Education
The Blackstone LaunchPad program opened its doors on the Baldwin-Wallace College and Lorain County Community College campuses on Sept. 6 and 7 and will open at Kent State University later this month and CWRU in January.
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation announced last November that they had committed $3.2 million to open LaunchPad locations in Northeast Ohio to train area student entrepreneurs.
The LaunchPad is a venture coach program developed at the University of Miami, Florida in 2008. The program provides participants with advice and mentorship to take business ideas to fruition. Students are matched up with venture coaches to guide them through the development process.
“The real goal here is around education,” says Deborah D. Hoover, president and CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. “We’re providing a strong education, it’s experiential. Our key approach to the program is about networking – obviously in Northeast Ohio and venture coaches, but also in the larger community and through the national network of LaunchPad locations.”
Hoover reports that the potential is there for 150 new sustainable companies in the next five years, which could generate as many as 3,000 jobs.
Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, says Northeast Ohio is an idea fit for LaunchPad. “We try to choose locations where we feel there is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture,” she says. “We’re leveraging those assets to jumpstart the region where it already exists.”
Kent State, which had a soft launch of LaunchPad this summer, already has 70 to 80 students involved in the program.
Sources: Deborah H. Hoover, Amy Stursberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation announced last November that they had committed $3.2 million to open LaunchPad locations in Northeast Ohio to train area student entrepreneurs.
The LaunchPad is a venture coach program developed at the University of Miami, Florida in 2008. The program provides participants with advice and mentorship to take business ideas to fruition. Students are matched up with venture coaches to guide them through the development process.
“The real goal here is around education,” says Deborah D. Hoover, president and CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. “We’re providing a strong education, it’s experiential. Our key approach to the program is about networking – obviously in Northeast Ohio and venture coaches, but also in the larger community and through the national network of LaunchPad locations.”
Hoover reports that the potential is there for 150 new sustainable companies in the next five years, which could generate as many as 3,000 jobs.
Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, says Northeast Ohio is an idea fit for LaunchPad. “We try to choose locations where we feel there is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture,” she says. “We’re leveraging those assets to jumpstart the region where it already exists.”
Kent State, which had a soft launch of LaunchPad this summer, already has 70 to 80 students involved in the program.
Sources: Deborah H. Hoover, Amy Stursberg
Writer: Karin Connelly
In recent years, Cleveland Municipal School District has opened 14 new high-performing public schools rated Excellent or Effective by the State. The Cleveland Plan, approved this summer by state legislators, will pave the way for even more improvements to the district's schools, making it more likely that urban parents will choose to remain in the city.
Ingenuity Fest 2012 will take place this weekend, September 14 to 16 at Cleveland Lakefront Docks 30 and 32, in 120,000 square feet of warehouse space. Aside from music and artistic performances, the festival will showcase the work of local inventors working on some fun and interactive projects.
“It ranges from DIY aesthetic things to engineers,” says director of programming James Krouse. “We have inventors or people who are beta testing a product or are in academic engineering programs. This is a place to display these innovations.”
The Make Space area of the festival will include the Lorain County Community College Fab Lab and the Cleveland MC2 Stem School Mobile Fab Lab -- a NASCAR trailer equipped with computers, software and lasers for creating 3-D images.
“It’s just a collection of designer software and laser cutters,” says Krouse.
A CWRU engineering graduate student will have a display of solar-powered fireflies that mimic the algorithm of fireflies’ communication. A panel of local chefs and sustainability advocates will speak on Friday about local food and sustainability. A series of talks on Saturday will examine the history of flight -- from the Wright brothers all the way through the Mars Curiosity expedition.
Source: James Krouse
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It ranges from DIY aesthetic things to engineers,” says director of programming James Krouse. “We have inventors or people who are beta testing a product or are in academic engineering programs. This is a place to display these innovations.”
