In August the Talent Dividend Steering Committee set goals for the Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend, with one million degrees the goal.  You may recall that for every one percentage point increase in degrees, the region should enjoy as much as $2.8 billion more in annual income.  This goal would exceed that mark with about 100,000 more associate’s, bachelor’s and graduate degrees than we had in 2009.

So how is the region tackling the task?  Among other strategies, stakeholders are focusing on reengaging adult learners and exploring ways to help them earn a degree.  The Talent Dividend Action Plan identifies expanding adult experiential learning pathways as a strategy for achieving the Talent Dividend.  To that end, NOCHE and representatives from 12 colleges and universities are exploring ways to improve Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) procedures and potentially develop a collaborative, regional approach to engage adult learners to finish their college degrees. 

PLA is a mechanism that colleges and universities use to award college credit to adults with prior work or training that equates to college coursework.  A September meeting on the topic included Baldwin-Wallace College, Cleveland State University, Cuyahoga Community College, Eastern Gateway Community College, Hiram College, Kent State University, Lakeland Community College, Lorain County Community College, Stark State College, The University of Akron, Ursuline, and Youngstown State University.  A November 1 meeting will feature a discussion with representatives of CAEL, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.  Other schools interested in the discussion should contact Shawn Brown at sbrown@noche.org.

Another strategy to increase college success is dual enrollment.  With the help of a $450,000 Ohio Board of Regents grant, members of the Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend Steering Committee and their collaborating partners from across the region are helping prepare students for dual enrollment and prepare more high school teachers to teach dual credit courses.  For example, Kent State University is creating a graduate program for high school teachers to earn master's degrees in content areas so they can qualify to teach dual credit courses in high school.

Additionally, the Dual Enrollment Subcommittee is planning a survey that will provide the foundation for an event linking secondary schools and postsecondary schools. This survey will seek information on the postsecondary programs currently available in high schools, as well as the number of students taking advantage of those opportunities.

You might have seen NOCHE’s article in the October 12, 2011 issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “A college degree will keep you ahead of the pack,” which you can access here.  The article highlights the worthwhile investment college continues to provide, citing decades of data supporting the premise.

In case you missed it, the October 2011 edition of Cleveland Magazine featured dual enrollment programs in an article called “College Prepped,” which can be found here.  The Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend’s initiative to increase participation in dual enrollment programs was highlighted, along with Lorain County Community College, Kent State University, and College Now Greater Cleveland.

And keep an eye out for the November/December 2011 edition of Inside Business Magazine, which is featuring an article about the Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend and the progress and accomplishments with dual enrollment programs and re-engaging adults who have some college and no degree.

This summer, NOCHE launched significant improvements to the NEOintern.net database to better serve you. Among the user-requested enhancements include the ability to

• edit existing postings,
• extend application deadlines,
• re-post expired internships,
• upload multimedia such as logos and videos, and
• integrate social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

All of the new features are immediately available at NEOintern.net.  If you forgot your login information, simply go to www.neointern.net and use the “retrieve your password” link on the login page or contact Brenda Davis Smith at 216.420.9200 x223 or bdavissmith@noche.org.

If you have been tracking the progress of NEOintern on the NEOintern Dashboard (at www.neointern.net), then you know that student registrations increase by about 50% per year, and each year about 25% more companies join.  More students and more employers are using NEOintern as a source for intern­ships, and now that college students are registering for spring semester classes, many will be look­ing for new experiential learning oppor­tunities.

NOCHE and Cleveland Business Connects Magazine (“CBC”) are announcing a call for nominations for The Expys, a special event to honor the best interns, mentors and internship programs in Northeast Ohio. This unique awards program recognizes experiential learning in seven categories: best intern, best mentor, best college advisor, best new internship, best overall internship (small organization), best overall internship (large organization), and coolest internship.  Submit your nomination today by clicking here.

Business and education leaders will come together to celebrate accomplishments and hear the latest news about college attainment at the Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend Summit scheduled for Friday, December 16, 2011, 11:30-1:30 at Corporate College East.  The keynote speaker will be Dr. E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University, and the audience will be warmed up by Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Dr. Mark Sniderman.  Northeast Ohio success stories will also be showcased.  For Summit registration information, click here.

In September, NOCHE’s Board welcomed new trustee Dr. Mark Sniderman, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, responsible for guiding the Bank’s economic research and community development efforts.  Dr. Sniderman joined the Bank's Research Department as an economist in 1976. He was appointed assistant vice president in 1983, vice president and associate director of research in 1986, and senior vice president and director of research in 1995. He assumed his current position in 2007.  Before joining the Federal Reserve, Dr. Sniderman held teaching and research positions as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  He is a past president of the Cleveland Association for Business Economics.  A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Dr. Sniderman earned a bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University and master's and doctoral degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Meanwhile, a new program manager joined NOCHE in September, Patrick Britton, who will not only support NEOintern with current program manager Brenda Davis Smith but also will focus on the Northeast Ohio Talent Dividend.  For the past five years, Patrick served as the Director of Admissions at Walsh Jesuit High School, and began his career in the admissions office at Baltimore International College in Maryland.  He earned a B.A. in history at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and a master’s of nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame.

November

Date

Time

   Meeting

Location

11/8/2011

8:30am - 3:00pm

Maximize Your ROI: Return on Intern and Mini Co-op Job Fair

Tri-C Eastern Campus, Highland Hills

11/15/2011

8:30am - 12:00pm

Maximize Your ROI: Return on Intern

COSE, Cleveland

NOCHE Executive Committee Meeting

December

Date

Time

   Meeting

Location

12/13/2011

8:30am - 12:00pm

Maximize Your ROI: Return on Intern

Lakeland Community College, Kirtland

12/14/2011

8:30 – 10:30am

NOCHE Board Meeting

Tri-C Unified Technologies Center, Cleveland

12/16/2011

11:30am - 1:30pm

Talent Dividend Summit

Corporate College East, Warrensville Heights