is today.”

For more information on Violins of Hope, visit violinsofhopecle.org.

For more on Daniel Levin’s photography, visit levinphoto.com.

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TALL

STORY BY John Horton PHOTOS BY Cody York and Joseph Darwal

BILL WALTON RARELY USED HIS PROVIDED CHAIR NEXT TO LEN KOMOROSKI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS AND ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE, WHILE ENTERTAINING THE CROWD AT THE CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION’S PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON.

BASKETBALL LEGEND BILL WALTON ENCOURAGED STUDENTS TO ‘CHANGE THE WORLD’ BEFORE TAKING THE STAGE AT THE TRI-C FOUNDATION’S PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON How are you going to make a difference?

The question from basketball legend Bill Walton hung in the air like a turnaround jumper as he looked over a group of student leaders from the Metropolitan Campus of Cuyahoga Community College.

“You can’t sit and wait for the game of life to fall in your lap,” Walton advised. “You have to go and get it.”

Walton met with the students during in an October visit to Cleveland for the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation’s 2019 Presidential Scholarship Luncheon, presented by PNC Bank.

From the moment he entered the room, he challenged the group to lead impactful lives.

Later that day, the Hall of Famer showed them exactly what that meant.

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WALTON (BACK, CENTER) WITH STUDENT LEADERS FROM TRI-C’S METROPOLITAN CAMPUS.

Walton helped raise more than $1 million for scholarships while headlining the Foundation’s annual luncheon. More than 1,000 people attended the event at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

Dollars raised will benefit students with financial need as they pursue higher education to achieve academic and career goals.

Students like the three dozen who met with Walton. The majority of the group — including some members of Tri-C’s nationally ranked basketball team — are among the thousands of scholarship recipients enrolled at the College.

Walton applauded their initiative but cautioned that they were just getting started. He implored them to continue pushing forward with confidence, no matter what obstacles inevitably arise in their path.

“Take the worst thing that ever happened to you and make that the best,” Walton said.

Following Walton’s playing days, he reinvented himself and carried his on-the-court success into broadcasting and business careers. The transition required him to overcome stuttering — an achievement he called the greatest accomplishment of his life.

The man who once struggled to say a simple “thank you” was named one of the Top 50 sports broadcasters of all time by the American Sportscasters Association in 2009.

Walton later became volunteer executive chairman of San Diego Sport Innovators, a nonprofit business accelerator that drives growth in the city’s vibrant sports economy by offering innovative programs and services for companies.

He’s also active with many organizations and charities, author of the memoir Back From the Dead, and perhaps the world’s biggest Grateful Dead fan.

Foundation President Megan O’Bryan called Walton an inspiration.

VINCENT SMALLS, A FORWARD ON THE NATIONALLY RANKED TRI-C MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM, RECEIVES A GOOD LUCK FIST BUMP FROM WALTON.

“Don’t be afraid to fail,” he said. “Failure is always part of it.”

He would know, too. Struggles provide the backstory to Walton’s award-winning resume. His success on the hardwood — which includes multiple NCAA and NBA championships — came despite a body that continually broke down.

While talking to the students, he didn’t mention any of the statistics that led to him being named the nation’s top collegiate player three times and the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1978.

He did, however, note how many orthopedic operations he has endured. (Thirty-eight is the answer.) Walton said that intense pain and subsequent recovery taught him a key lesson of life.

“Bill’s life is a lesson in what can be achieved through dedication and perseverance,” she said. “Hearing about his journey will no doubt motivate our students to push beyond what they thought was possible.”

Walton adds to the list of distinguished speakers to headline the luncheon, joining fellow Hall of Fame athletes Earvin “Magic” Johnson (2015) and Hank Aaron (1997), as well as sports broadcaster Bob Costas (2008).

Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation’s Presidential Scholarship Luncheon has raised more than $21 million for Tri-C students.

“YOU CAN’T SIT AND WAIT FOR THE GAME OF LIFE TO FALL IN YOUR LAP. YOU HAVE TO GO AND GET IT.” ―BILL WALTON

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ONE LAST THING

Artwork inspires Abdelmasih Markus. That’s why the Tri-C photography student brought his camera along on a College-organized cultural daytrip to Cleveland museums. The outing included a stop at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR) to view “Seen/Unseen,” an exhibition of African American art. That’s where he captured the above photo of Mindy Tousley, AAWR’s executive director, discussing the power and significance of a 2005 sculpture by Cleveland artist Thomas Hudson that pays tribute to inventor Garrett Morgan. “Seeing works like that drive you to do better,” Markus said. “They offer lessons to anyone willing to learn.”

Markus, 42, lives in North Royalton. He hopes to use his studies at Tri-C to launch a photography business. The Egyptian immigrant previously earned an associate degree in lodging and tourism management from the College.

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