The Make Space area of the festival will include the Lorain County Community College Fab Lab and the Cleveland MC2 Stem School Mobile Fab Lab -- a NASCAR trailer equipped with computers, software and lasers for creating 3-D images.
“It’s just a collection of designer software and laser cutters,” says Krouse.
A CWRU engineering graduate student will have a display of solar-powered fireflies that mimic the algorithm of fireflies’ communication. A panel of local chefs and sustainability advocates will speak on Friday about local food and sustainability. A series of talks on Saturday will examine the history of flight -- from the Wright brothers all the way through the Mars Curiosity expedition.
Source: James Krouse
Writer: Karin Connelly
Northeast Ohio's 80-plus young professional organizations play a critical role in plugging new talent into Cleveland. Research shows that there’s a 90-day window from when people move to a city to influence them and give them reasons to stay. Once plugged in, these YPs are helping to reshape the city’s future.
The St. Ignatius Reaching MAGIS program is designed to help students get on the track for college in Catholic schools.
“We try to identify young boys in sixth through eighth grade who are promising, rising students, and get them involved early,” explains school principal Dan Bradesca. “These are students from schools throughout the Cleveland area who spend 15 Saturdays in English, test prep and study skills, and computer and graphic arts.”
A specific part of the program includes an entrepreneurship demo. For the second year this summer, Nick Pavlak of BABL Media has led eight MAGIS teams in entrepreneurship and technology education. The teams worked with Pavlak in developing companies and ultimately presenting their ideas to a panel of experts at LaunchHouse.
“The future of technology lives in mobile technology, and this generation is growing up in the digital world,” says Bradesca. “This program gives kids the basic knowledge of mobile application design and development from an entrepreneurial approach.”
The students went from concept to sketching the idea out, to marketing and construction of the business. “They were really doing some intense stuff,” says Bradesca. The culmination was a presentation on July 9 to LaunchHouse entrepreneurs.
The top three companies were The Shoe Finder app, which helps users find shoes at a low price; the Emergency App, which lets people know you’re in trouble; and the Achieving app, which helps people attain their personal goals.
BABL will work with the students later this year on actually developing the top app ideas.
Source: Dan Bradesca
Writer: Karin Connelly
“We try to identify young boys in sixth through eighth grade who are promising, rising students, and get them involved early,” explains school principal Dan Bradesca. “These are students from schools throughout the Cleveland area who spend 15 Saturdays in English, test prep and study skills, and computer and graphic arts.”
A specific part of the program includes an entrepreneurship demo. For the second year this summer, Nick Pavlak of BABL Media has led eight MAGIS teams in entrepreneurship and technology education. The teams worked with Pavlak in developing companies and ultimately presenting their ideas to a panel of experts at LaunchHouse.
“The future of technology lives in mobile technology, and this generation is growing up in the digital world,” says Bradesca. “This program gives kids the basic knowledge of mobile application design and development from an entrepreneurial approach.”
The students went from concept to sketching the idea out, to marketing and construction of the business. “They were really doing some intense stuff,” says Bradesca. The culmination was a presentation on July 9 to LaunchHouse entrepreneurs.
The top three companies were The Shoe Finder app, which helps users find shoes at a low price; the Emergency App, which lets people know you’re in trouble; and the Achieving app, which helps people attain their personal goals.
BABL will work with the students later this year on actually developing the top app ideas.
Source: Dan Bradesca
Writer: Karin Connelly
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) last week awarded CWRU a $64.6-million, five-year grant for the continuation of a collaborative effort to bring medical research to hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices, improving the health of patients in the region. The federal grant is the largest in Northeast Ohio history.
The NIH founded the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) six years ago to accelerate the transition of medical ideas to medical applications. “Five years ago the NIH decided a program was needed to help bring basic decisions from the science lab to patients,” says Pamela B. Davis, CWRU School of Medicine dean and principal investigator.
