In order to provide more convenient access to higher education for today's students – many of whom live farther from our campus and have fuller schedules and busier families to accommodate than their predecessors – on October 12, 2004 the Sinclair Board passed a resolution approving the exploration and development of partnerships and education centers in locations throughout the region.

This decision was made by the Board after intense discussion and a great deal of data gathering. The Board's Ad Hoc Committee on Regional Development created and reviewed a three-inch binder of information on such topics as the 2000 Census data, financial analyses and enrollment histories. In addition, the Committee commissioned interviews of over sixty area business and community leaders as well as telephone surveys of 900 registered voters in Montgomery and Warren Counties. Internally, Sinclair faculty and staff weighed in and students were polled through focus groups. Overwhelmingly, responses to these surveys and interviews were in favor of Sinclair expansion.

In a nutshell, the Board resolution first and foremost affirms Sinclair's commitment to maintaining and developing the downtown campus, which represents a $450 million infrastructure investment over the last 30 years. Examples of our continued commitment include the $8 million LRC renovation, the Building 12 refurbishment, as well as ongoing investment in security forces and everything else done to keep the campus the jewel of downtown Dayton.

In addition, the resolution empowers the Sinclair staff to explore opportunities to engage in partnerships to develop educational centers at strategic locations throughout the region. These centers must complement the downtown campus and be self-sufficient (after a reasonable start-up period). They will serve as "front doors" to Sinclair throughout the area, making access to Sinclair's quality education even more convenient to the citizens of the greater Dayton region.

Many details remain to be worked out over the coming weeks, months and years. The Board will review developments through its standing committee structure and regular meetings. This is the beginning of the next phase of strategic development for the entire College for the next 20, 30 or 50 years.  All of the pieces need to fit and work together so that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts with the intention that Sinclair will continue to grow, thrive and provide high-quality, low-cost education for many generations to come.

Download the Board's Strategic Development Issue Analysis (.doc) now.