2019 State of the College

TIMES TRI - C®

BUILDING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

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2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE P14:

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PRESIDENT’S Message TO OUR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS, Founded in 1963 as part of the growing community college movement, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) has been committed to student access since the day the doors first opened to more than 3,000 prospective students on East 14th Street in downtown Cleveland. Since then, the College’s open access admission policy has helped remove barriers to higher education for countless students. Today, our focus remains on these individuals and their specific goals — to join the workforce, transfer to a four-year institution or gain the knowledge required for the next step in life’s journey.

This issue of Tri-C Times serves as a snapshot of where the College is now — at the end of 2018 — and as a statement of where we will focus our efforts in the coming year. The need for greater and more equitable access to the College’s programs and services serves as the foundation for our new four-year strategic plan, which focuses on the student experience as the most important component to success.

Multiple construction projects are currently underway, thanks to the community’s overwhelming support of Issue 61 last fall. The capital bond funding allows us to modernize our facilities to accommodate the caliber of training our students need to succeed in today’s workplace, simultaneously helping Northeast Ohio employers close the region’s skills gap.

Tri-C is an attractive option for many individuals, given its affordable tuition — now the lowest in the state — and high-quality programming. However, getting students in the door is only half the battle.

IN RECENT YEARS, EFFORTS TO IMPROVE DEGREE AND CERTIFICATE ATTAINMENT HAVE RESULTED IN HISTORIC INCREASES ACROSS THE COLLEGE — PARTICULARLY AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC STUDENTS. At Cuyahoga Community College, the pursuit of excellence continues unabated. Our faculty, staff and administration wholeheartedly believe in the value of education and strive each day to ensure our students feel supported on their journey toward fulfilling and sustainable careers.

Please read on to learn more about this year’s accomplishments and our plans for 2019.

Sincerely,

Alex Johnson, Ph.D. President

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EDITOR

John Horton MANAGING EDITOR

Mary Gygli COPY EDITOR

Beth Cieslik WRITERS

Erik Cassano Beth Cieslik David Hoovler John Horton Madeline Shepherd Jarrod Zickefoose PHOTOGRAPHERS

Katie Ardner Joseph Darwal Tamara London Jason Miller Victoria Stanbridge McKinley Wiley Cody York

TABLE of CONTENTS President’s Message.................................3 Upfront........................................................5 State of the College....................................6 Blockchain................................................14 Studio 101................................................16 Student Profile: Chris Cullen....................19 Faculty Profile: C. Jean Mosley Hall.........20 The Voting Experience.............................23 Alumni Profile: Derek Pratt .....................24 Student Profile: Da’Shaunae Jackson....27 Presidential Scholarship Luncheon........28

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MeetMe@Tri-C..........................................30 #MyTri-CStory...........................................30

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 AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF PREHISTORIC PROPORTIONS Cuyahoga Community College went back in time to find a new mascot.

Students, staff and alumni chose Triceratops during an online September poll that attracted nearly 4,000 votes. The three-horned dinosaur serves as a formidable yet likeable creature that will be unique among school mascots. A design firm specializing in sports branding is working with the Tri-C community to create a mascot and logo for the College and its athletic teams. Tri-C has competed as the Challengers for many years.

UNDERSTANDING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE New Eastern Campus President Lisa Williams knows the needs of Tri-C students. After all, she was one. Williams enrolled at the College more than two decades ago in hopes of launching a career while juggling family life. The Associate of Applied Science degree she earned in 1994 provided a foundation for future academic and professional success. “The College represented opportunity to me,” Williams said, “just as it does for the students in our classrooms today.”

LL 2018 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Tri-C President Alex Johnson’s new book on leadership — Change the Lapel Pin — reflects his passion for educating students and pride in the work undertaken at Cuyahoga Community College.

Proceeds from sales of the book will go toward student scholarships provided through the Tri-C Foundation. “It is my hope that Change the Lapel Pin helps this new generation of leaders in more ways than one,” Johnson said. The book is available at campus bookstores or online at www.tri-c.edu/changethelapelpin. Cost is $24.95.

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TRI-C 2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

BUILDING TOWARD A

BETTER FUTURE STORY BY David Hoovler

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TRI-C 2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

“IT SEEMS EVERY YEAR I SAY THAT THE PREVIOUS YEAR WAS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTION — AND LAST YEAR WAS NO EXCEPTION. WHEN WE LOOK BACK, THERE IS A GREAT DEAL TO BE PROUD OF THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE COLLEGE’S FACULTY AND STAFF.”

— TRI-C PRESIDENT ALEX JOHNSON

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TRI-C 2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

STATE OF THE COLLEGE Q&A

WITH PRESIDENT ALEX JOHNSON

METROPOLITAN CAMPUS CENTER

Q

This past year seems like it has been a significant one for Cuyahoga Community College. What stands out to you?

During the 2017-2018 academic year, Tri-C awarded a record 4,444 degrees and certificates. We improved our fall-to-fall retention rate by 3 percent from the previous year, keeping more students on the path toward graduation. We also improved the rate of students completing gateway math courses by 3 percent.

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Most significantly, however, we have worked to increase our three-year graduation rate as tracked by the federal government.

While this reflects just a portion of our students, it is a major yardstick of quality upon which we are judged. When I came to the institution in 2013, this rate was 4.5 percent. Five years later, it has grown to 19 percent. This is a tremendous achievement on the part of my colleagues. It has involved a great deal of hands-on, one-on-one work with students to ensure they have the support they need to complete their educational goals.

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We will continue to push that rate higher over the coming years.

Our goal for 2020 is to reach 22.5 percent, which is reflective of the average among our peer institutions nationally. Of course we want to go beyond that, since we are not satisfied to be merely average. But we are very pleased with the progress we have made in a short period of time.

