WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today hosted his third annual college and university presidents' conference in Washington, D.C. with nearly 50 presidents in attendance from colleges and universities across Ohio.

"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. We need to connect our college students to the opportunities of the 21st Century global economy before they graduate," Brown said. "We have made great strides recently in making college more affordable and accessible to Ohio's citizens. By expanding Pell Grants and reducing the income-based repayment cap, more talented students can sign up for college without signing away their financial future. Despite these historic investments, we know there is more work to do. We need to keep college graduates in our state, ensure that they have the right skills for jobs in emerging industries like high-tech health care and clean energy, and connect them with job opportunities. The future of our state depends on it."

Brown was joined by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Ranking Member of the HELP Committee, in delivering remarks to Ohio higher education presidents. Martha Kanter, Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education and Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents Eric Fingerhut also addressed the group.

"With a skilled work force and a forward leaning agenda on renewable energy, Ohio stands ready to be a national leader in the clean energy economy," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "The innovation and research coming from the state's colleges and universities will help create tens of thousands of new jobs and help Ohio and the nation remain competitive in the global marketplace."

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

"My bedrock belief is that a primary role of government is to provide a ladder of opportunity so that everyone has a fair shot at the American dream," said Harkin. "With a ladder, you still have to exert energy and effort and responsibility to get to the top. But the rungs should be there: Head Start, quality public schools, 21st century job training, and generous tuition assistance to help kids of modest means to go to college, including Pell Grants, work study and Perkins Loans. Reform of student lending was truly a landmark, historic reform, but we must keep on this mission to strengthen programs with a proven track record of helping kids aspire to college, prepare for college, pay for college and graduate from college."

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 morning, presidents participating in four advisory groups presented recommendations on 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. Building on the success of the first conference, Brown hosted the second annual College President's Conference at the beginning of April 2009.

Brown, a member of the Senate HELP 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, bipartisan legislation he introduced with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). This legislation would provide funding for workers seeking specialized training for emerging industries.

Participants in the 2010 Ohio College Presidents Conference

Antioch College
Matthew Derr

Antioch College University McGregor
Michael Fishbein

Ashland University
Frederick Finks

Baldwin-Wallace College
Richard Durst

Belmont Technical College
Joseph Bukowski

Bowling Green State University
Carol Cartwright

Case Western Reserve University
Barbara Snyder

Central State University
John Garland

Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
John L. Henderson

Cleveland State University
Ronald Berkman

Columbus College of Art and Design
Denny Griffith

Columbus State Community College
Valeriana Moeller

Denison University
Dale Knobel

Edison Community College
Kenneth Yowell

Franklin University
David Decker

Hiram College
Thomas Chema

Hocking College
Ronald Erickson

James A. Rhodes State College
Debra McCurdy

Kent State University
Lester A. Lefton

Lakeland Community College
Morris Beverage

Lorain County Community College
Roy Church

Miami University
David Hodge

North Central State College
Donald Plotts

Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy
Jay Gershen

Notre Dame College
Andrew Roth

Oberlin College
Marvin Krislov

Ohio Christian University
Mark A. Smith

The Ohio State University
Gordon Gee

Ohio University
Roderick McDavis

Otterbein College
Kathy Krendl

Shawnee State University
Rita Rice Morris

Southern State Community College
Kevin Boys

Terra Community College
Marsha Bordner

The Cleveland Institute of Art
David L. Deming

The College of Wooster
Grant Cornwell

Union Institute & University
Roger Sublett

University of Cincinnati
Gregory Williams

University of Dayton
Daniel Curran

University of Rio Grande
Barbara Gellman Danley

University of Toledo
Lloyd Jacobs

Washington State Community College
Charlotte Hatfield

Wilberforce University
Patricia Hardaway

Wilmington College
Daniel DiBiasio

Wittenberg University
Mark Erickson

Wright State University
David Hopkins

Youngstown State University
Cynthia Anderson
David Sweet

Zane State College
Paul Brown


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