Harlan M. Sands is president of Cleveland State University.
CLEVELAND -- There is nothing quite like being at the center of a major city like Cleveland, and that's especially true for college students. Students are understandably drawn to urban colleges for their energy, vitality, diversity and the potential for attractive employment upon graduation.
At Cleveland State University, the city is the campus. Students' proximity to countless employers, business sectors, community nonprofits, cultural institutions and innovation centers provides a gateway to many careers. When students attend and graduate from CSU, the multiplier effect is measurable: a transformative intellectual experience for students, and a source of talent for nearby business and industry.
Why is CSU so important for Cleveland?
Cities are hubs of innovation. Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley, co-authors of "The Metropolitan Revolution," contend that the most dynamic economic and social innovations of the 21st century will be driven by our cities rather than at the national or state levels. "Cities are networks of institutions and leaders who come together to problem-solve, across sectors, across disciplines, across artificial political borders," Katz says. "They reward people who catalyze action, get stuff done and put place over party, collaboration over conflict and evidence over dogma."
Urban public universities do more than teaching and research; they transform economies. In addition to supplying the Northeast Ohio workforce with talented graduates, the operations of Cleveland State University provide a significant boost to the Northeast Ohio economy, accounting for 6,739 jobs and $679 million in economic impact, according to a 2015 study by the Center for Economic Development in CSU's Levin College of Urban Affairs.
Why? We attract talent from across the country and globe because of our unique ability to connect intellectual energy with "investor capital" - our faculty, city leaders, community supporters and donors who teach, conduct leading-edge research, offer internships and provide financial support to students. We improve quality of life through our investment in the arts that drive the "creative economy" of Cleveland. We play a vital role in providing access to higher education for underserved populations, including students of limited means and those who are first in their families to attend college. At CSU, more than 40 percent of undergraduates are first-generation college students, and nearly 90 percent of our first-time, full-time freshmen rely on financial assistance to pay for college.
CSU's mission as an anchor institution directly impacts economic growth by graduating workforce-ready students who provide "fuel" to power local industry and attract 21st-century businesses to Northeast Ohio. Today, four out of five CSU alumni live and work in Northeast Ohio - more than 100,000 strong now - with more to come. Education is the great equalizer, and urban research universities have a special role to play in filling the "talent gap" addressed by my colleagues in an op-ed on the new Forward Ohio initiative.
Over the past decade alone, college graduates have filled most of the "new economy" jobs, enjoyed significant income gains and earned 56 percent more than workers without a college degree, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
And STEM majors (science, technology, engineering and math) "not only have the highest wages, they experience the largest wage growth over the course of their careers," notes a report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Urban universities - like CSU - are best equipped to move the needle here because of our student demographics, our academic programs and our proximity to industry.
So where do we go from here?
According to Richey Piiparinen, Charlie Post and Jim Russell from the Center for Population Dynamics in CSU's Levin College of Urban Affairs, the pathway is clear if we seek to maximize our impact on Cleveland's economy: CSU needs to be more than a successful "consumer" university - meeting the educational needs of our local populations - but also a "producer" university, using our growing reputation to attract new students to learn, live and stay in Cleveland.
With your help and commitment, we will broaden our reach for talent and connect students with the emerging workforce needs of Northeast Ohio. Working together to define CSU's future, we will strengthen our existing partnerships and cultivate new ones that will pay dividends throughout our region.
My commitment to the Cleveland community and our CSU team is to develop a coordinated strategy that will build upon core strengths and invest in the right mix of programs and learning pathways that creates a robust talent pipeline to meet our collective needs.
Given the incredible energy and passion I have seen during my early days in Cleveland - from CSU trustees, business and community leaders, friends and supporters, and our students, faculty and staff - I am confident that we will meet the challenges ahead.
There is lots to do, but I already know there is nowhere I would rather be.
Harlan M. Sands is the seventh president of Cleveland State University, where he took office June 1.
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