Cleveland is one of 61 institutions in the country to have a CTSA. Along with CWRU, the program is a collaborative effort between the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
In addition to Davis, Richard A. Rudick, MD, vice chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic, serves as the effort’s co-principal investigator. The two applied for the original $64 million grant five years ago, which at the time was the largest in the region’s history.
More than 1,300 individuals have participated in CTSA-related efforts in the past five years in three categories: community engagement, teaching and mentoring, and acceleration of medical research and discovery.
For instance, doctor education on type 2 diabetes resulted in lowering three-month blood sugars in patients by an entire percentage point. “That’s enough to change the risk of complications,” says Davis. “It gives us the ability to make a real impact.”
Other efforts included retaining children with high blood pressure to run a portion of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, resulting in significant long-term drops in blood pressure.
“We’re trying to reach into the community and make a difference,” says Davis. “We have done a lot of partnerships in town, and we’re looking forward to expanding that.”
Source: Pamela B. Davis
Writer: Karin Connelly
The NIH founded the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) six years ago to accelerate the transition of medical ideas to medical applications. “Five years ago the NIH decided a program was needed to help bring basic decisions from the science lab to patients,” says Pamela B. Davis, CWRU School of Medicine dean and principal investigator.
Cleveland is one of 61 institutions in the country to have a CTSA. Along with CWRU, the program is a collaborative effort between the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth System, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
In addition to Davis, Richard A. Rudick, MD, vice chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic, serves as the effort’s co-principal investigator. The two applied for the original $64 million grant five years ago, which at the time was the largest in the region’s history.
More than 1,300 individuals have participated in CTSA-related efforts in the past five years in three categories: community engagement, teaching and mentoring, and acceleration of medical research and discovery.
For instance, doctor education on type 2 diabetes resulted in lowering three-month blood sugars in patients by an entire percentage point. “That’s enough to change the risk of complications,” says Davis. “It gives us the ability to make a real impact.”
Other efforts included retaining children with high blood pressure to run a portion of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, resulting in significant long-term drops in blood pressure.
“We’re trying to reach into the community and make a difference,” says Davis. “We have done a lot of partnerships in town, and we’re looking forward to expanding that.”
Source: Pamela B. Davis
Writer: Karin Connelly
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery that could stop the proliferation of cancer cells in patients without the need for toxic chemotherapy.
The researchers discovered a mutant form of the gene Chk1. When expressed in cancer cells, it halted their proliferation and killed them. The finding that artificially activating Chk1 alone is enough to kill cancer cells is unprecedented.
"We have identified a new direction for cancer therapy... leading us to a reduction in toxicity in cancer therapy, compared with chemotherapy or radiation therapy," said Dr. Youwei Zhang, Assistant Professor with the Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a release. "With this discovery, scientists could stop the proliferation of cancer cells, allowing physicians time to fix cells and genetic errors."
If the researchers' strategy pans out, then cancer patients could potentially be treated by activating Chk1 in cancer cells, rather than using chemotherapy.
Future research by Dr. Zhang and his team will focus on approaches to artificially activating Chk1 in cancer cells.
Source: CWRU School of Medicine
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The researchers discovered a mutant form of the gene Chk1. When expressed in cancer cells, it halted their proliferation and killed them. The finding that artificially activating Chk1 alone is enough to kill cancer cells is unprecedented.
"We have identified a new direction for cancer therapy... leading us to a reduction in toxicity in cancer therapy, compared with chemotherapy or radiation therapy," said Dr. Youwei Zhang, Assistant Professor with the Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a release. "With this discovery, scientists could stop the proliferation of cancer cells, allowing physicians time to fix cells and genetic errors."
If the researchers' strategy pans out, then cancer patients could potentially be treated by activating Chk1 in cancer cells, rather than using chemotherapy.
Future research by Dr. Zhang and his team will focus on approaches to artificially activating Chk1 in cancer cells.
