Last Thursday, Sinclair’s administration held a conference with faculty members to celebrate Sinclair’s past achievements while looking forward to what the innovations and expectations of the future hold for the college.
The conference was led by President Steven Johnson, who started out talking about the beginnings of the University in 1887 as a division of the YMCA, to a college with a graduating class large enough to fill UD Arena for commencement. Pictures were shown to express the difference of the college throughout the years.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley was invited to speak on the stage and talked about the impact Sinclair has on the Dayton area.
“I brag about Sinclair wherever I go… It is the best community college in the country, and I’m happy that this asset is right here in Dayton,” Whaley said.
Whaley and other guests of honor to the meeting were presented with Sinclair umbrellas and sweatshirts.
Johnson then congratulated the 512 new hires at sinclair and paid tribute to some of the longest serving faculty members.
The next speaker was the chairperson of Sinclair’s board of trustees, Rob Connelly. He is a significant part of the planning for most of Sinclair’s big projects, namely the Health and Science center.
His address thanked the staff and faculty for their work, and he described the impact Sinclair has had on the Dayton community. He closed his portion by challenging the staff to work harder to help the community. His goal is to create a 50 percent increase in degrees earned since the last five years, as well as having enrollment match community.
Wright State University’s new president Cheryl Schrader took the stage next, and talked about the warm welcome she received from the Sinclair community and how excited she is to foster a relationship between the two institutions. She noted that one in three Sinclair students transfer to WSU.
Following this, Johnson spoke on upcoming developments for the college. These include a new front door placed at Building 10, creating friendly and welcoming green spaces, as well as a center for advanced manufacturing.
The floor was then given to Senior Advisor to the President, Michael Carter, who talked about the events the Diversity Office has planned throughout the academic year.
These include a Sinclair Talks in the fall with Rais Bhuiyan, a hate crime survivor and international speaker. There will also be a talk in the spring with Steve Pemberton, the Chief Diversity Officer for Walgreens.
The Diversity film series will show a number of films throughout the year, including “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures” and “Fences.”
Carter ended his portion of the event by citing recent events in Charlottesville as inspiration for us to treat each other better. He told those in attendance to be the change they wanted to see in the world by talking to people different than them and going to at least one Diversity Office event during the year.
Next Johnson talked about the construction of the new Health Sciences Center in Building 14. He thanked the workers of the project for getting it done by the year deadline.
The conference then focused on the renewal of a Sinclair levy that looks to bring in $27 million of revenue to the college. It was made clear that this levy wouldn’t raise taxes and the staff was encouraged to participate in the campaign process.
Johnson closed the conference by having 2017 Sinclair graduate Will McChesney talk about his experience. He faced many hurdles such as a chaotic home life and substance addiction and is now going to The Ohio State University to pursue a law degree.
Fall Conference 2017 was an event for Sinclair staff that celebrated the advancements made in 130 years, but looked forward to the future innovations and challenges that face it.
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor