Lorain County Community College plans to open a higher education center in North Ridgeville during the 2012-2013 academic year to help raise the area's educational attainment and to better serve residents who live in eastern Lorain County and those commuting on I-480 and the Ohio Turnpike. 

"Research showed that this is one of our most under served areas," said Marcia Ballinger, provost/ vice president for academic and learner services.

This outreach center will enhance LCCC’s ability to help more students earn a college degree and prepare them for careers in this changing economy. This effort to bring higher education closer to where residents live and provide flexible learning opportunities to overcome barriers to attending college is a priority of the College's Vision 2015 plan, which was adopted in 2007.

"We're working to create opportunities for higher education closer to where people live because it's important to them to have that access," Ballinger said.

The LCCC Board of Trustees in January approved the purchase of approximately seven acres at the intersection of I-480 and Lorain Road for the outreach center.  The $1.8 million land purchase will be provided by the College's capital funds, which it receives from the State of Ohio funding distribution based on enrollment growth.  LCCC has strategically allocated these capital funds in reserve as part of its Vision 2015 budget plan.

LCCC has continued to experience dramatic enrollment growth during the past decade with more than a 120 percent increase in enrollment.  LCCC's campus in Elyria was designed for 6,600 students and is now serving more than 16,000 students per semester.  According to Sasaki Associates, Inc., the consulting firm involved in the development of the College's most recent facilities master plan, LCCC is one of the most under built and over-utilized college campuses in the country.

LCCC already has outreach centers in Lorain, Wellington and downtown Elyria in the Lorain County Administration building.  LCCC also has a joint outreach center – Midpoint Campus Center – in Brunswick with The University of Akron.

LCCC outreach centers offer credit and non-credit courses via live and distance learning instruction, provide complete enrollment, registration and financial aid services; provide career and employment services workshops, have free and open computer labs for community use, and offer meeting space for community groups.