Source: CWRU School of Medicine
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The communities competing for the $1 million Talent Dividend Prize have a modest goal: boosting the number of college degrees in their city by one percentage point. If every participating city meets that goal, it could raise national earnings by a stunning $124 billion.
In the best of cases, getting a book published can take one to three years from start to finish. Or, you can do it the way Richey Piiparinen and Anne Trubek did with Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology. The pair of Cleveland writers managed to compress the entire Sisyphean process into an implausible three-month timeframe.
In a wide open office at MAGNET, a manufacturing advocacy organization situated on the Cleveland State University campus, groups of students are fomenting new ideas. They include an innovative pothole patch, social media tools for landlords, an information technology startup and a biofuels company.
These emerging entrepreneurs have found a new launching pad in The Beta Space, a business incubator and coworking space that offers entrepreneurial support, mentoring and advice from industry experts at MAGNET. David Crain, Director of Entrepreneurial Services at MAGNET, says that he came up with the idea as a way to help student entrepreneurs start companies in Cleveland.
"Students are comfortable starting businesses in their dorm rooms, and yet while they might hear of all these great resources within the region, they're often not sure where to go," says Crain. "Once you have a relationship with someone here, it's really easy to walk down the hallway, ask a question and get an answer."
Students admitted into the Beta Space program have access to a wide array of resources at their fingertips. Not only can they use the physical space anytime they want, but they also have access to coaching services from MAGNET's mentors. Finally, they can brainstorm with other student entrepreneurs.
"We coach them on what they're up against and help them put together a business plan," says Crain. "The entrepreneurial education taking place at the college level is starting to have an impact, and we're seeing a quantum leap in student ideas."
The Beta Space also offers free legal, finance and marketing advice to any entrepreneur, a resource that Crain says is unavailable elsewhere.
Source: Dave Crain
Writer: Lee Chilcote
These emerging entrepreneurs have found a new launching pad in The Beta Space, a business incubator and coworking space that offers entrepreneurial support, mentoring and advice from industry experts at MAGNET. David Crain, Director of Entrepreneurial Services at MAGNET, says that he came up with the idea as a way to help student entrepreneurs start companies in Cleveland.
"Students are comfortable starting businesses in their dorm rooms, and yet while they might hear of all these great resources within the region, they're often not sure where to go," says Crain. "Once you have a relationship with someone here, it's really easy to walk down the hallway, ask a question and get an answer."
Students admitted into the Beta Space program have access to a wide array of resources at their fingertips. Not only can they use the physical space anytime they want, but they also have access to coaching services from MAGNET's mentors. Finally, they can brainstorm with other student entrepreneurs.
"We coach them on what they're up against and help them put together a business plan," says Crain. "The entrepreneurial education taking place at the college level is starting to have an impact, and we're seeing a quantum leap in student ideas."
The Beta Space also offers free legal, finance and marketing advice to any entrepreneur, a resource that Crain says is unavailable elsewhere.
Source: Dave Crain
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Ohio Technical College, an automotive technology school at East 51st and St. Clair Ave., has grown its student population in recent years. As it has done so, OTC has continued to invest in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood where its main campus is located.
Recently, OTC purchased two corner bars that had been considered a nuisance by neighborhood residents. OTC also leased or purchased several other buildings, including the former City Desk, which is slated to house classrooms, offices and a visitor center. These efforts have removed blighted buildings from the area.
OTC's growth has been fueled in part by the innovative partnerships it has formed with automotive companies. In April, the school celebrated the opening of the new Edelbrock Academy, a partnership with Edelbrock Performance Products, one of the world's leading manufacturers of high performance, aftermarket auto parts.
OTC has also formed a similar partnership with Jasper Engines and Transmissions in Jasper, Indiana, which is one of the country's leading producers of engines and transmissions. For both Jasper and Edelstein, this kind of partnership is beneficial because the companies need mechanics who are familiar with their products.
