The Observation Deck

This morning The University of Akron Board of Trustees approved the development of a satellite location in Lakewood scheduled to open this fall. The 11,000 square foot education facility will be located at the corner of Detroit Avenue and Warren Road in the historic Bailey Building. “Today’s workplace increasingly requires continued skill enhancement. The University of Akron’s programs will provide Lakewood’s citizens access to new opportunities to be even more competitive.” said Mayor Mike Summers.

City officials and representatives from Lakewood Alive have been working closely with UA’s project team over the last year. LakewoodAlive’s Executive Director Mary Anne Crampton stated “We are excited about the opportunities for businesses, institutions and the community that will result from a University of Akron presence here in Lakewood.” During the next few months more information will be provided to the community regarding programming, course offerings and the opening of the satellite.

The University of Akron is the public research university for Northeast Ohio. The Princeton Review listed UA among the “Best in the Midwest” in its 2011 edition of Best Colleges: Region-by-Region. Approximately 29,300 students are enrolled in UA’s 300 associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and law degree programs and 100 certificate programs at sites in Summit, Wayne, Medina and Holmes counties. Visit www.uakron.edu.

Great news.

Looks like Bill will need to find a new conspiracy to focus on.

In all seriousness though, this is great news.

The University of Akron School of Law offers two excellent school law courses!

Kudos to all involved, LakewoodAlive, The City of Lakewood, owners of Bailey Building, and
to Kenneth Warren and Suzanne Metelko who first broached this subject years ago.

This is a great step to making Robeks, Jimmy Johns, 5 Guys, and other newcomers in the
area more viable. And should help Root, Melt, 2 Dads, The Place to Be, etc.

While only 11,000 square feet, it is a giant foot in the door to Lakewood, and something
very positive to build on.

Very good work.
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No longer a college town without a college . . . . though Virginia Marti has always been a flaw in that slick bit of promotional rhetoric.

All goofing aside, that's great news. Kudos to all involved. I trust that we courted them by being a marketplace for education, and not with some kind of subsidy . . .

Great news! It is something that has been discussed for some time back, although not the Bailey location. Feels a lot better than CSU going out west and Tri-C almost out of the county.

Congrats to Mayor Summers and Lakewood Alive. Leadership that's more than capable of getting things done in this city.

Gotta have some patience!

Bryan Schwegler wrote:Great news.

Looks like Bill will need to find a new conspiracy to focus on.

In all seriousness though, this is great news.

There is never a shortage of conspiracy theories!

This is really great news. Since there is no money lying around this is just an idea but how about a scholorship fund for Lakewood students to attend Akron University? I pay too much in taxes already but for this I might pay a little more. The scholorship amount determined by the number of years the student attended Lakewood Schools.

Partnerships with Lakewood Hospital? Beck Center? The police department? Library? YMCA? City of Lakewood? How about a rebate on the taxes we pay for Tri-C to be used for classes at Akron University?

I want to salute Ken Warren for pushing this concept many years ago. I am very happy to see it come to fruition. Maybe this will bring him back to town!

I think it is important to point out that the last time the University of Akron expressed an interest in a Lakewood campus Cleveland State pressured the board of regents in Columbus to kill the idea. CSU told Lakewood that they had plans for Lakewood so there was no need to seek the help of the University of Akron. How are CSU's Lakewood plans coming along?

Bill Call wrote:I think it is important to point out that the last time the University of Akron expressed an interest in a Lakewood campus Cleveland State pressured the board of regents in Columbus to kill the idea. CSU told Lakewood that they had plans for Lakewood so there was no need to seek the help of the University of Akron. How are CSU's Lakewood plans coming along?

Bill

Just curious if you have proof of this. I had always suspected it, but had no proof. The entire
thing came about as one of the "Cafe University" group became frustrated and leaked the
plan to a friend on the Plain Dealer. The PD ran the story, and the smelly brown stuff hit
the proverbial fan. I would love to get to the bottom of this. It was one of many reasons
we knew media from outside the city did not have Lakewood in their interests, only wanted
us for crime stories and to monetize our news.

John Viglianco wrote:I want to salute Ken Warren for pushing this concept many years ago. I am very happy to see it come to fruition. Maybe this will bring him back to town!

John

To be fair, Ken had come up with "Café U" but was working on some very large and big
name Universities to come to Lakewood, and take of the Lake Erie Screw Complex. Most
notable was the University of Bejing, in which there were at least 15 exchanges between
people in Lakewood lobbying for Lakewood on the UofB.

It was Suzanne Metelko, that reached out to University of Akron for "Café U" The original
idea called for a "named" school to come in and give new life to the East side of Lakewood
turning everything from Highland Ave. - Grace the feeling of a small college town. As
students filtered in to go to a University they could not attend in the US, they would fill
the rentals, while slowly helping to fill the rentals on the other side of the city with people
wanting to live in Lakewood, but not needing the "campus feel."

No matter, in the end UA seems to have been the one that wanted us bad enough, and
kudos to Suzanne for even thinking so local. As I went through all of their information
yesterday that one that jumped out was, ?Many consider the UA as the Princeton of the
Midwest" how is that bad.

I have had some experience working with UA, and have found them to be great partners.

FWIW

Ken is in town today doing a poetry session at Lakewood Library. His first time in it since
leaving.


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