Clark State President Jo Alice Blondin said the degree complements Clark State’s existing certificates and associate degrees, and is an opportunity to provide higher education for an industry important to the region’s economic health.
“Additionally, incumbent workers can now have access to a bachelor’s degree that brings with it the opportunities for advancement and higher-level skill development,” Blondin said. “It’s a win-win for the employees and employers.”
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Clark State applied to the Ohio Department of Higher Education for approval of the applied bachelor’s degree in 2017 with the support from a handful of local industry partners including Yamada North America, Honda of North America, Dayton Regional Manufacturers Associations, SelectTech and the Chamber of Greater Springfield.
“This is a great start to what looks to me as a valuable education set,” said Frank Beafore, executive director of SelectTech GeoSpatial. “This kind of program will help the region and the state grow.”
SelectTech is a regional services and solutions company that provides both technical support services and specialized products and solutions across the C4ISR spectrum for the Department of Defense and commercial clients.
Amy Donahoe, Director of Workforce Development for the Chamber of Greater Springfield, said the addition of the program is, “just one more feather in making Springfield shine.”
“Because of our location we have a large amount of manufacturing jobs,” Donahoe said. “What’s important now is that we market this program to companies in the area that might want employees to seek a degree, or high schoolers who see what kind of programs we have right here and what kinds of jobs are available.”
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Arefeh Mohammadi will oversee the program. Her area of expertise is workforce development and training for STEM industries using experiential learning techniques.
“This program is offered in the evening and can be customized to the needs of working students,” Mohammadi said. “We care about our students and we want them to succeed.”
Mohammadi is a graduate of the University of Nebraska- Lincoln and holds a Ph.D. in engineering and a minor in educational administration. She joined Clark State this spring as an assistant professor of manufacturing technology.
Mohammadi said her goals for the degree program include fulfilling the need for manufacturing industry leaders and managers in Ohio and providing leadership training for students to advance themselves in their current and future careers.
Classes within the Manufacturing Technology Management program will begin on Aug. 19.
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