Through these partnership, OTC is helping to educate the next generation of mechanics in the heart of Cleveland. Currently, enrollment is 1,200 at the main campus on East 51st and 300 at the Power Sports Institute in North Randall.
Ohio Technical College offers "a wide array of technician training programs in automotive, motorcycle, diesel equipment, collision repair and refinishing, classic car restoration, high performance and racing, alternative fuel vehicles, power generator systems, and BMW," according to the institution's website.
Source: Ohio Technical College
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Recently, OTC purchased two corner bars that had been considered a nuisance by neighborhood residents. OTC also leased or purchased several other buildings, including the former City Desk, which is slated to house classrooms, offices and a visitor center. These efforts have removed blighted buildings from the area.
OTC's growth has been fueled in part by the innovative partnerships it has formed with automotive companies. In April, the school celebrated the opening of the new Edelbrock Academy, a partnership with Edelbrock Performance Products, one of the world's leading manufacturers of high performance, aftermarket auto parts.
OTC has also formed a similar partnership with Jasper Engines and Transmissions in Jasper, Indiana, which is one of the country's leading producers of engines and transmissions. For both Jasper and Edelstein, this kind of partnership is beneficial because the companies need mechanics who are familiar with their products.
Through these partnership, OTC is helping to educate the next generation of mechanics in the heart of Cleveland. Currently, enrollment is 1,200 at the main campus on East 51st and 300 at the Power Sports Institute in North Randall.
Ohio Technical College offers "a wide array of technician training programs in automotive, motorcycle, diesel equipment, collision repair and refinishing, classic car restoration, high performance and racing, alternative fuel vehicles, power generator systems, and BMW," according to the institution's website.
Source: Ohio Technical College
Writer: Lee Chilcote
What if we viewed Cleveland as a startup? "The ingredients for a successful startup and a successful city are remarkably similar," argues tech blogger Jon Bischke. You need to build stuff that people want. You need to attract talent. And you need capital to get your fledgling ideas to a point of sustainability.
peter b. lewis donates $5m to the cleveland institute of art
The Cleveland Institute of Art received a $5 million gift from Peter B. Lewis to support construction of a 91,000-square-foot building as the final component of the College’s campus unification project. Lewis is the chairman of Cleveland-based Progressive Corporation.
“We are thrilled to receive this wonderful gift, not only because it represents a strong endorsement of our vision for a unified campus from this nationally known philanthropist with deep Cleveland roots, but also because it acknowledges the efforts of our University Circle neighbors in developing the Uptown project into a national model of culture and commerce,” explains Grafton J. Nunes, CIA’s president and CEO.
The Uptown development is a complex of rental residences, restaurants, and retail anchored at one end by the new MOCA Cleveland and at the other end by the Cleveland Institute of Art.
In recognition of this gift, CIA will name the auditorium in the new building The Peter B. Lewis Theater.
In addition to the theater, which will be the new home of the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, the new building will house CIA’s nationally ranked design majors, its acclaimed biomedical art and digital arts programs, art galleries, and administrative offices.
Read the rest of the good news here.
“We are thrilled to receive this wonderful gift, not only because it represents a strong endorsement of our vision for a unified campus from this nationally known philanthropist with deep Cleveland roots, but also because it acknowledges the efforts of our University Circle neighbors in developing the Uptown project into a national model of culture and commerce,” explains Grafton J. Nunes, CIA’s president and CEO.
The Uptown development is a complex of rental residences, restaurants, and retail anchored at one end by the new MOCA Cleveland and at the other end by the Cleveland Institute of Art.
In recognition of this gift, CIA will name the auditorium in the new building The Peter B. Lewis Theater.
In addition to the theater, which will be the new home of the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, the new building will house CIA’s nationally ranked design majors, its acclaimed biomedical art and digital arts programs, art galleries, and administrative offices.
Read the rest of the good news here.
The Virginia Marti College of Art and Design recently opened its new Couture Fashion Design Studio, a modern, light-filled space that it hopes will inspire Cleveland's next generation of fashion designers.