The College also hosted an accreditation site visit and review this year. What was the outcome of that process?

We had a highly successful site visit from the Higher Learning Commission as part of our regular accreditation review process.

We received the highest score possible in each of the five categories in which we are evaluated. Very few colleges receive this kind of validation. Again, this is reflective of the hard work and excellence demonstrated by our faculty members and many individuals in the administration. Their efforts reflect Tri-C’s commitment to academic quality and continuous improvement.

TRI-C 2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

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Last year, you spoke about the significance of the passage of the College’s capital bond. What work has been done since then?

The passage of our capital bond last fall — with 68 percent approval in Cuyahoga County — was a tremendous show of support from our community and a vote of confidence in the College. We have been using that funding wisely, beginning numerous projects that will modernize our campuses. These new and renovated buildings will provide the tools we need to offer relevant and essential training for the jobs of today and tomorrow while keeping a Tri-C education affordable.

Signs of this progress are apparent across the College. Work is nearing completion on the Metropolitan Campus Center, which — along with significant plaza improvements — is transforming our downtown campus. We celebrated groundbreakings at the Western and Westshore campuses for projects that are improving our facilities for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; public safety and automotive technology training programs; and student access to support services. Additional construction is waiting to begin at Eastern Campus and elsewhere.

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Community colleges are increasingly mentioned in discussions about economic development nationally. How is Tri-C contributing to those goals in Greater Cleveland?

As community colleges, we see ourselves in a climate with great opportunities to promote the overall well-being of the communities we serve. I am privileged to sit on the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges, and each time we meet, I learn about other community colleges and the great things we are doing as a sector.

We have an important role in workforce and economic development. The unemployment rate in Cleveland remains at about 7.4 percent, even as the national average has dipped to less than 4 percent. At the same time, though, we continually hear from employers frustrated that they cannot find workers with the necessary skills for available jobs. For this “skills gap” to close, it is essential that we connect workers to Tri-C programs and apprenticeship opportunities that provide the training needed for in-demand occupations.

The College’s award-winning Manufacturing Center of Excellence stands as a national model and catalyst for workforce solutions.

Our Information Technology Center of Excellence is partnering with giants in the industry — Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft, to name a few — to attract and train talent for the IT field. Health career programs at Tri-C remain robust and rank among the best in the country at producing successful graduates. Other fields of focus include truck driving and logistics, hospitality and public safety.

BY THE NUMBERS A national call to action issued in 2010 set an ambitious goal for colleges: Double graduation numbers within a decade to build a stronger and more educated American workforce. Tri-C is well on its way to meeting that challenge after posting record numbers at commencement four of the past five years.

Degrees and Certificates 2009-2010.................................. 2,422 2010-2011................................... 2,760 2011-2012.................................. 2,669 2012-2013.................................. 3,015 2013-2014................................... 3,660 2014-2015................................... 4,309 2015-2016................................... 3,806 2016-2017................................... 4,318 2017-2018................................... 4,444

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TRI-C 2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

Q

SIMULATION VILLAGE AT THE KEYBANK PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER AT WESTERN CAMPUS

How will Tri-C improve access to higher education?

We need to remove barriers to entry in order for people to take advantage of the opportunities offered at the College. It is great that we are getting students to graduation in a timely manner.

But without access, there is no success. And in that regard, we face a significant challenge.

up to age 24. Tri-C hasn’t seen that; our enrollment among younger students has been level. But the largest decline has been among individuals 24 years and older. This has been seen across the nation’s Midwest and Northeast regions, and Tri-C has mirrored its peers in this regard. We need to help this population understand that they can benefit from the power of a Tri-C education. They need to know what is achievable.

Since 2013, community college enrollment has declined at a significant level. Nationally, colleges have experienced a decline in students straight out of high school

This year, we launched a new strategic plan developed through unprecedented involvement from more than 1,800 individuals across the institution — including more than 1,000 students.

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. An increased focus on student success at Tri-C has helped the College’s IPEDS rate double over the past three years and nearly quadruple over the past five.

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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%

TRI-C 2019 STATE OF THE COLLEGE

The four-year plan builds on a foundation of access, equity and success and focuses on the student experience, affordability, workforce, the community and the College’s brand and image.

Affordability continues to be key. Even with a modest tuition increase for the fall semester, Tri-C is the most affordable college in the state of Ohio. This is the first time in the history of the institution that we can say that, and it is an extraordinary testimony to the commitment of our Board of Trustees and my colleagues to keep higher education affordable and accessible to our community.

In addition, through our partnership with the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, we awarded a record $3.2 million in scholarships. We have helped students with the Care Team ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTER AT WESTERN CAMPUS Cash initiative, which empowers our front-line staff to provide students with the resources they need on the spot to overcome obstacles to their education. In the first year, we awarded more “Connect” represents how we reach prospective students in the than $11,000 to students in Care Team Cash. community with the value of a Tri-C education. “Convert” is helping those individuals to become registered students, supporting them When we talk about access, we have to think about a number of through the decision and application process. “Enter” represents different things — not just how students come into the institution, removing obstacles or barriers for students. As I indicated, we but the entire student journey as well. We have identified six have already been doing this through a variety of initiatives, dimensions of access: Connect, Convert, Enter, Learn, Retain and but we are beginning to focus on it in a more intentional and Complete. We believe that the results of our accreditation process comprehensive manner. Finally, “Retain” — focusing on the show that we have learning in the classroom well in hand. Our retention of students as much as we have focused on completion. progress toward increasing our completion rate and numbers is evident, so the other four dimensions are where we are focusing our activity this year.

