OHIO President Nellis meets with Chillicothe-area business, industry leaders

Photo courtesy of: Ohio UniversityPresident Nellis (center), Board of Trustees Chair Dave Scholl (right), Chillicothe Dean Martin Tuck (left) and Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education Bill Willan (right center) met with Chillicothe-area business leaders for a roundtable discussion.

Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis, Board of Trustees Chair Dave Scholl, and other University leadership met with Chillicothe-area business leaders during a roundtable held at the Chillicothe Campus on Wednesday, June 6.

Leaders from the manufacturing and financial sectors attended the roundtable, which also included Chillicothe Campus Dean Martin Tuck and Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education Bill Willan. It was the third stop on Dr. Nellis’ roundtable tour that has so far included roundtables in Lancaster and Zanesville.

“I want to be able to work closely with businesses and entities within communities to engage more fully with the community,” President Nellis said. “Our goal is to serve the community and its businesses for the betterment of the entire community, whether that’s through the Chillicothe Campus or the rest of Ohio University.”

Nellis discussed OHIO’s strategic vision of serving the community, whether through the Opioid Task Force he recently established, the Ohio University Innovation Center’s business incubation capabilities, or internships and other partnerships available across the University. He noted the Chillicothe Campus’ strong nursing program, which already works well with the Adena Health System in Chillicothe.

Some of the conversation centered around internships, with some already taking place. The Kenworth Truck Company, for example, has had internship teams from the Russ College of Engineering on the Athens Campus, but is always looking to fill more.

Nellis said he’d like to see those relationships strengthened further. He added that there are other opportunities, from short-term certificate training to potential programmatic changes to meet the Chillicothe community’s needs.

“We truly want to be an engaged partner. It’s not that we have all the answers, but I think, collectively, we can create the answers,” President Nellis said.

Nellis also noted that it’s clear that Ohioans value higher education, and that the need for such important learning opportunities will be tremendous going forward.

“If you look at the jobs that will be created in Ohio, there’s millions that will require at least an associate’s degree. We need to be part of that solution,” Nellis said.