New degree will enhance LCCC’s status

Lorain County Community College’s announcement it will offer the state’s first bachelor of applied science in microelectronic manufacturing is exceptional news for the community. The college revealed March 20 the Ohio Department of Higher Education approv

LCCC President Marcia J. Ballinger said that as the first community college in Ohio to offer the program, the college is incredibly excited and thankful to Gov. John Kasich to be the first institution of higher learning to offer an applied bachelor’s degree in the region.

After working on the program for two decades, Ballinger said it is finally coming to fruition.

And Lorain County Community College students who will go through the program will benefit.

LCCC now becomes one of only three community colleges in the state to offer bachelor degrees in this field, joining 20 other states following the creation of an associate degree program in 2014 in mechatronics technology with a focus in microelectromechanical systems, also known as MEMS.

The program is based on the learn-and-earn model where students will complete paid internships with local industry partners while obtaining a degree.

With tuition likely less than $15,000 for the degree, Ballinger called the program one of the best values in the state of Ohio.

And graduates of the program could earn average starting salaries of $65,000 a year.

The authority to deliver applied bachelor’s degrees, especially in fields like this, expands LCCC’s commitment to keep access to higher education affordable and relevant to the job market.

Ballinger said this is the return on investment the community expects and deserves.

The college has offered bachelor’s and master’s degrees on its campus since 1995 through the University Partnership, however, the microelectronic manufacturing program is the first bachelor’s degree offered entirely by LCCC.

Johnny Vanderford, an LCCC associate professor and project manager for MEMS, said the program was a local response to industry needs.

Beginning with the associate degree, Vanderford said the program started with three students and eight local partners and expanded to 20 partners in the first year.

Today, there are 40 industry partners that work with LCCC in helping train students.

What’s impressive with this initiative is the companies tailored this program.

They simply said they needed people who can work with the skills that it takes to manufacture these products; to work with the micro-scale size components, the tiny microchips, in clean rooms, in print circuit board assembly floors.

And LCCC listened and responded first with microelectronic manufacturing; a bachelor’s degree that is entirely based on the needs of the local industry.

Vanderford said initial plans are to begin with an annual enrollment of 18 students and eventually increase to 24.

With the current 100 percent placement rate for the current mechatronics technology associate degree, the addition of a bachelor degree program is another opportunity to offer students a pathway into an in-demand and highly specialized field.

Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy said the announcement of the bachelor of applied science in microelectronic manufacturing is another example of LCCC’s leadership and innovation in the community.

Lundy credits LCCC with finding ways to step up to the plate to fill skills gaps in Ohio.

Not every county has its own community college, he said, but LCCC has always kept up with employers that are in need of talent and talent with skills to fill that skills gap.

The field of microelectronic manufacturing is an interdisciplinary filed that combines mechanical and electrical engineering technology with science, mathematics and communications.

This emerging field helps companies make products and processes “smart” by embedding sensors and microelectromechanical systems.

Ballinger anticipates the program could begin enrolling students as soon as fall 2018.

The next step in the process is the accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission in a concurrent process with the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

This is extraordinary news for LCCC students because it’s another program for them to secure good paying jobs after graduation.