WESTSHORE CAMPUS CENTER

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WESTERN CAMPUS STEM CENTER

We are already working to put more of an infrastructure behind retention so that more students stay at the institution, complete their programs and ultimately attain family-sustaining and productive careers in our community.

This is our sense of urgency and the focus of our work for the coming year. We have already identified and are training Access Champions across the College, from my President’s Cabinet

*ADDITIONAL FACTS:

throughout the administration, faculty and staff. We have seen growth in our online offerings and are increasing our focus in that area. Our progress includes fully online degree programs and an online student assessment to ensure that students are prepared for the unique online learning environment. Look for that work to continue.

• FIRST IN OHIO AND SIXTH IN NATION IN ASSOCIATE DEGREES IN NURSING • LEADS STATE IN ASSOCIATE DEGREES AWARDED TO AFRICAN AMERICANS • HISPANIC STUDENT GRADUATION RATE INCREASED 1,000% OVER FIVE YEARS • POLICE ACADEMY CADETS SCORE AMONG BEST ON STATE TEST • RATED AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP COMMUNITY COLLEGES FOR VETERANS • PATHWAYS TO BACHELOR’S DEGREES AT 40+ FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

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Q

What are you most excited about for the year ahead?

The gains of the past 12 months provide momentum heading into 2019. We cannot — and will not — be satisfied with these accomplishments if we are to best serve the Northeast Ohio community that generously offers the College its steadfast support. In many ways, our work is just beginning. So I am eager to see how we will improve access to higher education even as we strengthen our student success and completion efforts and add to the long list of Tri-C graduates. I look forward to seeing

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TRAINING CENTER AT METROPOLITAN CAMPUS

many of the ongoing construction projects reach completion to offer students enhanced educational opportunities that ensure their marketability in the workplace. Most of all, I am excited to see how my colleagues across the College respond to the challenges ahead. Their commitment to students and the institution, their willingness to collaborate across disciplines and sectors, and their innovative spirit are an inspiration to me.

It is a privilege every day to be able to serve as their president as we work together to lead Cuyahoga Community College into the future.

BY THE NUMBERS The journey to advanced college degrees often begins at Tri-C. In a recently tracked three-year period, more than 25,000 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................. 5,679 Kent State University............................ 3,202 University of Akron................................. 2,166 The Ohio State University................... 2,107 Ohio University.......................................... 1,882 Baldwin Wallace University............... 1,560 Bowling Green State University........... 806 John Carroll University............................... 666 University of Cincinnati............................. 660 Case Western Reserve University...... 644

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STORY BY Erik Cassano

BLOCKCHAIN THE FUTURE OF CLEVELAND? LEADERS IN BUSINESS, PHILANTHROPY AND HIGHER EDUCATION ARE WORKING TO TURN THE REGION INTO A HUB FOR THE EMERGING TECHNOLOGY. TRI-C HAS BEEN INVOLVED SINCE THE BEGINNING. There is an entire blockchain frontier in the opening stages of exploration, with potential applications in a wide range of industries. It presents massive economic opportunity to cities blazing a trail for it.

One of them could be Cleveland.

Blockchain has yet to find a hub in the U.S. — a city or region that will serve as a nerve center for businesses and organizations that develop, promote and utilize the emerging technology. Cleveland’s leaders want Northeast Ohio to become that hub, and Cuyahoga Community College is among the institutions at the center of the effort.

But first: What is blockchain, and why is it getting so much attention?

THE BASICS Blockchain is a series of digital records linked using cryptography. The design of blockchain is such that records can be accurately identified and verified but are nearly impossible to alter by unauthorized parties.

“Blockchain can allow you to prove who you are without verification by an intermediary,” said Monique Umphrey, Tri-C’s vice president of workforce innovation and College-wide dean of IT. “In the higher education world, for example, that could mean fulfilling a transcript request faster. Right now, it can take up to a week because of the rounds of verification a college must go through.”

TRI-C AND BLOCKLAND CLEVELAND To help spearhead and organize the blockchain movement in Cleveland, Bernie Moreno founded Blockland Cleveland in 2018. In June, Moreno pulled together a group of local leaders, including Umphrey and Tri-C President Alex Johnson, to travel to Toronto and the Blockchain Research Institute.

“We need to make sure Cleveland is a relevant tech site,” said Moreno, president of the Bernie Moreno This permits blockchain to provide accurate identification of a person while Companies, a regional auto dealership group. “To offering nearly impenetrable data security. These two factors make it ideal survive long-term and reverse the trend of population for application in education, government, the medical field and other areas loss, Cleveland has to be relevant in emerging in which secure records are kept. technologies.”

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For more information on blockchain courses at Tri-C, visit www.tri-c.edu/blockchain.

“Just think where Cleveland could be right now if we’d had the same conversation about the internet back in 1993 or 1994. We have a chance to position ourselves in much the same way with blockchain.”

The research trip to Toronto opened the eyes of the contingent to the possibilities of blockchain as a tool for economic revival.

“We wanted to understand the opportunities and whether any city has kind of set down their flag as the home of blockchain development,” Umphrey said. “We found that Cleveland is one of only a few cities in the U.S. that has high degree of blockchain development potential, due to the presence of high-quality academic institutions and a large presence in the manufacturing and health care spaces.”

Moreno, Umphrey and many local leaders see a potential path to Northeast Ohio’s economic renewal in blockchain — but only if the region gets out in front of the large-scale adoption of the technology. And the time for that is now. According to current projections, blockchain could be utilized in up to 60 percent of American companies by 2020.

“Companies are thinking about the technology, and when they think about blockchain, we want them to view Cleveland as the place to be,” Umphrey said.

Tri-C is a major component in Blockland Cleveland’s evolving plan. Investments in technology-related education, including labs and equipment, has aligned Tri-C as a key training provider for blockchain.

