Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel visited Wright State University as part of a statewide tour focused on workforce development and educational partnerships, meeting with President Sue Edwards and regional partner institutions to learn how the university is preparing students for in-demand careers and supporting economic growth across the Miami Valley.<\/p>\n
Tressel\u2019s visit included tours of Wright State\u2019s state-of-the-art labs, meetings with students and faculty and conversations with community and industry partners.<\/p>\n
The goal of the visit was to better understand how institutions like Wright State are preparing students to help increase workforce participation and grow Ohio\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe governor believes that every Ohioan is important, that every Ohioan needs to have the opportunity to reach their God-given potential,\u201d Tressel said of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.<\/p>\n
Wright State\u2019s partnerships with area institutions were a major focus of the visit, including its collaborations with Premier Health, Dayton Children\u2019s Hospital, the Dayton Development Coalition and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.<\/p>\n
Tressel also learned about how innovative endeavors at Wright State \u2014 from the new aviation program<\/a> to the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program<\/a> to on-campus job opportunities with Winsupply \u2014 are helping bolster the region\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been very focused in the last five years on developing significant partnerships with businesses in the region,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt actually is a whole community that works together.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting that more than 80% of Wright State graduates remain in the region, Edwards highlighted the university\u2019s mission as an access institution that provides students a chance to earn a high-quality, affordable degree.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m a first-generation student. Neither of my parents finished high school,\u201d she said. \u201cRegardless of where you live, what your background is, I want every single person to have the opportunity, if they want to, to get a four-year degree.<\/p>\n During his Wright State visit, Tressel also toured innovative labs where students are trained on state-of-the-art technology and equipment.<\/p>\n For instance, he met with engineering students learning to create microchips and circuit boards in the Microelectronics Fabrication Teaching and Research Lab, which is supported by a $14.5 million Assured Digital Microelectronics Education and Training Ecosystem (ADMETE) contract from the Air Force.<\/p>\n Tressel also met with students who designed turbine engines in the Additive Manufacturing Lab using equipment purchased from funds from Ohio\u2019s RAPIDS workforce development program.<\/p>\n He learned about Wright State\u2019s state-of-the-art MRI scanner dedicated exclusively to research. The MRI scanner is operated by Wright State\u2019s Center of Neuroimaging and Neuro-Evaluation of Cognitive Technologies, which fosters a collaborative environment for the Defense Department and academic neuroscience research in the Miami Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery lab I went into here at Wright State, every faculty member I talked to, every student that I talked to, they were benefitting from the opportunities that the state budget helped create, that the base helped create, that the federal government helped create,\u201d Tressel said.<\/p>\n Tressel said his Wright State visit exceeded his expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sun is shining here in Dayton,\u201d Tressel said, \u201cand the future is bright.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel met with President Sue Edwards and regional partners to learn how Wright State is preparing students for in-demand careers and supporting local economic growth.
\n Continue reading