“The University of Akron has joined forces with Lorain County Community College in a new partnership known as the Innovation Alliance. Despite the geographic distance between them – over 55 miles and more than an hour drive – the two have formed the Innovation Alliance to combine resources and strengths between campuses.”
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The University of Akron has joined forces with Lorain County Community College in a new partnership known as the Innovation Alliance.

Despite the geographic distance between them – over 55 miles and more than an hour drive – the two have formed the Innovation Alliance to combine resources and strengths between campuses.

Administrators have dubbed the physical space between the institutions as the Innovation Corridor.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are drivers of the global economy, igniting job growth and creating wealth, said LCCC President Roy Church. Developing highly skilled, entrepreneurial talent will stimulate new businesses and ideas and lead to long-term growth in Northeast Ohio. Consequently, higher education will be an important catalyst in this process.

The alliance initiatives include creating baccalaureate degrees at 40 percent of the cost and in 25 percent less time. It will focus in high-growth areas of advanced manufacturing, health care and entrepreneurship and developing STEM. STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, will be introduced to K-12 school districts within the Innovation Corridor.

While LCCC is a community college, it has something most other community colleges do not offer. LCCC is the only community college in the state with a university partnership, which allows students to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees from several Ohio universities from the LCCC campus.

The alliance is aimed at Northeast Ohio’s economy. Through this partnership, UA and LCCC believe higher education and collaboration between major organizations is the best way to stimulate growth in the economy and lay a path for the future of the area.

I applaud the leaders of UA and LCCC for having the courage, vision and determination to forge such an important regional partnership, said Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. In utilizing academic resources, fostering innovation and developing strategic business approaches, the Innovation Alliance will serve as a model of success for communities across the state.

Both schools hope the Innovation Alliance and Corridor will help the areas unity stretch beyond the region.

To compete globally, higher education, business and government must work in regional partnerships to support innovation and foster knowledge creation and thereby ensure an increasingly stronger and larger source of human capital, said UA president Luis Proenza.

The alliance is a major step in academics and for Northeast Ohio’s economy.

President Proenza introduced president Church today as ‘my kindred spirit.’ This is what we’re trying to foster throughout the state, said Eric Fingerhut, Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor. This is the kindred spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that cuts across all boundaries of the state so that we can work together to turn Ohio around.

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” #1.1362180:861067539.JPG:innovation.JPG:Luis Proenza, left, and Lorain County Community College president Roy Church announce the formation of the Innovation Alliance at a news conference held at RPM International Inc. Wednesday.:”