“This isn’t just an IT thing,” Umphrey said. “Our goal is to open the door for people in different fields to develop a knowledge base around blockchain. If we can train people in many different industries to utilize blockchain technology, that is how we are really going to see businesses adopt it and thrive with it.”

The bottom line is talent, Moreno said:

“TRI-C AND OUR OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ARE TALENT FACTORIES, AND WITHOUT TALENT, NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO WORK.”

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NOT YOUR AVERAGE CLASSROOM

STUDIO 101 IS ALLOWING TRI-C’S INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF INTERACTIVE LEARNING. A traditional classroom has rows of desks facing the front of the room, where there is usually a table or lectern from which the teacher delivers the lesson. It’s the way classrooms have been arranged for hundreds of years.

So, if you’re going to build a new kind of classroom, what’s the first step? Empty everything out.

That’s the idea behind Studio 101, an active learning classroom at Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus.

Located in the Liberal Arts building, Studio 101 is a former black box theater. It’s the perfect setting for an active learning classroom — a three-dimensional blank canvas with no permanent fixtures. Movable desks and chairs, whiteboards, tables and other fixtures can be rearranged in countless ways depending on the needs of a given class.

The setup allows faculty members to plan nontraditional classroom activities, encouraging students to get out of their

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seats, move around the space and interact with the lesson material. It stands in stark contrast to the prevailing classroom concept entrenched in schools for generations.

“The model we predominantly use now dates to the Industrial Revolution,” said Brian Hall, an associate professor of English at Tri-C and director of Studio 101. “The method of student engagement has more or less stayed the same.”

Hall, along with fellow Metro Campus faculty member Brad Lipinski and reading specialist Brenda Boshela, began discussing the possibility of creating an active learning classroom space several years ago. Their discussions produced the framework for Studio 101.

“THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS. WE’VE STARTED TO SEE THE EMERGENCE OF MORE CLASSROOM MODELS THAT PUT THE FOCUS ON THE STUDENT AND MAKE THEM ACTIVE LEARNERS, WHICH IS THE IDEA BEHIND STUDIO 101.”

STORY BY Erik Cassano PHOTOS BY Tamara London

ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE LEARNING The lecture-based classroom model often turns students into passive learners. They receive the lesson and record necessary information in notes or on digital recorders, which they then utilize to study for tests and projects that measure their retention of the information.

“I’ve been utilizing Studio 101 since it opened,” Weeks said. “The students love it. They don’t feel confined to their desks like in a traditional classroom. It’s a chance to move around and try different activities.”

Most of the students in Weeks’ class had never set foot inside Studio 101 prior to the escape room activity.

The trouble is that when you make students passive participants, “I think it’s an interesting idea,” Michael Garner said. “It lets some become less engaged in the material. Less-engaged us get into groups and work as a team. Really not what you’d students don’t retain as much information and might not expect out of a class.” perform as well overall.

Studio 101’s layout — or lack thereof — creates an environment in which passive learning isn’t an option. Students have to interact and participate in order to be a part of the lesson.

And often, those lessons follow some unconventional paths.

In September, Kyla Weeks’ English 1010 class used the space for an escape room activity. Students had an hour to comb through clues related to Tri-C’s history, solving a puzzle to “escape” from the room.

Weeks had previously tried an escape room activity with family and friends and wondered if the idea could be applied to a class lesson. She knew it would be the perfect thing to attempt at Studio 101.

“It really feels like this was a space designed specifically for hands-on things,” Jalon Tripp said. “Sometimes in class, you just want to sit down; but here, you don’t want to sit down. You want to be up and moving around.”

MANY APPLICATIONS Studio 101 opened on a limited basis for the fall semester in 2015. Since opening for full-time use in 2016, faculty at Metro Campus have been encouraged to use the space for classes, primarily via word of mouth. And there has been a response — the versatility of the space has allowed its use by classes in a wide range of subject areas.

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“English has used it a lot,” Hall said. “But we’ve had math classes use it … sociology, psychology and science classes … even nursing classes have found it useful.”

“For students in the study area, the glass wall opens them up to what might be going on in the black box room,” Hall said.

“They see what is happening in there, and they start to realize the different ways classes can be set up. It opens them up to the possibilities.”

Individual students have also found the space useful as a quiet place to study or explore creative pursuits. As you enter Studio 101, before you walk a short hallway to the black box Studio 101 is, in the end, entirely about possibilities. Not room, you step into a room lined with wood paneling from floor just within its own walls, but in the way it could impact how to ceiling. Illuminated by soft lighting from floor lamps and classroom education is conducted in the future. outfitted with several chairs and tables, this is the study room.

The traditional classroom is not likely to vanish completely.

“It’s a quieter place where students can come to work alone But Hall wants to see a day when active learning spaces are or in small groups,” Hall said. “It’s decorated in a way to far more common in American colleges and universities. make it look more relaxed, while still encouraging studying “I’M NOT GOING TO RETIRE FOR QUITE A WHILE, and academic work. It’s not just a hangout — it’s still a place to learn, but again, challenging the traditional notion BUT BY THE TIME I DO, I’D LIKE TO SEE THIS of a classroom.”

TYPE OF CLASSROOM BECOME THE NORM.”

Between the study room and the black box room is what Hall considers one of the most important features of the entire space: a glass wall.

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“The students have given us overwhelmingly positive feedback — in fact, we have an entire wall of quotes from them next to my office. So this is something that resonates with them.

“If this makes learning interactive and interesting for students, I think that’s the most powerful message you can send.”

