By Vivian Blevins
Contributing Columnist
Edison State Community College retirees meet monthly on a year-round basis, and the following question always arises: “What’s going on at the college?”
I believe the community also wants to know what’s going on at the college because, after all, Edison is a college of the communities in Miami, Darke and Shelby counties. To get an informed response to that query, a member of the group invited Edison president, Chris Spradlin, to attend a recent meeting to give retirees an update as the college completes 50 years of service.
Spradlin began his presentation by thanking the group for the opportunity to present. He then indicated the importance of college personnel paying attention to space as this is the first thing potential students note when visiting the college. And in order to take the college “up to the next level,” renovations are extensive throughout the Piqua campus with plans for a new nursing wing and a collaborative modern engineering laboratory. He announced that the college has been approved to begin offering a Bachelor of Nursing degree beginning in the fall of 2024 with more baccalaureate programs in applied sciences in the discussion phase.
He then moved into a succinct and articulate listing of all the new and upcoming programs which are in high-demand fields such as healthcare. Some are short-term certificate programs, and some are degree programs. The Associate in Applied Science degree program in Respiratory Care will begin in the fall of 2024 with a site visit at the college scheduled for accreditation in late July of this year. According to Spradlin, programs, some requiring as few as 30 semester hours of credit, “present opportunities to serve as ladders for degrees at Edison and elsewhere.” Current healthcare programs offered at Edison, in addition to the associate degree in registered nursing, include the following: Respiratory Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, Medical Assistant Certification, Medical Coder Certification, Medical Scribe Short-Term Technical Certification, Medical Laboratory Technician, Clinical Laboratory Assistant Certification, LPN/ADN Transition, Paramedic Certification, and Phlebotomy Short-Term Certification.
Several of these programs are offered at the Troy Campus with plans to take phlebotomy certification to the Eaton Campus.
Spradlin added that Computer Information Systems programs at the college have been updated to accommodate this rapidly changing field. Programs include the following: Associate of Applied Business degrees- Business Systems, Cybersecurity, Network Administration, Systems Administration. Certificates in the field include the following: Business Systems Certificate, Computer Information Systems Certificate, Database Specialist Certificate, Networking Certificate, Programming Certificate, Systems Administration Certificate. Short-term technical certificates are the following: Basic Computer Skills Short-Term Certificate, Help Desk Short-Term Technical Certificate, Networking Short-Term Technical Certificate, Programming Short-Term Technical Certificate, Software Testing Short-Term Certificate, and Systems Analysis Short-Term Technical Certificate.
At a time when many colleges and universities are lamenting enrollment problems, Spradlin indicated that enrollment at Edison State “has increased 35% since 2017- this at a time when enrollment is declining nationally at colleges and universities.”
The final announcements by Spradlin involved the recent reaffirmation of accreditation of the college by the Higher Learning Commission for a full ten-year period as well as the Child Development Center’s receiving a Five-Star rating from its accrediting body.
Following President Spradlin’s presentation, retirees asked questions involving communication strategies and made commitments to work with the college in terms of using their connections in the communities served by the college to continue providing quality education Faculty retirees also committed to serving as partners in a roundtable discussion to present the stellar achievements of the past as current employees continue to move to the future.
Yes to Edison State and the ways in which for 50 years the college has provided so many opportunities to thousands of community members who have sought- and continue to seek- opportunities to enrich their lives and the lives of their families. Bold Legacy, Bright Future.
Edison retirees interested in attending the monthly meetings should email Vivian Blevins: [email protected].
Vivian B. Blevins. Ph.D., teaches telecommunication employees from around the country and students at Edison State Community College and works with veterans. You may reach her at 937-778-3815 or [email protected].
