Clermont 20/20, Inc.
eVisions     June 6, 2011

 


In this Edition... 
  • Clermont Community Leadership and College Access Programs Continue
    • LEAD Clermont Class of 2012 Now Forming
  • LEAD Class of 2011 - Skills Gap Summary
  • CEO College Access Program Awards Last Dollar Grants
  • Clermont 20/20 Awards Kinker-Eveleigh Academic Plus Scholarships
  • River Sweep - Saturday, June 18, 2011
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Clermont Community Leadership and College Access Programs Continue

LEAD Clermont Class of 2012 Now Forming

In an unprecedented community development move, Clermont 20/20, the Clermont Chamber of Commerce and UC Clermont College, have announced a major realignment of Clermont 20/20’s LEAD Clermont Community Leadership program and Clermont Educational Opportunities College Access program.

The LEAD Clermont program will be delivered under a new community development nonprofit organization of the Clermont Chamber, and UC East will be the new home for Clermont Educational Opportunities’ College Access program. The transition of the programs from Clermont 20/20 will become effective on June 30, 2011.

In the joint announcement Matt Van Sant, Chamber President, stated, “LEAD Clermont is an important part of having strong community leadership across all sectors in the County and the region. LEAD Clermont has had a positive impact on the growth and development of Clermont County. There are many LEAD alumni serving as volunteers, professionals and managers on boards, committees and leading community organizations,” Van Sant said. “The LEAD Clermont legacy is about team building, collaboration and creating community-wide leadership. The Clermont Chamber is happy to become the service provider for the LEAD Clermont program.” Van Sant said. The essential focus of LEAD Clermont will continue to be a “neutral platform where leaders from all sectors” can interact with one another to learn more about the economic and community development needs of Clermont County.

Kurt Kiessling, Clermont 20/20 Board Chair, commented, “The 20/20 board is extremely pleased that we have been able to rely on strong community partners and find new solutions for delivering important community development services. LEAD Clermont and Clermont Educational Opportunities have become part of Clermont County’s history and have helped shape Clermont’s quality of life. Both programs have made a significant impact on the lives of people in our community.” Kiessling said. Clermont 20/20 began considering organizational changes as the economy affected corporate and funding partners’ ability to participate in leadership programs and community development initiatives. “What we’re most proud of in this period of transition is the work that’s been accomplished by collaborating with the Chamber and UC Clermont College. We appreciate the genuine effort and leadership at all levels that has come together to continue a legacy that’s been well deserved.”

Dr. Gregory Sojka, Dean of UC Clermont College, said he was pleased to have Clermont Educational Opportunities (CEO) bring its college access program to UC East. “Helping students find access to higher education is an interest that UC Clermont College and Clermont Educational Opportunities share for the community,” Sojka said. We’re happy to provide a location for CEO to continue its work with students.

LEAD Class of 2011 - Skills Gap Summary
The Leadership Class of 2011 did a terrific job of tabulating previous survey work, assembling, and formatting the questions to be posed to business owners, operators, and entrepreneurs. They then accumulated, analyzed, and interpreted the data received, followed by observations and recommendations.

The target respondents were small to mid-size businesses in Clermont County with less than 50 employees in 19 different industry sectors. The intent of the survey was to identify 21st century skills gaps that may exist between what businesses say they need or expect in a new employee or new hire, and what skills those new hires seem to possess and deliver. Is there a performance gap? Differences in expectations? Skills gap? If so, of what nature, and what can be done to minimize or eliminate it?

They ended up with a lively discussion around K-12 curricula, public school financing strategies, graduation rates, career options and opportunities, high value / high skill / sustainable employment paths, and ways they might better partner education, business, and political spheres of influence. Several Clermont County school district superintendents were at the class presentation and graduation event, as well as business and political representatives. It was encouraging to see all involved and engaged in the discussion.

The intent is for next year’s leadership class to partner and work with various Clermont County schools districts to learn what challenges, constraints, and hurdles are in the educational world. They will examine existing curricula and see how districts might add selective curriculum elements that were identified in this year’s survey study. It also creates the proper environment and setting for partnership and collaboration between leadership participants and local school districts. The sharing of expertise and best practices is a potential positive for all involved.

Clermont 20/20 Skills Gap Summary
LEAD Clermont 2011

The total pool of 1095 companies in Clermont County represents 19 different industries. The employee base at the time of the survey was 43,877. We attempted to survey 98 employers in proportion to the 19 different industries. We succeeded in surveying 98 employers in different proportions than desired, and adjusted the statistical weighting proportions to accommodate the variances in the original desired proportions.

A total of nine questions were asked of the employers:
  1. Identify education levels necessary to operate your business
  2. Identify education levels difficult to recruit
  3. Identify education levels difficult to retain
  4. Identify the difficulty in finding qualified applicants within a 10, 25, 50 mile radius
  5. How prepared are graduates
Using the same multiple choices, employers were asked to identify the top four answers for each of the remaining four questions:
  • Professionalism / Work Ethic
  • Critical Thinking / Problem Solving
  • Ethics
  • Mathematics
  • Grammatical Skills
  • Foreign Languages
  • Information Technology Applications
  • Verbal Communication
  • Written Communication
  • Teamwork / Collaboration
  • Reading Comprehension
  1. What skills do employers expect graduates to have
  2. What skills are they finding
  3. What skills are lacking
  4. What skills will they need in the future
Combining the high schools and college data collected, we offer the following summary: The last four questions may indicate a significant skills gap between the current and future needs of employers in the areas of critical thinking / problem solving, professionalism / work ethic, and ethics. There is also indication that foreign language will be necessary for success in the future. The following images indicate graphically this summarization.