TRI-C STUDENT PROFILE

DIAGNOSIS: CAREER CHANGE

STORY BY John Horton PHOTO BY Tamara London

BOARD STUDENT SCHOLAR CHRIS CULLEN ENROLLED AT TRI-C TO BEGIN JOURNEY TO MEDICAL SCHOOL A few years of accounting work at Sherwin-Williams positioned Chris Cullen for a comfortable career with the Fortune 500 company, his future as bright as the paint giant’s boldest colors.

“I had everything you could ask for,” Cullen said. “I was in a great job with a great company, with plenty of opportunity and mentors. I was set.”

But he wasn’t fulfilled. Cullen had always envisioned himself in a job helping people. He wanted to be a doctor, a healer … somebody who made a difference. “In the hustle and bustle of life, I lost sight of that,” he said.

So he turned to Cuyahoga Community College to reinvent himself. Cullen — who is serving as Tri-C’s Board Student Scholar this academic year — is midway through his studies in biology and chemistry to earn an Associate of Science degree from the College.

The 32-year-old from Westlake intends to transfer to either Baldwin Wallace University or Cleveland State University in 2019 as the next step toward medical school. Ultimately, he wants to work as an emergency room doctor or surgeon.

“I WANT A JOB WHERE A GOOD DAY MAKES A HUGE IMPACT AND SAVES LIVES.

code blue and administered lifesaving chest compressions to a patient in intensive care.

Cullen balances shifts at Southwest with a science-heavy class schedule at Tri-C’s Westshore Campus, where he has been involved with student government, The Voice newspaper and numerous events. He is also part of the College’s Honors Program.

“I want to grow myself completely,” Cullen said. “If there’s an opportunity available, I plan to take advantage of it.”

That eagerness led to Cullen’s selection as Tri-C’s Board Student Scholar for 2018-2019.

The leadership position serves as a bridge between the entire student body and the College’s Board of Trustees.

Cullen views the responsibility as a way to develop critical thinking and build higher-level skills. In a way, he said, that describes his whole time at the College.

“Tri-C has helped me focus on becoming the person I always wanted to be,” Cullen said. “It was a big life decision to change careers, and I know I made the right choice because of what I’ve learned here.”

He experienced that feeling soon after starting as a nurse aide at Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights. Cullen responded to a FALL 2018

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SIGNS OF

STORY BY Beth Cieslik

Life

PHOTOS BY Victoria Stanbridge

TRI-C PROFESSOR C. JEAN MOSLEY HALL USES HER INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF DEAF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE TO PREPARE INTERPRETERS FOR THE WORKFORCE The word vocation has two meanings. The first is “calling”; the second, “career.” Both apply equally to Cuyahoga Community College professor C. Jean Mosley Hall’s vocation — teaching American Sign Language.

“I don’t think I really chose it,” she said. “It chose me.”

As the only child of profoundly deaf parents, Hall grew up straddling two worlds — one of sound and one of silence.

Familiar with the nuances and cultural expectations of each, she became adept at switching between them.

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“It was similar to growing up bilingual,” she said. “I signed when I was with my parents, but I spoke when I was with others.”

When Hall was four years old, her mother left the family. Her father, James Paris Mosley, became solely responsible for raising his daughter in addition to working long hours as a shoe repairman. His shop, Mosley’s Shoe Hospital, sat next door to their home in Dover, Delaware.

“I spent a good amount of time there, too,” said Hall. “I had a little table and chairs, and he would teach me signs for the alphabet, numbers, animals … all sorts of things.”

TRI-C FACULTY PROFILE

Customers could usually pantomime what they needed when they entered the shop. But if their request was out of the ordinary, Hall would help by interpreting for her father.

She helped him navigate other situations, too — some of which she knows he wouldn’t have exposed her to if it hadn’t been necessary. Medical appointments or financial discussions, for example.

“My childhood was kind of truncated, because I was thrown into these more ‘adult’ situations,” Hall said. “But I think knowing my dad depended that much on me actually helped me realize my own independence — that I could do pretty much anything if I could just figure out how.”

But she wasn’t sure where to go from there. Howard wisely suggested At 15, Hall was singing lead in a traveling youth gospel choir that she look within herself for the answer.“He helped me see my when she met her future husband, Howard. Three years her fluency in ASL (American Sign Language) as an asset,” Hall said. senior, the choir’s new pianist encouraged Hall to pursue “He said, ‘You have this skill — why would you let it go to waste?’ So higher education — something she hadn’t even considered instead of running away from it, I embraced it.” before.

Hall decided to study deaf education at McDaniel (now Western Maryland) College and completed her master’s degree in just one year.

She worked with blind and deaf children at schools in Delaware and New Jersey in the mid-1970s, assisting with the transition into public schools resulting from the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. “The teachers didn’t know what to do with them, so my job was to help provide materials and ideas for how to work with these children,” Hall said.

“I said, ‘Nobody in my family has done that. We don’t have money for that,’” she said. “But he told me we’d figure it out.”

Hall secured a singing scholarship after graduation, and her father took out a loan. Four years later, she received a bachelor’s degree in business from Delaware State University.

She took her first higher education teaching position at Pennsylvania State University, where Howard, a behavioral psychologist, also worked.

The couple moved to the east side of Cleveland in 1987, when Howard received a job offer from University Hospitals.

Hall brought her expertise to Tri-C’s new Deaf Interpretive Services (DIS) program in 1999, after more than a decade teaching ASL at Cleveland State University (where she earned her Ph.D. in education).

Today, she and DIS founder Debra Motley comprise the program’s fulltime teaching staff.

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TRI-C FACULTY PROFILE

Hall teaches a mix of courses every semester, averaging seven classes each fall and five each spring. But regardless of how busy her schedule may be, her top priority is ensuring her students’ success.

“Students come to Tri-C looking for a skill, wanting to work,” she said. “You train them for two and a half years, and then they go out and become interpreters. You make a visible impact on their lives.”

