Sinclair's Huber Heights Learning Center celebrates five year anniversary
Sinclair's Huber Heights Learning Center celebrates five year anniversary
Huber Heights Courier
By Courtney Hyzy
For the Courier
It has been five years since Sinclair Community College (SCC) opened its doors to the Huber Heights Learning Center (HHLC). On Oct. 20, Sinclair commemorated the anniversary along with the Greater Dayton YMCA, local dignitaries, faculty and students of Sinclair. The celebration took place in the lobby of the HHLC.
The learning center, which is attached to the YMCA in Huber Heights, opened after a partnership agreement with the Dayton YMCA in the early 2000s. The joined YMCA and Sinclair learning centers save the college approximately 30 to 40 percent of the costs of maintaining a freestanding facility.
Mayor of Huber Heights Ron Fisher, Superintendent of Huber Heights City Schools William Kirby, and State Representative Mike Henne were some of the guest speakers at the event on Thursday.
Kirby thanked Sinclair and the YMCA for "making Huber Heights and the greater area better for our people."
President and CEO of Sinclair Community College, Steven Johnson, spoke highly of the relationship between SCC and the YMCA, "There's been nothing that Sinclair has done in the last 50 years, if not the last 125 years, that has been more successful than the partnership we have with the YMCA," said Johnson.
Tim Helm, President and CEO of the Greater Dayton YMCA, thanked Steven Johnson for "fulfilling the promise of being a great partner."
Sinclair and the YMCA's history date back 125 years, when David A. Sinclair was the director and founder of the educational program in the Dayton YMCA. The YMCA first offered classes in 1887, and in 1948 the YMCA College renamed itself "Sinclair College".
The Sinclair campus in Huber Heights is located to provide accessibility to local residents who are unable to make the commute to the main campus in Dayton. Sinclair freshman Wesley Brewer wanted to attend the HHLC for his first quarter of college because the location is "close to home." Student Fatin El-Jawad chose the smaller campus location because "it's convenient and affordable."
It's not only students who appreciate the learning center locations. HHLC manager Dawayne Kirkman said he feels the small campus locations provide students with a better personalized relationship with staff compared to the main campus. "You can really make a connection with the students, and they can also make a connection with you," said Kirkman. The HHLC currently has 1,200 students in contrast to the 25,000 attending the main campus in downtown Dayton.
President Steven Johnson spoke optimistically of the future for the HHLC on Thursday. "Access to high quality education in your backyard is important to the students of Huber Heights and we expect many more years of success."