Owens Community College readies for Aug. 20 opening

Opening its doors for the first day of fall semester classes, Owens Community College welcomes thousands of students to its Perrysburg Township and Findlay-area campuses, as well as to the Arrowhead Park Learning Center in Maumee and the Learning Center at The Source in downtown Toledo.

On Aug. 20, students will be locating classrooms, purchasing books, experiencing college life and receiving helpful assistance from college officials to kick off the new fall term.

The semester will mark the first for new Owens President Mike Bower. President Bower is the sixth president and chief executive officer in the 47-year history of Owens.

Owens is again expanding educational opportunities. During fall semester, the college will offer a new associate’s degree in vascular sonography and unveil new state-of-the-art occupational therapy assistant, dental assisting, and math emporium laboratories, as well as a new virtual welding training system. A newly refurbished Alumni Hall opens with a fitness center.

The college is also continuing to expand academic options for students with aspirations of completing a bachelor’s degree by introducing a new Honors Program partnership with Eastern Michigan University, which enables students to pursue academic success at the highest level from both institutions.

Owens continues to increase its academic and support services by making available cohort programs in select academic disciplines and eOwens distance learning, as well as at The Source, Lucas County’s One-Stop Employment Center, in downtown Toledo and at the Arrowhead Park Learning Center in Maumee.

Owens, in partnership with Toledo Public Schools, welcomes more than 40 students participating in the new Gateway to College program, designed for young adults ages 16 to 20 who have dropped out of high school or are significantly behind in credits and unlikely to graduate. The program enables them to complete their high school diploma requirements while simultaneously earning college credit toward an associate degree or certificate.

To accommodate students, the college, within the last nine years, has opened an $11 million Center for Fine and Performing Arts on the Toledo-area campus. In 2007, Owens unveiled a $20.5 million Center for Emergency Preparedness. The Center is the only state-of-the-art facility of this magnitude within the Midwest.