With large windows, light bamboo flooring and an open floor plan, the new space is a vast improvement over the old one, which was housed in the building's lower level without any windows or natural light. The Couture Fashion Design Studio houses the computer-aided drafting classroom for fashion design students.
Virginia Marti is a two-year college located on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in the City of Lakewood. The school offers five art-as-business programs geared towards helping arts entrepreneurs in their fields: digital media, fashion design, fashion merchandising, graphic design and interior design.
An exhibit of couturier garments from well-known fashion designers such as Giorgio Armani and Coco Chanel will be on display for several weeks in the new space. The garments are part of Virginia Marti-Veith's private collection.
Source: Virginia Marti College of Art and Design
Writer: Lee Chilcote
With large windows, light bamboo flooring and an open floor plan, the new space is a vast improvement over the old one, which was housed in the building's lower level without any windows or natural light. The Couture Fashion Design Studio houses the computer-aided drafting classroom for fashion design students.
Virginia Marti is a two-year college located on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in the City of Lakewood. The school offers five art-as-business programs geared towards helping arts entrepreneurs in their fields: digital media, fashion design, fashion merchandising, graphic design and interior design.
An exhibit of couturier garments from well-known fashion designers such as Giorgio Armani and Coco Chanel will be on display for several weeks in the new space. The garments are part of Virginia Marti-Veith's private collection.
Source: Virginia Marti College of Art and Design
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cwru prof urges vietnamese entrepreneurs to dream
Michael Goldberg, a professor at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and a managing partner of a venture capital fund that invests in early stage medical device companies, certainly has a bevy of knowledge and experience to share with others. He is currently taking some time off teaching in Cleveland to focus his attention on a different part of the world.
In this article, published in Vietnam, he urges Vietnamese entrepreneurs to dream and take risks.
“I was honored to be awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach entrepreneurship at the National Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi," states Goldberg in a lengthy feature in VietNamNet Bridge.
“I had the opportunity to co-teach a course on entrepreneurship and new venture creation with Mr. Ha Tung, a talented Vietnamese lecturer.”
“It was a great experience designing a course alongside a Vietnamese professor as we were able to incorporate points of view and practical experience from the US and Vietnam into the syllabus.”
“Although Vietnam is incredibly entrepreneurial, many business people in Vietnam are afraid to fail. Thus, often times Vietnamese entrepreneurs do not take as many risks with their business as their counterparts in other countries. We also tried and push our Vietnamese students to “dream big” when they think about starting companies.”
The feature goes on to discuss in detail the strategies and challenges he faces in his efforts working with these Vietnamese students.
Read the full article here.
In this article, published in Vietnam, he urges Vietnamese entrepreneurs to dream and take risks.
“I was honored to be awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach entrepreneurship at the National Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi," states Goldberg in a lengthy feature in VietNamNet Bridge.
“I had the opportunity to co-teach a course on entrepreneurship and new venture creation with Mr. Ha Tung, a talented Vietnamese lecturer.”
“It was a great experience designing a course alongside a Vietnamese professor as we were able to incorporate points of view and practical experience from the US and Vietnam into the syllabus.”
“Although Vietnam is incredibly entrepreneurial, many business people in Vietnam are afraid to fail. Thus, often times Vietnamese entrepreneurs do not take as many risks with their business as their counterparts in other countries. We also tried and push our Vietnamese students to “dream big” when they think about starting companies.”
The feature goes on to discuss in detail the strategies and challenges he faces in his efforts working with these Vietnamese students.
Read the full article here.
A partnership between Cleveland State University and the Northeast Ohio Medical University hopes to reach students as early as middle school and inspire them to consider a career in medicine.
Now, a recently awarded $500,000 grant from the Mt. Sinai Foundation will help to support a crucial piece of this program -- a mentoring program to ensure the success of students being trained as primary care physicians.
