Somerville reflects on 5 years as Owens president

FINDLAY — Five years ago, Dione Somerville, Ed.D., became the eighth president of Owens Community College. In that time, she has found it rewarding to build and strengthen relationships between Owens and other institutions in Northwest Ohio – and she sees so much potential ahead. She knew early on that Hancock County would be an easy place to build relationships. Somerville earned her bachelor's degree at Ohio Northern University and her master's degree at Bowling Green State University. Her first graduate assistantship was at the University of Findlay. While "going away to college is quasi-adulthood," graduate school challenged a young Somerville in new ways. For example, she bought her first car. "I remember going to the local dealership and them literally shepherding me through what preventative maintenance is, and things like that. You know, you felt taken care of," she said. "And I think when you think of the Findlay community, that's a lot of what always comes back to mind for me." Over the past five years, Somerville has worked closely with Katherine Fell, Ph.D., who recently retired as president of UF. "There are so many things I appreciate about Dr. Fell," she said. "But one of the things that we talked so much about was how Northwest Ohio and this community needs both of our institutions. And how important that is, to offer a variety of educational pathways for people, and to be able to do that in a way that is collaborative and very much partner-focused." Somerville said she is looking forward to continuing this collaboration with the new UF president, Richard L. Ludwick, J.D., D.Ed. "I'm excited for where it can continue to go," she said. Owens, UF and BGSU announced a new partnership in late 2021. The Center to Advance Manufacturing, housed on Owens' Findlay campus, worked closely with area employers to strengthen the workforce in manufacturing and logistics. The center recently dissolved due to a loss of state funding, but Somerville said much of its work will continue. She said the partnership helped all three institutions understand their different strengths, and how interdependent they are upon one another. The Center to Advance Manufacturing also held roundtable discussions with elected officials, and helped create stronger connections with business and industry, Somerville said. "That corporate advisory board was incredibly engaged, incredibly helpful," she said. "And that's part of what we're keeping as part of how we move forward." She said the center also served as a focal point and helped to "create a sense of pride around advanced manufacturing careers," and an awareness that they included so many possibilities. Along with advanced manufacturing, healthcare continues to be one of Owens' strengths, she said. The college's new bachelor of science in nursing program began in January, with 11 students in the first cohort. It's an online program which Somerville said came from area healthcare leaders mentioning a need. She said there is a need for more workers in many health professions, and she speaks regularly with area healthcare leaders to hear how these needs change. In November, Owens renewed its express transfer agreement with UF and created new ones with ONU and Heidelberg University, along with pre-pharmacy options at UF and ONU. The college also shared results from an enrollment study of its Findlay campus at a signing ceremony hosted there. "What we found was actually surprising. … When people stopped enrolling on the Owens Findlay campus, they weren't going to another institution," Somerville said. "They were not going to school." This is an issue not only for the individual, but the community and its workforce, she noted. At the November event, Owens leadership announced "the Findlay Commitment," a pledge to re-engage learners, expand access and strengthen the region's talent pipeline through collaboration across education, business and community sectors. Along with the dual admission agreements, this included adding more class offerings. Somerville said Owens leadership is continuing to develop the Findlay Commitment. In her time at Owens, Somerville has seen how the community college is intertwined with every aspect of Northwest Ohio. She continually meets people who say that they attended Owens, or have a family member who studies or works there. At a recent presentation to a small group, Somerville asked how many of those in attendance had an Owens connection. "Literally every hand shot up," she said. "And there was one person in the room who was by far the funniest, and she said, 'I owe Owens my life, because that's where my parents met.'" She said it really underscored how vital Owens has been since it opened in 1965, "and you realize how we all have this shared responsibility to continue to shepherd it through its next 60 years." "There's more and more research that's coming out about how having a good community college really helps with community vibrancy, and how from an economic development, workforce development perspective, they really are intertwined," Somerville said. Community colleges have held an important role for decades, she said. Owens' mission hasn't changed, but in the last five years, people's perspective on community colleges has changed. "I think a big part of what has changed is that people more and more recognize it as a viable option for so many different things," she said. "One of our incoming students is a valedictorian. … When people speak stereotypically about community colleges, they don't often speak of high school valedictorians. "The fact that our offerings are high quality, that we have a variety of programs, that you can transfer, if that's your choice, to a four-year university — all of that has been there. And I am very grateful for the recognition that people have about it being that kind of viable choice."