In particular, Hall’s Native American and African American roots have allowed her to connect with students who might otherwise feel out of place or misunderstood in the classroom.

“There are very few students of color in interpreting programs, so having someone who looks like them, who understands them and their cultures, helps them feel more comfortable,” she said.

Nearly two decades ago, Hall’s intimate knowledge of the struggles deaf students face led her to develop a

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++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++

postsecondary scholarship fund through the Cleveland Foundation.

Named in honor of her father, who passed away in 1984, the J. Paris Mosley Scholarship fund has supported more than a dozen students nationwide since its inception.

Hall’s late father also inspired her most recent accomplishment — the November 2018 publication of Paris in America: The Story of a Deaf Nanticoke Shoemaker and His Daughter.

“It’s part biography, part memoir,” she said. “It’s about my father’s life, as well as our life together. There’s talk about it being made into a movie.”

This is hardly the future Hall imagined for herself as a young girl.

She never thought she’d go to college, let alone earn a Ph.D. And she certainly never thought she’d make a career out of teaching people to help others the way she helped her father.

“IT’S BEEN A PHENOMENAL LIFE. BUT THE MOST REWARDING PART IS BEING ABLE TO IMPACT THE LIVES OF DEAF PEOPLE LIKE MY PARENTS.”

the voting

k yl e

exper

ience

anth

ray

o ny

ahmad

STORY BY Erik Cassano

SPEARHEADED BY TWO MANDEL SCHOLARS, “THE VOTING EXPERIENCE” DEMONSTRATED THE VOTING PROCESS AT ALL FOUR CAMPUSES Cuyahoga Community College student Anthony Ahmad never really thought about the importance of voting while growing up.

But that changed during his senior year of high school.

“I had a history teacher who really put it into perspective,” said Ahmad, 19, of South Euclid. “I learned there is more than the presidential election every four years. There are state and local elections, and all of them have the potential to impact our lives.”

Ahmad and fellow Tri-C student Kyle Ray want to impact others in the same way. It’s something they conveyed to students and staff at all four Tri-C campuses in September with The Voting Experience.

The two launched the project after being selected as national Democracy Fellows through Tri-C’s Office of Government Relations. Each received a stipend from Campus Vote Project, a national organization that encourages college students to be politically active and vote. The goal was to create a lasting project encouraging voter registration.

The interactive exhibit they designed familiarizes students with the process of registering, researching candidates and issues in a nonpartisan fashion, and casting their ballots.

Ahmad and Ray developed the exhibit with a team of more than 30 Tri-C faculty and staff members including Mary Hovanec,

e d u ca te

Katie Montgomery and Jensen Hanna; a coalition that included student life directors at each campus; and representatives from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

The students — ­­ who are part of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy — began planning the project in February. Discussions turned what started as a simple idea into a much bigger concept.

“Originally, we were just going to set up tables to get students registered to vote,” Ahmad said. “But we had some meetings with the student activities departments at a couple of the campuses.

That’s how we developed the idea of an interactive exhibit.”

The interactive aspect is critical. The goal of The Voting Experience is to educate and familiarize, but Ahmad and Ray also wanted the exhibit to be fun and engaging — two things young adults often don’t associate with voting.

“It made it more interesting as students walked through the voting process,” said Ray, 18, of Seville. “We had sample ballots where they got to vote on their favorite ice cream flavor or superhero.”

Tri-C received a National Voter Registration Day grant to help offset costs for The Voting Experience. More than 40 students assisted Ahmad and Ray with the project.

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TRI-C ALUMNI PROFILE

450 MILES CLOSER TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS TRI-C GRADUATE DEREK PRATT WALKS FROM CLEVELAND TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF AMERICA’S HOMELESS STORY BY Erik Cassano PHOTOS BY Cody York

Derek Pratt spent an entire month fighting homelessness with his feet.

Step after step after step. Uphill and downhill; across a mountain range; through the heat, humidity and storms of last summer. For 27 days and nearly 450 miles, from Cleveland to Washington, D.C. The 2004 graduate of Cuyahoga Community College carried a 40-pound pack on his back, enduring blisters and muscle cramps, for one reason: He had once been homeless himself while growing up in Northeast Ohio.

“I know the hardships faced when you don’t have a home to call your own,” Pratt said. “I know we have the resources as a nation to end homelessness. That was the inspiration behind this walk.”

Pratt dropped out of high school and has lived on his own since the age of 16. He earned his GED at 19 and began turning his life around. Pratt enrolled at Tri-C in his mid-20s and earned an associate degree in IT. Then came a bachelor’s degree in IT from David N. Myers University and a master’s degree from Strayer University.

“I have great memories of my time at Tri-C,” Pratt said. “My professors gave me not only an education, but the confidence I needed to earn my associate degree and to keep achieving after I left the College.

Tri-C is a big reason why I was able to pull myself up, have a career and now have the opportunity to devote my career to ending homelessness.”

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TRI-C ALUMNI PROFILE

After 12 years in IT and human resources, Pratt decided to pursue the battle against homelessness full time. He left his job and began working as an advocate for people living in apartment communities — mainly subsidized housing — and as a mediator focused on landlord-tenant issues.

In January 2018, he launched 4Ward With Purpose Inc., an organization that provides services that help overcome barriers to housing stability.

“ONE OF OUR MAIN AREAS OF FOCUS IS BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN COMMUNITIES TO HELP PROVIDE HOUSING STABILITY AND HOMELESS PREVENTION SERVICES.” THE WALK Why walk almost 450 miles? Simply put, it’s more effective than handing out flyers.

“I was given an opportunity to attend the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference in Washington, and I felt it would be a great chance to raise more awareness,” Pratt said. “I could have done something more traditional, but I decided the walk could provide more awareness.”