The three-year grant will focus on linking students with educators, clinicians and community champions in the neighborhoods where the students will be placed. The new urban-focused medical school, which will begin enrolling its first students in fall of 2013, aims to place students in neighborhoods throughout Cleveland.
Each year, up to 35 qualified NEOMED students will be eligible for full tuition scholarships if they agree to work in Cleveland for five years after receiving their medical degrees. One of the main purposes of the program is to train primary care physicians to serve in urban areas. Many city neighborhoods are currently underserved, and demand is expected to increase in coming years.
Source: Cleveland State University
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Now, a recently awarded $500,000 grant from the Mt. Sinai Foundation will help to support a crucial piece of this program -- a mentoring program to ensure the success of students being trained as primary care physicians.
The three-year grant will focus on linking students with educators, clinicians and community champions in the neighborhoods where the students will be placed. The new urban-focused medical school, which will begin enrolling its first students in fall of 2013, aims to place students in neighborhoods throughout Cleveland.
Each year, up to 35 qualified NEOMED students will be eligible for full tuition scholarships if they agree to work in Cleveland for five years after receiving their medical degrees. One of the main purposes of the program is to train primary care physicians to serve in urban areas. Many city neighborhoods are currently underserved, and demand is expected to increase in coming years.
Source: Cleveland State University
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The Cleveland Foundation recently awarded $19.9 million in grants, the second highest amount the foundation has awarded in a single quarter, including $2.25 million to strengthen college readiness and graduation rates among Cleveland students.
“Only 11 percent of Cleveland residents 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher,” said Robert Eckardt, executive vice president at the Cleveland Foundation, said in a news release. “Our team created a strategy last year to bolster secondary education success among local students. This quarter’s series of grants is a reflection of that commitment.”
The foundation's grants in this area include $1.01 million to College Now Greater Cleveland, $750,000 to Cuyahoga Community College for the College Success Program and $210,000 to support scholarships for nontraditional students.
The foundation also awarded $2.2 million to support economic development and $1.425 million to support the next phase of the Engaging the Future project, which is an initiative to attract a younger, more diverse audience to the arts.
Source: The Cleveland Foundation
Writer: Lee Chilcote
“Only 11 percent of Cleveland residents 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher,” said Robert Eckardt, executive vice president at the Cleveland Foundation, said in a news release. “Our team created a strategy last year to bolster secondary education success among local students. This quarter’s series of grants is a reflection of that commitment.”
The foundation's grants in this area include $1.01 million to College Now Greater Cleveland, $750,000 to Cuyahoga Community College for the College Success Program and $210,000 to support scholarships for nontraditional students.
The foundation also awarded $2.2 million to support economic development and $1.425 million to support the next phase of the Engaging the Future project, which is an initiative to attract a younger, more diverse audience to the arts.
Source: The Cleveland Foundation
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Before a packed house at Severance Hall, Cleveland Foundation President Ronn Richard touted the city's accomplishments in becoming a hub of innovation and taking bold steps to address big problems at the foundation's annual meeting this Tuesday.
Waxing poetic on the gilded stage for a moment, Richard harkened back to the foundation's early days in the 1910's as a time of tremendous innovation in Cleveland. "I still wonder if the past might be prologue," he mused, noting that the foundation's centennial is just two years away. "Can we envision the spirit of a second renaissance in Cleveland?"
Richard also posed a challenge to civic leaders to remain focused on true economic development and social change within the city. "Physical development, as wonderful as it is, must be coupled with investment in people and placemaking," he said, noting that the building spree of the 1990s was too focused on bricks and mortar projects. "We need to invest in connecting communities."
Among the foundation's projects, Richard touted the Cleveland schools plan that recently passed the state legislature, ongoing investments in high quality urban education, economic development programs such as the HealthTech Corridor and the Evergreen Cooperatives, and programs to connect new audiences to the arts.
