[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Hallelujah, Mr. Speaker, community college education and 
all the opportunity it presents with workforce development is finally 
being implanted in the largest city in the entire northwestern quarter 
of Ohio at Toledo which has been so long ignored. Community college 
education is so vital to our future.
  I stand here to celebrate this agreement signed this week between the 
University of Toledo president, Greg Postel; the president of Owens 
Community College, Dione Somerville; and Toledo Public Schools 
superintendent, Dr. Romules Durant. I am so proud of them.
  I congratulate them for working together to plant seeds of hope and 
new opportunity for generations denied before us. Education, 
retraining, GED certification, and workforce skills have so long been 
denied our citizenry.
  I thank them for caring. It would be located on the Scott Park 
Campus.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all citizens to support this new partnership and 
to offer their indispensable resources to ensure the enterprise 
succeeds beyond anything that our community has ever known.
  Mr. Speaker, help me make a pathway for a brighter, stronger, more 
educated and innovative Toledo and region.
  God bless the partners. God bless our people. God bless America.

                      [From UToday, Feb. 27, 2024]

 UToledo, Owens and TPS Partner on Opportunities for Scott Park Campus

                          (By Tyrel Linkhorn)

       The University of Toledo, Owens Community College and 
     Toledo Public Schools will work together on an initiative 
     aimed at bringing new educational opportunities to the 
     University's former Scott Park Campus.
       The new partnership was announced Tuesday by UToledo 
     President Gregory Postel, Owens President Dione Somerville 
     and TPS Superintendent Romules Durant at an event in which 
     they signed a letter of intent formalizing the agreement.
       UToledo sold the Scott Park Campus to TPS last year.
       ``The University of Toledo is proud to strengthen our long-
     standing partnerships with Owens Community College and Toledo 
     Public Schools in our shared commitment to ensuring all 
     members of our community have an opportunity to achieve their 
     educational and career goals,'' Postel said. ``By working 
     together, we can help close the educational attainment gap in 
     Toledo to celebrate both individual successes of earning a 
     college degree and also the community benefit of 
     strengthening the workforce and economic prosperity of our 
     region.''
       The partnership grew out of a feasibility study 
     commissioned by Owens to look at the potential need for the 
     community college to establish a physical presence within the 
     city of Toledo.
       The letter of intent is the first step in the partnership, 
     calling for leaders of the three institutions to 
     collaboratively decide on the type of educational programming 
     that will be offered through the partnership. Partners intend 
     to look at credit and non-credit coursework.
       ``Our goal is to increase access to high-quality 
     educational opportunities in the city of Toledo that benefit 
     the northwest Ohio region,'' Somerville said. ``With partners 
     at Scott Park, we can build a foundation to address the needs 
     for today's students and workforce development.''
       ``This new initiative with Owens Community College and The 
     University of Toledo allows TPS to continue providing new and 
     exciting educational opportunities for our students,'' Durant 
     said. ``We are excited that the future of the Scott Park 
     Campus includes not only TPS students but adult learners who 
     are ready to expand their education as they plan for their 
     future.''
       UToledo has a number of partnerships with both Owens and 
     TPS. Among them are Rocket Express, which creates a seamless 
     pathway for students to earn a bachelor's degree from UToledo 
     after starting at Owens, and Toledo Early College, which 
     brings hundreds of TPS students to campus as they work toward 
     their high school diploma while also completing college 
     courses.

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