One of Dayton's premier institutions, Sinclair Community College, was profiled this weekend in the New York Times . Fordham feels a special kinship with Sinclair because our Board Chair David Ponitz is the institution's President Emeritus, and we think the college is great because it works. The successes of Sinclair are especially important considering Dayton's 12.5 percent unemployment rate and the challenges it faces in retaining its best young people.
According to the Times, "Sinclair Community College, widely acclaimed as one of the best such colleges in the nation, is at the vanguard of such [retooling] efforts. The college is retraining thousands of laid-off G.M., Delphi and other workers. It is also working closely with city, county and business leaders to identify and nurture growth industries and to train workers those industries will need. In turn, many of its goals are being achieved with the help of generous local funding from taxpayers."???? You can read the entire Times piece here.
I joined the 53 percent of area voters who voted for the May 2008 Sinclair Community College levy (passed in the midst of the brutal economic recession and massive job layoffs) because I have seen first-hand the difference the college has made in the lives of my neighbors and their children. It not only helps retool laid off workers, but also serves as a stepping stone for thousands of high school graduates into higher education. Kids from the suburbs flock to Sinclair as tuition is around $2,000 a year.
As noted by the Times, the college is rapidly evolving to meet the changing needs of its community. As jobs move from factories and tool and die shops to medical and research programs around Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Sinclair has adjusted and innovated to give students the skills they need to make it in the new economy. As a result, they have seen their enrollment jump 25 percent in the last year.
There are obvious lessons here for school districts and individual schools. First, be cognizant of the changing needs of your families and students and adjust accordingly. Don't just follow trends but set them. Second, in a state where 60 percent of tax requests for new K-12 money fail, show your voters and community over and over the value-add of what you deliver. Third, develop and nurture partnerships relentlessly. Finally, value your customers. "Sinclair has given me self-esteem," a middle-aged laid-off factory worker turned Sinclair student told the Times. Sinclair is a community anchor, and voters know it.
