Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today hosted his second annual college and university presidents’ conference in Washington, D.C. with more than 45 presidents from colleges and universities across Ohio. Brown was joined by Arne Duncan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (H.E.L.P.) Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), a member of the H.E.L.P Committee, in delivering remarks to Ohio higher education presidents.

Today’s second annual conference focused on educational priorities, strategies to forge state-wide partnerships, and initiatives to maximize federal investments, including economic recovery funding.

“This conference is about crafting education policy in Washington that meets the needs of Ohio’s students and reflects the input of its colleges and universities,” said Brown. “By bringing together the presidents of Ohio’s institutions of higher education—both large and small, two-year and four-year—we all benefit. Last year, presidents shared best practices and began meeting regionally after the conference. We must continue to make critical investments in Ohio’s higher education system. Ohio presidents can pave the way for rebuilding a secure future for our state and for our next generation. This conference is an integral step in turning Ohio’s economy around.”
 
Sen. Murray said, “The need to change the way we prepare all of our people -- youth, adults, and older workers -- for the working world is urgent. I know that communities from Toledo, to Akron, to Cincinnati have been hard hit by this recession.  And I know that none of our communities will recover unless we can create jobs and ensure that American workers have the skills and education they need to fill them.”
Sen. Alexander discussed the importance of streamlining regulations in the Higher Education Act, making community colleges more accessible for area students, and stressed the importance of The America COMPETES Act, calling it “a blueprint for innovation.” Alexander also shared his ideas on rewarding outstanding teachers across the country. Prior to becoming a senator, Alexander served as Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Secretary of Education, and president of the University of Tennessee.

Sec. Duncan said, “There is significant new money under stimulus package of more than $100 billion over two years. As part of that package, Ohio will receive $2.7 billion, of which $1.8 billion will go to the state fiscal stabilization fund that will save and create jobs. We ran the numbers this morning and in Ohio, students will receive more than $400 million in Pell Grants which will help 60,000 students. This is a huge opportunity.”

The opportunity to view remarks from Sens. Brown and Murray and Sec. Duncan can be found on Senator Brown’s website here.

Today’s conference also coincided with the U.S. Department of Education’s release of $44 billion in recovery funding for critical educational reforms in Ohio schools and schools across the country. The funds are targeted to save jobs and bolster state education systems against budget cuts. For more information about the availability of these funds, please click here. 

All of Ohio’s four- and two-year, public and private colleges and universities were invited. A full list of participants at today’s conference can be found below. In the afternoon, presidents participated in breakout sessions to explore how to expand higher education access and affordability, support opportunities for research and innovation, and connect higher education with high schools and workforce needs.

In April of 2008, Sen. Brown launched this first- of-its-kind forum for Ohio college and university presidents and Congressional leaders to initiate discussion concerning common goals, needs, and opportunities in higher education. This conference was attended by 46 of Ohio’s college and university presidents. A full list of 2008 participants can be found here.

Building on the success of the first conference, Brown hosted a series of regional roundtables around the state. The roundtables brought together college presidents and regional business leaders for a discussion on strategies to combat the Ohio “brain drain.” Attendees discussed ways to train college students and Ohio workers for 21st century jobs and strategies to create and retain good-paying jobs in Ohio.

Brown, a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (H.E.L.P.) Committee, has led the fight to make federal investment in higher education a priority. Brown is the author of The “Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act of 2008,” bipartisan legislation he introduced with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). This legislation would provide funding for workers seeking specialized training for emerging industries.

Brown authored six provisions that were included in the Higher Education Act (HEA) that passed in July 2008. His contributions include improving professional development, providing loan forgiveness for first responders, investing in rural education, renewing underground railroad educational programs, expanding college access programs for low-income and minority students, preventing unethical Department of Education evaluations of at-risk students, and increasing assistance to student veterans. More information about Brown’s work on the HEA can be found here.

Participants in the 2009 Ohio College Presidents Conference

Ashland University
Frederick Fink

Baldwin-Wallace College
Richard Durst

Belmont Technical College
Joseph Bukowski

Bluffton University
James M. Harder

Case Western Reserve University
Barbara Snyder

Central State University
John Garland

Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
John L. Henderson

Clark State University
Karen Rafinski

Cleveland State University
Michael Schwartz

Columbus State Community College
Valeriana Moeller

Cuyahoga Community College
Jerry Sue Thornton

Denison University
Dale Knobel

Edison Community College
Kenneth Yowell

Franklin University
David Decker

Hiram College
Thomas Chema

James A. Rhodes State College
Debra McCurdy

Jefferson Community College
Laura Meek

Kent State University
Lester A. Lefton

Kenyon College
S. Georgia Nugent

Lorain County Community College
Roy Church

Marietta College
Jean Scott

Marion Technical College
J.Richard Bryson

Miami University
David Hodge

North Central State College
Donald Plott

Notre Dame College
Andrew Roth

Oberlin College
Marvin Krislov

Ohio Christian University
Mark A. Smith

Ohio University
Roderick McDavi

Ohio Wesleyan University
Rock Jone

Otterbein College
Kathy Krendl

Shawnee State University
Rita Rice Morri

Sinclair Community College
Steven Lee Johnson

Stark State Community College of Technology
John O'Donnell

Terra Community College
Marsha Bordner

The Cleveland Institute of Art
David L. Deming

The Ohio State University
Gordon Gee

Union Institute & University
Roger Sublett

University of Cincinnati
Nancy Zimpher

University of Dayton
Daniel Curran

University of Toledo
Lloyd Jacob

Ursuline College
Diana Stano

Washington State Community College
Charlotte Hatfield

Wilberforce University
Patricia Hardaway

Wilmington College
Daniel DiBiasio

Wittenberg University
Mark Erickson

Youngstown State University
David Sweet

Zane State College
Paul Brown
###