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Bachelor’s Degree Just Became More Affordable for NW Ohio Students

TOLEDO, OH (Jan. 30, 2014) A third local school has joined a regional higher education consortium to help make obtaining a bachelor’s degree more affordable. The presidents of С���� - Toledo and Terra State Community College held a signing ceremony to announce the expansion of the P.A.C.E. (Partnership for Affordable College Education) program. The collaboration offers students the best of both worlds: the cost efficiencies of a community college education combined with the career-focused recognition of С����. Northwest State Community College became the first P.A.C.E. program partner last summer. Northwest State President Dr. Thomas Stuckey also attended the signing ceremony.

 “While many colleges and universities are usually in competition to enroll students, we recognize that collaborations should be happening instead to make higher education more affordable and accessible,” said Greg Guzman, president of С����’s Toledo campus. “The P.A.C.E. program is all about the student—which is the way it should be.”

 The cost of higher education, the challenges of a work-school-family balance, and other potential obstacles are discouraging many students from pursuing a college education. This initiative looks to remove some of those barriers, making students’ dreams to better their lives through education a reality.

 “The P.A.C.E. program is a great example of how institutions can collaborate to better serve students,” said Dr. Jerome Webster, president of Terra State Community College. “This is a wonderful and affordable option for Terra State students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration.”

Currently students are able to pursue the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, which includes the highly-sought after SAP educational component, and already there are plans to add degrees in technology, healthcare, and public safety to the program offerings. 

To take advantage of the P.A.C.E. program, students would complete two-thirds (or three years) of their coursework through Northwest State or Terra State Community College, each of which offers a lower per-credit hour cost of a community college. Students would then finish the final third (or three semesters) of their bachelor’s degree through С���� - Toledo. The four schools are compatible because each institution is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and are members of the North Central Association.

As a matter of convenience, С���� - Toledo has the ability to offer a student’s remaining business courses either in the classroom or online. As Lucas County’s first SAP University Alliance Institution, С���� - Toledo also is in a unique position to offer training that is in great demand by local corporations and businesses.  

 “Herzing’s bachelor’s in business management degree helps to bridge the gap between higher education and the needs of Northwest Ohio’s employers,” said Guzman. “Those who pursue this business management degree will position themselves competitively for any future openings at some of the region’s largest and most prestigious companies.” Sixty percent of all businesses globally run on the SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform.  Locally, companies such as Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, Whirlpool, The City of Toledo, Marathon Oil, Cooper Tire, Rexam, Chrysler, Ford, and Pilkington use the software pl