Otterbein University cofounds new private university system
Good morning, Columbus!
It's only Monday and I'm already looking forward to the weekend. Not just because its Monday (because that's always a vibe,) but because your Dispatch Education Team is heading to Florida this weekend for the Education Writers Association's National Seminar!
We'll be there for three days learning all about what's going on in the world of education, hearing from experts, and meeting up with other passionate journalists. It's basically like summer school for education journalists, and we can't wait to bring back all that knowledge and share it with you.
Until then, here's what's going on in Ohio education news:
Review Session: Otterbein University announced last week that it is cofounding a first-of-its-kind system to connect private universities nationwide.
Otterbein and Antioch University, which is located in California and has multiple campuses nationwide, are creating what they hope will be a network of nonprofit, independent universities with similar values and goals for their students.
Otterbein President John Comerford told me during last Thursday's event announcing the system that the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that schools need to be working together more than they compete. With college enrollment still limping from 2020, there are only so many traditional, 18-to-22-year-old students to go around.
Rather, the future of higher education, he said, is in degree completion and adult learners who are either switching careers or continuing their education.
Universities who join the system will focus on shared graduate and adult-learner programs, while maintaining their own distinctive undergraduate programs and brand identities.
Comerford said this system is not meant to be pretentious or elitist. It's meant to share resources among universities who share the same values, not just preparing students for careers but also empowering them to be engaged citizens.
You can read all about the private university system in my latest article here.
Extra Credit:
A man has been charged with raping a 10-year-old Ohio girl, whose travel to Indiana to seek an abortion attracted international attention following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Our colleagues have the story.
If everything feels heavy for you right and you just need to take a brain break for a while, here's a story I wrote last week about the new generation of Dungeons & Dragons fans. Even if you've never played before (like me!) I'm sure it will make you smile.
K-12 reporter Megan Henry also has a great story about a Barack Community Center's boxing program that teaches fitness, emotional wellbeing and self-discipline.
As always, thank you for reading! If you aren't already, please consider subscribing to the Dispatch. And if someone sent you this email, make sure you subscribe to this newsletter to never miss an issue.
Until next week,
Sheridan Hendrix
Email: shendrix@dispatch.com
Twitter: @sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Otterbein University cofounds new private university system
