Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel tours LCCC, talks local education, workforce needs

ELYRIA — Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel visited Lorain County Community College on Monday, touring the college and speaking with local leaders about local workforce strengths and needs. Tressel, who was confirmed as lieutenant governor in February, began the visit with a tour of LCCC's microelectronic manufacturing lab in the Desich Entrepreneurship Center, where students learn how to design and build tiny electronics like microchips. Students from Midview High School who have worked in the program spoke with Tressel about their experience while wearing "bunny suits," full-body white suits that have to be worn while working on microelectronics. The suits are needed because microchips are so small that even shed hair or skin can affect their function. Following the tour, Tressel spoke on a panel with Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey and LCCC President Marcia Ballinger to discuss the state's new College Credit Plus Statewide Innovative Waiver and how community colleges fit into Ohio's economic future. Tressel compared Ohio's economic fortunes to a pendulum, saying that after years of declining manufacturing the state now had an opportunity to capitalize on new fields such as microelectronics. "Akron was the rubber capital of the world, Toledo was the glass capital of the world, Ohio was the aviation capital of the world," Tressel said. "And things change at times, but right now, that pendulum has swung back right here. And we've got to take advantage of that at this moment in our history so that we can grab a hold of that…" "This might be the golden moment for the community college sector because we have a tremendous need for people to get into the workforce and then be able to see that pathway with upward mobility within the companies they go to work for." The new College Credit Plus waiver was the driving force behind the visit though, as LCCC was one of the first colleges in the state to participate in the program. The waiver allows colleges to enroll students in College Credit Plus courses which they would usually not qualify for, namely by allowing students with a grade point average of below 3.0 to take college courses in "high-demand fields." Duffey said that this increased access had already demonstrated its usefulness, with students let in through the waiver program succeeding as much as any other student. He said that students who do not have a 3.0 GPA in high school have attained an average GPA of 3.45 while in College Credit Plus classes. "The question often is, do you need a 3.0 GPA to be successful in life? And the answer is no," Duffey said. "... So although people sometimes have this feeling about college readiness, we worship at the altar of success. If the students are successful, we want that program to happen. And we don't block on the front end and say that they can't get in. We say, 'access.'" Tressel said that since he took office in February to fulfill the term of now-Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, he has been working to explore Ohio's economic needs on a regional basis. What Tressel realized, he said, was that local community colleges like LCCC were already far ahead of state policymakers when it came to detecting and meeting their local needs. "We've gotta figure out on a local basis, a regional basis, what those needs are," Tressel said. "That's where Dr. Ballinger and Tracy (Green, LCCC vice president of strategic and institutional development) and the whole group here are so far ahead of a lot, quite honestly, is they've been diving in to the specific needs of their region, who they serve and what do you need and what do you need us to do. What can our role be? And so we've been traveling all over the state to try to get an assessment." Traveling the state to explore economic needs is a part of Tressel's participation in the forming of what Gov. Mike DeWine has called "Ohio's Workforce Playbook." That economic plan is supposed to materialize sometime in the fall. Tressel, a Republican, is set to serve as lieutenant governor through the end of 2026. He told media earlier this month that he was mulling a run for governor in 2026, but stopped short of committing to a campaign. On Monday, Tressel told reporters that it was still too early in the process for him to give them any update on his decision. "No. … It's so early. I've been running, but I've been running around the state," Tressel said, shifting the focus back to the reason for his visit. "You know, trying to learn how we can build that workforce and align education and business and industry. We'll cross that bridge another time." Tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy is running for Ohio governor as a Republican and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost bowed out of the Republican primary late last week. Amy Acton, a physician and the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, is the prospective Democratic nominee for the 2026 gubernatorial race. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com