Owens Community College

Owens Community College (OCC) is a public community college with campuses in Perrysburg and Findlay, Ohio. Owens was founded in 1965 in Toledo and chartered in 1967.^[5] The Findlay campus opened in 1983. Owens Community College is named after Michael J. Owens, the Toledo-based inventor of automated glass bottle-making technology.^[6]

Owens Community College

Type	Public community college
Established	1965; 60 years ago (1965)
Parent institution	University System of Ohio
Endowment	$2.1 million (2007)[1]
President	Dione Somerville[2]
Administrative staff	1,300
Students	8,282[3]
Location	Toledo , Ohio , United States 41°35′16″N 83°32′25″W
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Red, White, & Black[4]
Nickname	Express
Sporting affiliations	OCCAC
Mascot	Big E
Website	www.owens.edu

Owens's service district includes Lucas, Wood, Hancock, and parts of Ottawa counties.^[7]

History

The Toledo campus was originally the Rossford Army Depot from 1941 to 1963.^[8][9]

On January 21, 2004, President George W. Bush gave a speech at Owens Community College pledging support for community colleges and job training programs.^[10][11] Former President Bill Clinton would later give a speech at the campus as part of the Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign.^[12]

Campuses

The Findlay area Owens campus.

The Owens Community College Toledo-area campus covers more than 280 acres (1.1 km²) and is located in Perrysburg Township. OCC also maintains a learning center in downtown Toledo. The Findlay-area campus is located in Findlay, Ohio and covers more than 60 acres (240,000 m²). The new campus for Findlay was completed in fall of 2005.

OCC's Arrowhead Park campus, located in Maumee, closed in 2016.^[13]

In April 2007, Owens opened the new Center for Emergency Preparedness. This $20.5 million center serves as a state, regional and national education and resource center for public safety and emergency training.^[14] The 110-acre (0.45 km²) facility features full-size, state-of-the-art training props that were developed with emphasis on realism and safety, including a Boeing 727-100,^[15][16] burn simulators, dive and rescue pond and mock city. Training props are used to train students and area first responders on procedures for emergency situations and recovery maneuvers. The center a fiber-optic network for research and education. It will allow fire, police, emergency responders and other emergency personnel to conduct exercises via distance learning on a variety of simulated terror incidents, emergency hazards and natural disasters.^{[citation needed]}

Academics

The college's community outreach includes recruiting employees from more than 500 business organizations to serve on advisory committees responsible for shaping and refining academic curricula.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, Owens Community College and Lourdes University formulated a partnership program called 60/60, which allows allied health students at Owens to also earn a baccalaureate degree at Lourdes.^[17]

The college continued to add off-campus educational sites for students. In December 2006, the college and Toledo Public Schools signed an agreement allowing the college to offer classes at the new Rogers High School. The college also partnered with the Putnam County Educational Service Center and began holding classes at its Skilled Learning Center.

The college has longstanding off-campus educational partnerships with Arcadia High School in Arcadia, Liberty-Benton High School near Findlay, Riverdale High School in Mt. Blanchard, Springfield High School in Holland and Swanton High School in Swanton.^{[citation needed]}

Owens also offers Post Secondary Enrollment Options to area high school students. Qualified students have the opportunity to take classes at Owens that may count for both high school and college credit while they are still in high school. In many cases, the cost of tuition, books and other fees can be paid for by the state of Ohio.

Honor societies

• Alpha Mu Gamma (Nu Kappa Chapter)
• Chi Alpha Epsilon
• Chi Alpha Campus Ministries
• Epsilon Pi Tau
• Kappa Beta Delta (Pi Chapter)
• Phi Theta Kappa (Alpha Omega Pi Chapter) Toledo-Area Campus
• Phi Theta Kappa (Beta Xi Chi Chapter) Findlay-Area Campus
• Psi Beta - the national honor society in psychology for two year colleges
• Sigma Kappa Delta (Theta Alpha Chapter)
• Tau Alpha Pi

Athletics

The Owens Express compete in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference. Men's sports include Basketball, Baseball. Women's sports include Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball.

Notable alumni

• Madison Hubbell - ice dancer
• Keiffer Hubbell - ice dancer^[18]
• James Kelly - professional basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League^[19][20]
• Sean Bucknor - American-born Jamaican footballer^[21]
• Bill Laimbeer - NBA player
• Jim Penix - Basketball player^[22]