By the time Pratt decided to walk through four states to the conference, it was already June. He only had a few weeks to prepare. With the help of family and volunteers, he began raising funds toward his $15,000 goal.

He built the website walk4change.life, planned a route and began finding places to sleep each night.

Starting on June 26 from Scranton Flats on Cleveland’s near west side, Pratt took the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail south through Peninsula and Akron. He walked into southeastern Ohio before turning east into Pennsylvania. He walked through Pittsburgh, then began heading southeast on the Great Allegheny Passage into Maryland, briefly crossing into West Virginia as he traversed the Appalachians.

Each night, Pratt’s mother arranged for him to sleep at a church or homeless shelter. Pratt stayed at campgrounds along the trails when a shelter or church was not available.

“She always called ahead to make sure I had a place to stay,” he said. “A part of what I raise will go to the shelters I stayed at along the way.”

It’s about 400 miles via the most direct route from Cleveland to Washington. Pratt’s route tacked on an extra 50 miles, as he opted for trails and back roads — both to stay away from heavy traffic and to meet new people, sharing his story and raising awareness about his walk.

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TRI-C ALUMNI PROFILE

A SELFIE BY DEREK PRATT AFTER ARRIVING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ON JULY 22

“I visited so many towns and met so many wonderful, giving people along the way,” he said. “A volunteer fire department in Pennsylvania heard about my walk and took me in for a night.

People gave me cold water and ice cream as I was passing through their towns.”

Pratt also accepted small donations along the way. One donation story in particular stuck with him.

“I was passing a house in Bloomingdale, Ohio, when a man saw me from his garage,” Pratt said. “We talked for a few minutes, and he told me he’d been seeing a lot of things on TV about homelessness recently, so he felt like meeting me was something that was meant to be.”

The man gave Pratt $20, but he was moved even more by the gesture of the man’s young daughter.

“She got her little coin purse from the house and offered me two quarters,” Pratt said. “She saw her father’s act of selflessness and wanted to replicate it. That was very powerful to me, because we teach our young people through our actions.”

THE WORK AHEAD After arriving in Washington on July 22, Pratt’s work was far from done. While attending the conference, Pratt and other advocates for ending homelessness held a discussion with the staff of Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, a meeting that Pratt called “a success.”

But homelessness in America won’t be solved just in offices and conference rooms. It will take the work of entire communities to address a complicated problem with many causes.

IT’S GOING TO TAKE MANY OF US WORKING TOGETHER. IT’S GOING TO TAKE COMMUNITIES, COMPANIES AND NONPROFITS, ALL FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO WORK ALONGSIDE ONE ANOTHER. THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS WE’RE HAVING IN THIS COUNTRY IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY EVERYONE.”

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PUBLIC ART DISPLAY AT BUS STOP FEATURES COMMUTE-INSPIRED ARTWORK BY TRI-C’S DA’SHAUNAE JACKSON

TRAVEL PHOTOS

STORY BY Madeline Shepherd PHOTO BY Katie Ardner

The commute was long — two hours and three bus changes, to be exact. But that’s what it took for Da’Shaunae Jackson to get from her home in Garfield Heights to classes at Cuyahoga Community College and to work.

The 22-year-old photography student never viewed the trip as lost time, though. She used it as inspiration.

“I’ve always been interested in street photography,” she said, “so I decided to document my travels.”

Jackson photographed her daily commutes on the rapid and bus line for one year. Her shots included people, bus stops and anything else that captured her eye along the way. At the end of each day, she would pick the best images to submit as a class project.

She submitted her work to various competitions and initiatives around Cleveland, including Art Stop — a program launched to turn bus shelters into rotating art galleries showcasing local artists.

“I found out about the Art Stop opportunity at a bus stop over the summer,” Jackson said. “I thought it would be cool if the work I took on the bus was included on the shelter of the bus line.”

Jackson learned in September that one of her photographs had been chosen. The artwork went up on the bus shelter at East 21st Street and Superior Avenue in mid-October. It will be displayed for three months.

Her work can also be seen in the 2018 edition of Breakwall, Tri-C’s annual literary journal, and through Interurban, an initiative to transform Cleveland’s public transit rail system into a largescale public art experience.

Jackson enrolled at Tri-C in fall 2016 to build her photography skills. She transferred to the College from Kent State University, where she studied graphic design after graduating from Garfield Heights High School.

“I PICKED TRI-C BECAUSE I HEARD THEY HAD A GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM. MY INSTRUCTOR, DANIEL LEVIN, IS ONE OF THE BEST TEACHERS I’VE EVER HAD. HE’S VERY ENCOURAGING, AND I’M ENJOYING IT SO FAR.” Jackson plans to focus on freelance photography following graduation in spring 2019, with a goal of starting her own business. She is interested in becoming a fashion photographer.

“I was very excited my artwork was chosen,” said Jackson. “I was working on that project for a long time and just wanted to share it with other people.”

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A LESSON IN

LEADERSHIP

STORY BY John Horton PHOTOS BY Joseph Darwal

ROBERT GATES, CENTER, SURROUNDED BY TRI-C MANDEL SCHOLARS AND COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY LEADERS

FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES VISITED WITH THE COLLEGE’S MANDEL SCHOLARS BEFORE TAKING THE STAGE AT THE TRI-C FOUNDATION’S PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON Robert Gates offered guidance and direct advice to eight U.S. presidents during a storied career of public service spanning five decades of American history In November, he did the same for students at Cuyahoga Community College.

The former U.S. secretary of defense met with aspiring leaders from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy during his visit to Cleveland for the Tri-C Foundation’s Presidential Scholarship Luncheon.

