Renew levy for LCCC's University Partnership

Lorain County Community College was founded as an investment in the future. Since its founding in 1963, the college has made good on its promise not only to educate students, but to prepare them for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Voters increased their commitment to the college in 1995 when they passed a tax levy to fund the University Partnership, which has grown to enable students to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in more than 100 programs offered by 14 other institutions of higher learning. When the partnership began, there were five other colleges and universities participating offering 12 programs. That investment has paid off as well. The number of Lorain County residents holding bachelor's degrees has increased by 77 percent since 2000 in large measure thanks to the work of the LCCC and the University Partnership. Moreover, of those who earned a bachelor's degree over the past decade, around 89 percent have earned some college credits from LCCC, the college's president, Marcia Ballinger, told us Monday. That included high school students who took part in LCCC's College Credit Plus program, which offers them access to college-level classes. The college also now offers two bachelor's degrees of its own, in microelectronic manufacturing and smart industrial automation. That's in addition to training nurses and police officers, to name only a few other programs. It also offers skilled trade apprenticeships, including for computer numerical control (CNC) machining, welding and pipefitting, again to name only a few. Then there's its involvement with cutting-edge technology, most recently seen in its being named as part of Intel's Semiconductor Education and Research Program, which will help train workers for that field. Intel is investing billions in a new semiconductor manufacturing campus in central Ohio, and it, along with its suppliers and contractors across the state, will need skilled workers. Tracy Green, the college's vice president of strategic and institutional development, told us that 90 percent of LCCC graduates live and work in the area. In other words, there's a lot to like about LCCC and the University Partnership, which is why voters should renew the 2.1-mill levy that supports them. If renewed, the levy also would continue funding for job preparation and educational services such as technology and operations. The question of whether to renew it is identified on the ballot as Issue 10. The levy generates nearly $14.8 million per year. If renewed, it would be in effect for 10 years. The college has one other levy that supports its operations. Combined with the University Partnership levy, they account for one-third of its approximately $100 million annual budget. Another one-third comes from the state, while the remainder comes from students in the form of tuition. "We would not be the same Lorain County Community College and University Partnership," Ballinger told us when we asked what would happen were Issue 10 to fail. Nor would Lorain County be the same. Employers, workers and students all would lose if the levy were to fail. We hope it doesn't come to that, especially considering what property owners get for their investment. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay $51.01 per year were Issue 10 to pass. As Green told us Monday, "It's an investment in Lorain County's future." Some investments are simply too good not to support. Issue 10 is one of them.