Richard also told the audience that later this year the Cleveland Foundation will unveil a new microlending program for entrepreneurs seeking loans under $50,000 to help spur job creation and assist the creation of startups.
Source: Ronn Richard
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Waxing poetic on the gilded stage for a moment, Richard harkened back to the foundation's early days in the 1910's as a time of tremendous innovation in Cleveland. "I still wonder if the past might be prologue," he mused, noting that the foundation's centennial is just two years away. "Can we envision the spirit of a second renaissance in Cleveland?"
Richard also posed a challenge to civic leaders to remain focused on true economic development and social change within the city. "Physical development, as wonderful as it is, must be coupled with investment in people and placemaking," he said, noting that the building spree of the 1990s was too focused on bricks and mortar projects. "We need to invest in connecting communities."
Among the foundation's projects, Richard touted the Cleveland schools plan that recently passed the state legislature, ongoing investments in high quality urban education, economic development programs such as the HealthTech Corridor and the Evergreen Cooperatives, and programs to connect new audiences to the arts.
Richard also told the audience that later this year the Cleveland Foundation will unveil a new microlending program for entrepreneurs seeking loans under $50,000 to help spur job creation and assist the creation of startups.
Source: Ronn Richard
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Last summer, Cleveland Institute of Art product design students Josh Dryden, Sam Li and Pete Whitworth were tossing around ideas for a project that they could add to their portfolios. What they came up with also turned into a lesson in business.
Using their design knowledge, the three decided to tackle the challenge of desk clutter. After some design sketches, 3-D modeling and prototypes, they came up with The Nesl, a nine-fingered, flexible-rubber desk organizer with suction cups that hold it where ever you stick it.
“The idea was you can really shove anything in it -- paper, pens, phones -- whatever you have on your desk,” says Dryden.
The trio developed the prototype in Cleveland, and then listed it on Kickstarter to get funding. They were successful. Birdhouse Studios raised well over the $30,000 pledge goal by the time the listing closed yesterday, making it possible to continue manufacturing the Nesl and delivering it to the hundreds of backers who pledged money.
“It’s been a huge learning experience,” says Dryden. “We’ve learned a lot about the manufacturing process, about shipping and holding products. If the Nesl takes off, we’ll have an online store and sell other products.” Dryden, Li and Whitworth graduated earlier this month.
Additionally, Nesl was chosen as a contender for the William McShane Fund contest. Twelve Kickstarter companies get a shot at $25,000 startup money from Buckyballs and a product launch at Brookstone stores. The winner is chosen through Facebook votes. Nesl made it through the first round of voting and is now one of six finalists. The winner will be announced on June 1.
Source: Josh Dryden
Writer: Karin Connelly
Using their design knowledge, the three decided to tackle the challenge of desk clutter. After some design sketches, 3-D modeling and prototypes, they came up with The Nesl, a nine-fingered, flexible-rubber desk organizer with suction cups that hold it where ever you stick it.
“The idea was you can really shove anything in it -- paper, pens, phones -- whatever you have on your desk,” says Dryden.
The trio developed the prototype in Cleveland, and then listed it on Kickstarter to get funding. They were successful. Birdhouse Studios raised well over the $30,000 pledge goal by the time the listing closed yesterday, making it possible to continue manufacturing the Nesl and delivering it to the hundreds of backers who pledged money.
“It’s been a huge learning experience,” says Dryden. “We’ve learned a lot about the manufacturing process, about shipping and holding products. If the Nesl takes off, we’ll have an online store and sell other products.” Dryden, Li and Whitworth graduated earlier this month.
Additionally, Nesl was chosen as a contender for the William McShane Fund contest. Twelve Kickstarter companies get a shot at $25,000 startup money from Buckyballs and a product launch at Brookstone stores. The winner is chosen through Facebook votes. Nesl made it through the first round of voting and is now one of six finalists. The winner will be announced on June 1.
Source: Josh Dryden
Writer: Karin Connelly