Gates served as keynote speaker at the luncheon, where he added to his legacy of leadership by helping raise $1.3 million for scholarships.

He spoke with the Mandel Scholars before the event in the no-nonsense style that defined his tenure at the highest levels of government. The conversation touched on leadership, the power of education and serving as role models.

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ZOE DAY, A MANDEL SCHOLAR MAJORING IN SOCIAL WORK, ASKED GATES FOR ADVICE ON TAKING LEADERSHIP ROLES IN GOVERNMENT

A half-dozen students asked Gates questions, just as Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama did while he oversaw the nation’s military as secretary of defense.

Obama awarded Gates the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on his last day serving in the capitol.

Foundation President Megan O’Bryan said Gates offered students a glimpse at what is possible.

“OUR MANDEL SCHOLARS ARE ASPIRING LEADERS WHO AIM TO MAKE THE IMPACT OF A ROBERT GATES. HIS INSPIRING WORDS MAY HELP LAUNCH THE CAREER OF ANOTHER GREAT PUBLIC SERVANT.” GATES TOLD TRI-C’S MANDEL SCHOLARS THAT LISTENING IS “CRITICALLY IMPORTANT” FOR LEADERS

Gates encouraged the students to push toward excellence while also offering a harsh reality.

“YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THE HARD WORK AND PREPARATION WITHOUT ANY GUARANTEES OF WHAT’S GOING TO COME OUT AT THE OTHER END.” Harry Quinones, one of the Mandel Scholars, nodded as Gates talked. The 19-year-old from Garfield Heights said he found inspiration in the words as he works toward his Associate of Arts degree.

Gates returned his focus to higher education after leaving Washington. He currently is chancellor of William & Mary, his alma mater in Williamsburg, Virginia. He was president of Texas A&M University from 2002 to 2006.

He opened his remarks at the Presidential Scholarship Luncheon — which the Mandel Scholars also attended — by stressing the importance of scholarships. Gates also commended Tri-C for its work with veterans.

Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation’s Presidential Scholarship Luncheon has raised more than $19 million for Tri-C students.

“It’s hard to be a college student,” said Quinones, who hopes to graduate from Tri-C. “Sometimes, you just want to close that book. But you have to keep going.”

Gates’ career shows the potential of perseverance.

He joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 after being recruited out of college and spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence official. He became director of the CIA in 1991, becoming the only officer to rise from entry-level employee to the head of the agency.

He served as secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011 under Presidents Bush and Obama. He is the only secretary of defense in the nation’s history asked to remain in office by a newly elected president.

MATTHEW JORDAN (LEFT), DEAN AND CHAIR OF HUMANITIES AT THE JACK, JOSEPH AND MORTON MANDEL HUMANITIES CENTER, MODERATED THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN GATES AND THE STUDENTS

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MEET ME

TRI-C KELLIE EMRICH, associate professor of business administration, has worked at Cuyahoga Community College for 11 years. Raised in Strongsville, she now calls Brecksville home. Metro Campus is her base of operations.

Q: How did you find your way to Tri-C? KE: After working in the corporate business world for 10 years, it was time to pursue my dream of becoming a college professor. Once I finished my MBA and my first child was born, I was motivated to go back out and explore a new career.

Leading corporate training programs confirmed that I wanted to influence others to think creatively and be curious. Tri-C was one of the first colleges I wanted to work for because I loved the impact the College had on the community. It was not an easy process, but I was lucky enough to eventually end up as a business and marketing professor at Tri-C.

In the classroom, we create teams to confront challenging scenarios, simulating a professional environment for students.

Social media marketing is a big topic right now. We have a new certificate in social media marketing. There are numerous jobs available in this field, and we now have a marketing degree that includes the social media certificate. Both are earned after 60 credit hours.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?

KE: There are always opportunities or something new to learn. The fun comes from thinking of new ways to teach a concept or create a new activity that fosters learning and is hands-on. We are encouraged to continue our own learning, so I was able to pursue my DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) and other postgraduate certificates that, as Steven Covey says, “sharpen the saw.”

Q: What are some of the primary or current topics you cover in your courses?

Q: What do you find most challenging?

KE: Soft skills are covered in all classes. Professionalism and critical thinking are skills our advisory committee tells us it is looking for.

KE: Engaging students. I will always answer this question with those two words. My father was a teacher and always said that no good teacher ever thinks they are good enough. They will always want to do better.

Engaging students is something I never stop trying to improve and work on.

#MYTRICSTORY

ALEXIS WESTFALL

“I’VE ALREADY GOTTEN MY ASSOCIATE DEGREE THROUGH TRI-C, BUT I’M BACK FOR A THIRD YEAR IN PURSUIT OF MY BACHELOR’S AS A PART OF THE [COLLEGE’S] PARTNERSHIP WITH FRANKLIN UNIVERSITY. THIS OPPORTUNITY HAS ALLOWED ME TO DOUBLE MAJOR IN ACCOUNTING AND FORENSIC ACCOUNTING, AND — BEST OF ALL — I GET TO PAY TRI-C TUITION PRICES FOR ANOTHER YEAR.” Affordable tuition brought Westfall to Tri-C, but the strength of the College’s academic programs convinced her to stay and continue her education. A partnership agreement between Tri-C and Franklin allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree while taking the majority of their classes at Tri-C. Westfall, 20, of North Royalton, hopes to graduate next year and pursue a job in accounting. #MYTRICSTORY IS A SERIES HIGHLIGHTING EVERYDAY PEOPLE IN THE TRI-C COMMUNITY. TO MEET MORE FEATURED STUDENTS AND STAFF, VISIT WWW.TRI-C.EDU/NEWS-AND-EVENTS.

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Get the education you need for a job you love.

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