Ohio Gov. John Kasich focused on job creation and the importance of education during the annual State of the State address Tuesday night.
Kasich began his speech by touching on his past accomplishments and his goals for the next two years.
“My mission has been to create a growing economy and to help people,” Kasich said. “We are succeeding here in Ohio at turning our state around and it is fantastic. We must work every day to make sure that everyone has a chance in Ohio.”
Kasich spoke out on the importance of community college presidents and graduating with a degree.
“These community college presidents are heroes,” Kasich said. “When a child or a student enters our hallways, we want to make sure that they are going to graduate with a degree.”
Kasich stressed the importance of higher education in the 21st century, when innovative ideas are crucial for success.
“We are now leading the country in stressing graduation over enrollment,” he said. “We want to integrate business with academics so that we can produce the kinds of worker that can succeed in the 21st century.”
In response to Kasich’s speech, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis said he looks forward to working with Kasich and getting the new funding formula for higher education passed in the Ohio Legislature. McDavis and several other university presidents helped to rework the formula so that the amount of money colleges and universities receive from the state is focused on graduation rates rather than enrollment.
“We appreciate Gov. Kasich’s continued support of higher education and his recognition of the importance of higher education in the State of the State,” McDavis said in a statement. “These measures support Ohio University's core values as well as the state’s economic priorities.”
A key to success in Ohio is job creation and controlling the costs of government spending, said Pete Couladis, chair of the Athens County Republican Party.
“Overall, I think (Kasich) is on the right track,” he said. “One of the most important things is to not chase people out of the state and make it attractive for more people to come in, and I think he’s doing a great job.”
Shannon Welch, president of the Ohio University College Democrats, and Kathy Hecht, chairwoman of the Athens County Democratic Party, could not be reached for comment.
At the end of his address, Kasich presented his annual Governor’s Courage Award. The recipients were the two sons of the late astronaut and Ohio native Neil Armstrong; Sondra Williams, the director of the Autism Research Institute’s Youth Division; and residents of Chardon, where a high school was the site of a shooting that killed three students in February 2012.
“That shooting will not be lost in vain,” Kasich said. “We … remember those who lost their lives and those who were injured.”
az346610@ohiou.edu
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