Submitted article
Erin Stine has joined North Central State College as Operations Manager of the Crawford Success Center in Bucyrus. The Center will be located in the former board of elections building which is undergoing extensive remodeling. Students will be welcomed to the CSC this fall.
Erin comes to the NC State from Walsh University where she was the Women’s Volleyball coach. Prior to that, she held numerous direct marketing and business development positions with companies including Velocity Sports Performance, Valvoline, and Red Bull North America. She employed these skills at the collegiate level to recruit students and athletes from across Ohio and throughout the United States.
Erin will use these skills to engage the residents of Crawford County, “I’ve had hands on experience helping student athletes navigate the college process, which included both their academic and personal journeys. I hope to expand those efforts and encourage the residents of Bucyrus, Crawford County and the surrounding areas to explore ways in which the Crawford Success Center might help facilitate their personal growth.”
Background
For more than two years, a leadership team with members from Crawford County and North Central State College has been developing plans for a satellite location of NC State which has been named the Crawford Success Center. The Center will be located in downtown Bucyrus to serve the education needs of the residents and businesses of Crawford County and the surrounding areas.
Community engagement welcomes NC State collaboration
Crawford: 20/20 Vision, the community’s strategic plan to make the county a better place to live, work and do business, identified the need to “assess workforce needs and work collaboratively to create appropriate coursework at the secondary and career technical center and community college levels.” In 2011, a group of Crawford leaders reached out to North Central State College to strategize how best to achieve this goal.
Nearly 500 NC State College students are currently enrolled at the college, but need to travel from Crawford County to the main campus or satellite facilities in order to attend classes. Establishing a center in downtown Bucyrus will lessen that barrier and open up opportunities for residents who, otherwise, would not be able to attend classes at all. In addition, this collaborative effort will provide a more engaging environment for local PSEO and GED students as well as a place to engage area youth in programs such as robotics and STEM camps.
The community is excited about the possibilities this center can offer. Curriculum development focus groups targeting various Crawford employment sectors (including Manufacturing, Health Care, Retail, Government, Finance and Small Business) and local media coverage reveal that residents are looking forward to bridging the skills gap, filling jobs, exploring opportunities and improving their quality of life through higher learning and continuing education.