NKyTribune staff
Sullivan University Center for Learning-Northern Kentucky has formed a local advisory board that includes more than 30 of the region’s top business, education and government leaders.
The Sullivan University Northern Kentucky Advisory Board has a mission of providing input, insight and direction to administrators, faculty and staff. The group will help Sullivan University focus on the development of education programs and initiatives that will reflect and respond to community and workforce needs.
“The Sullivan University Center for Learning-Northern Kentucky has assembled a team of local thought leaders who have tremendous knowledge of the region and who will be invaluable helping us pinpoint and fine-tune our education offerings to Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio students and employers,” said Dr. Vicki Berling, director of the Center for Learning-Northern Kentucky.
The first meeting of the Advisory Board took place Thursday, Dec. 1, in Covington.
Many of the Advisory Board members are leaders in the industries and professions that Sullivan University is focusing on in Northern Kentucky, including:
*Logistics and Transportation Management
*Business Administration
*Healthcare Management
*Hospitality Management
*Conflict Management
Board member Eric Summe , President and CEO of meetNKY/Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau said Sullivan University expertise and experience in Hospitality Management includes its renowned National Center for Hospitality Studies. The center will provide an education, training and workforce boost to the region’s $400 million tourism and hospitality industry, Summe said.
“With a long and successful history in hospitality education and with a local emphasis on hospitality management sources, Sullivan University’s presence in Northern Kentucky will help ensure a pipeline of future employees and managers for the region’s booming hospitality industry,” Summe said.
Jerry Schmits of Fort Thomas was recently named president and CEO of the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance. He said he wanted to be part of the Advisory Board to work with Sullivan and other Northern Kentucky leaders on a curriculum and programs that will truly met the needs of students and employers.
“Sullivan is very focused on education and training specific to regional employers, which is a major concern of the local business community,” Schmits said. ” I wanted to be at the table as Sullivan and the advisory board develop a curriculum that may not be what some consider a traditional education, but one that will fill a need in Northern Kentucky by addressing workforce development through training and career-focused education.”
Louisville-based Sullivan University, which has offering career-based education programs for more than 50 years, expanded to Northern Kentucky earlier this year and is located in the former Columbia Sussex building on Grandview Drive, which is adjacent to Interstate 75 in Fort Mitchell.
Sullivan University has established relationships in Northern Kentucky by forging articulation agreements with the Campbell County, Grant County, Williamstown and Fort Thomas school districts for its renowned culinary program. The program, at the National Center for Hospitality Studies at Sullivan University, allows students to use high-school credits in certain culinary programs toward their degrees.
Sullivan University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees.
For more information on how to enroll for classes, visit www.Sullivan.edu.