Legislators and Higher Education Leaders Attend MHEC Executive Committee Meeting in Columbus

Dr. Stephanie Davidson, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs for the Ohio Department of Higher Education and a MHEC commissioner and Executive Committee member, welcomed commissioners to Columbus, Ohio, for their annual Executive Committee Meeting on June 3-4.

“The active engagement of our commissioners and constructive dialogue and feedback during this meeting is so important as we move forward. It is critical to build on our solid foundation, with deep appreciation and respect for our organization’s history and look to the future with fresh eyes," said MHEC President Susan Heegaard.
 
Commissioners heard from Dr. David T. Harrison, president of Columbus State Community College, on Ohio’s collaboration with higher education and addressing workforce challenges in Ohio. Additional remarks were provided by Ms. Emily Fabiano, director of strategy and operations from the Ohio Office of Workforce Transformation.

"I visited each of our 12 states and met with commissioners, legislators, and other higher education leaders earlier this year and workforce issues and related demographic changes continue to be brought up in each of our member states," added Ms. Heegaard. "This and other pressing issues continue to be a topic on everyone's mind."

Commissioners took action on approving the FY 2020 MHEC budget, a bylaw amendment, as well as establishing a Finance Committee and an Ad Hoc Committee to explore governance. Additionally, a significant amount of time was spent reviewing the outcomes of the environmental scan conducted by Academic Search. Finally, commissioners were also treated to a tour of the Ohio Statehouse.