The Clermont 20/20, Inc. 2011 LEAD Clermont Class

Jeff Baumgarth - Myers Y Cooper
Michael Beattie - PNC Bank
Michelle Edwards - Key Bank
Philip Gatch - The Rosselot Financial Group
Laura Gaynor - Mercy Hospital Clermont
Martha Geiger - UC Clermont
Michael Goede - TCS
Debbie Henize - CenterBank
Eric Hunziker - American Modern Insurance Group
Jeff Johnson - Milford School District
Gail Koford - Inter Parish Ministry
Bethel Leonard - KH&H
Cyn Macke - Clermont Chamber
Kevin Malof - Frost Brown Todd LLC
Lynn Miller - TQL
Ranny Muasher - Centennial, Inc.
Bob Pautke - Soar Consultancy
Kurt Shimala - RiverHills Bank
Laurie Smith - American Modern Insurance Group
Patti Trapp - TechneTitle Agency, Inc.
Jon Trowbridge - Eastgate Village
David Uible - Uible Management
Jeff Wright - Miami Township
CEO College Access Program Awards Last Dollar Grants
The Senior Awards season is upon us at area high schools and once again, Clermont Educational Opportunities is pleased to be able to participate in these ceremonies by presenting Last Dollar Grants to some amazing and deserving graduating seniors.

This year, twelve Last Dollar Grants will go to seniors who have demonstrated financial need as well as a strong desire to continue their education after high school. Each grant is for $500. This is the tenth year that the college access program that provides college advisory services to students and families has awarded the scholarships at each partnering school.

Clermont 20/20, Inc. and Clermont Educational Opportunities are proud to announce the recipients of the 2011 Last Dollar Grants:

2011 Last Dollar Grant Winners
Amelia High School Alexandria SmithMike Strezinski
Glen Este High School Christian BlantonMichael Muse
Batavia High School Richelle WoodKaitlyn Patterson
Goshen High School Chelsea HauserAnthony Voto
CNE High School Marissa MullinsAlex Teaney
Live Oaks Career Campus Jessica PerryD. Chad Sloan
Clermont 20/20 Awards Kinker-Eveleigh Academic Plus Scholarships
The Clermont 20/20 - Kinker-Eveleigh Academic Plus award is a scholarship program offered under the Clermont Educational Opportunities Programs. The goal of this program is to recognize seniors for their overall excellence within their school programs as well as within their community.

Two outstanding students are chosen annually to be recipients of the award and each receives a $1,000 scholarship. Criteria for this award begins with a GPA of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 as a perfect GPA. Other criteria places emphasis on a better than average overall academic record in the total high school experience; activity in other school non-academic programs, as well as activities in the community through non-academic programs. This award is particularly designed for hard-working, well-rounded students.

This year’s recipients of the Kinker-Eveleigh Academic Plus scholarships are Mike Strezinski of Amelia High School and Ashleigh Grimes of Batavia High School. Mike graduates high school with a 3.6 GPA. He will attend University of Cincinnati in the fall and major in Chemical Engineering. Ashleigh graduates high school with a 3.8 GPA. She will attend Taylor University in the fall and major in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Kinker-Eveleigh Insurance is making this investment in the community on behalf of its dedicated employees and the thousands of customers they serve.
River Sweep - Saturday, June 18, 2011
Join thousands of volunteers on Saturday, June 18 in cleaning up the riverbanks and tributaries of the Ohio River! The River Sweep is an annual cleanup and has grown into one of the largest cleanup efforts of its kind. “Each year over 20,000 tons of trash are collected from 3,000 miles of shoreline and waterways in and around the Ohio River in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.” stated Paul Braasch of the Adams-Clermont Solid District. There are 4 riverfront communities in Clermont County participating in the Ohio River Sweep. Volunteers can meet at 9:00 AM at the Chilo Lock and Dam – Clermont County Park (adults or older children only due to the rough terrain), Indian Mound Campground in Neville, Village of Neville riverfront park, the Riverfront Park in Moscow (222 Second Street) and the Bandstand in New Richmond. Large items and tires that are removed during the Ohio River Sweep can be dropped off at the Meldahl Lock and Dam parking lot. Becky Ploucha, Clermont 20/20 Clean and Green Program Director, encourages everyone to “dress appropriately for the weather and the event – long sleeved shirts, long pants and no open-toed shoes!” The event will end around noon.

Volunteers will receive free t-shirts and refreshments in addition to the supplies needed to remove litter and debris. Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District, Clermont County Office of Environmental Quality, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and ORSANCO have provided support for this event.

Please contact Becky Ploucha at cleanandgreen@clermont2020.org or 513-753-9222 for additional information.
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