Annual College Goal Sunday set for Feb. 12
Terra State Community College and Owens Community College will host College Goal Sunday, a statewide college financial aid event, Feb. 12.

The free event, presented by the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) and endorsed by the Ohio Board of Regents, assists students and parents with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the federal application that is required to receive federal financial aid including the Federal Pell Grant and student loans as well as the need-based state grants.

Due to the great demand expected for assistance in completing the FASFA, families are encouraged to register for the free event at www.ohiocollegegoalsunday.org or by calling 1-888-833-1133.

Small Business Basics
The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra State Community College offers free, two-hour seminars, “Small Business Basics,” designed to answer questions about starting, buying or expanding a small business.

The seminar can help entrepreneurs avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary steps. Participants will learn the basics of name registration, licensing, taxes, zoning, business entities, employees, insurance, financing and business planning.

February seminars include:

Feb. 1 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Ottawa County Improvement Corporation (conference room), 8043 W. SR 163, Oak Harbor.  

Feb. 22 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Terra State Community College (Building B, Room 101), 2830 Napoleon Rd., Fremont.

The events are free and open to the public. To register or for more information, call Bill Auxter, director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra Community College, toll-free at 800-826-2431 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

St. Boniface open house
St. Boniface Catholic School, 215 W. Oak St, Oak Harbor, invites parishioners and the community to an open house Jan. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Classrooms will be open and teachers available to discuss curriculum, the school’s new music program, how iPads are being used in the classrooms, along with questions about accreditation, courses of study and tuition.

St. Boniface serves students in grades K-5 of all religions, racial, ethnic and income backgrounds. For information about the curriculum, admissions policies and registration, call the school office at 419-898-1340 or visit www.ourstb.com.

Owens offering student food pantries
Owens Community College will offer area residents the opportunity to learn more about the new Owens Harvest Food Pantries initiative at an open house Jan. 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Heritage Hall Room 109 on the Toledo-area campus.

The food pantry, operated with the support of the Toledo Seagate Food Bank, will assist students in need with free non-perishable food resources, while also offering service and volunteer opportunities for those who want to give back and help their fellow students.

“The Harvest Food Pantries also provide an outlet for community members to give back to those individuals in need through donation efforts,” said Krista Kiessling, project coordinator, who added that donations would be accepted on an ongoing basis.

The pantry will feature a healthy and nutritional balance of non-perishable food items such as proteins, starches, fruits and vegetables. Plans call for services to be expanded to include a career closet of professional clothing and a hygiene pantry. It will be open to Owens students (valid ID required) on Tuesdays starting in February.

Individuals and/or community organizations interested in donating to the Harvest Food Pantry initiative may call 1-800-GO-OWENS, ext. 2275.

Scholarships available
State Rep. Rex Damschroder (R-Fremont) has announced the availability of more than 340 scholarship opportunities worth more than $1.1 million dollars to graduating high school seniors in Ohio.

The Ohio Association of Career Colleges and Schools is offering the scholarships as part of its 2011-2012 Legislative Scholarship Program. The primary objective of the scholarships is to provide Ohio high school graduates with the education and training necessary to obtain a job in an Ohio business or industry.

Available scholarships may cover one-half tuition, or specific amounts that would assist the recipient in obtaining a certificate, diploma, an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree. The cost of the scholarships is borne by the 52 participating member schools and colleges. No state funds are involved.

“I would encourage any high school seniors from the 81st House District who may have an interest in these scholarships to contact my office for further information,” Damschroder said.

As part of the program, each applicant must obtain the signature of a member of the Ohio House of Representatives or the Ohio Senate on the Legislative Nomination Form. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Rep. Damschroder’s office at 614-466-1374 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The scholarship application deadline is April 2.

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The Owens Community College Foundation is offering thousands of dollars in scholarship opportunities as part of the 2012-13 Scholarship Program.

Through the generosity of businesses and individuals within the surrounding communities, the Foundation will award over 60 available scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year.

Scholarship applicants must complete and return the application to the Oserve Office at any of the college’s four locations by Feb. 15. Scholarship award notification will begin in March and will continue until all awards have been made.

For scholarships based on financial need, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application for the 2012-13 academic year must be on file in the college’s Oserve Office by Feb. 29. FAFSA and Foundation Scholarship Program forms are available in the Oserve Office or may be downloaded from www.owens.edu.

Owens also currently participates in several need-based federal and state funded grant programs, work study opportunities, and loans, which all require applicants to file a FAFSA form to determine financial need. Specific programs accessible to students include the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, the Owens Community College Grant, the Federal Direct Stafford Loan, the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan and Federal Work Study, among others.

Penta Board reorganizes
The Penta Career Center Board of Education, during its Jan. 11 organizational meeting, elected Robert Righi, of the Maumee City Schools Board of Education, as president of the board. William Green, of the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center, was elected vice president. 

The board is comprised of nine members chosen to serve through appointment by their respective Boards of Education.

Newly appointed members and their respective boards of education include Stephen Cernkovich (Bowling Green City), Judith Paredes (of Walbridge representing Wood County Educational Service Center) and Ken Sutter (Rossford Exempted Village School District).

The board meets at 5:15 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the Board of Education meeting room on the Penta campus in Perrysburg Township.

LEGO Engineering class
Area youths ages 5 through 7 are invited to explore science, mathematics and creative thinking through the use of LEGO materials as Owens Community College’s Workforce and Community Services offers a spring Junior LEGO Engineering class, Feb. 8-29.

The class will be held Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. at Owens’ Workforce and Community Services, located at the college’s Arrowhead Park Learning Center on Indian Wood Circle in Maumee.

Using advanced LEGO parts and pieces, Junior LEGO Engineering class attendees will learn to design and build models through the use of fixed and movable pulleys, gears, levers, wheels, axles, forces and belt drives. Learning activities will use principles related to simple and complex machines as well as gearing and mechanical advantage techniques. In addition, the class will use LEGO Educational Division materials and LEGO Technic elements.

The registration fee is $89. For more information or to register, call 1-800-GO-OWENS, ext. 7357.

Terra president announces retirement
Terra State Community College President Dr. Marsha S. Bordner, who has guided the college since October 2003, will retire June 30.

Dr. Bordner received her undergraduate degrees in English and German, and her Master’s Degree in English from Bowling Green State University. She then received her Ph.D. in English from The Ohio State University. She has spent more than 35 years committed to higher education both as an educator, and as an administrator. She has also been involved in numerous community organizations and initiatives.

During her presidency, the college converted to semesters, raised two million dollars for a capital campaign, built the state-of-the-art Skilled Trades Center, completed the $6 million Arts and Health Technologies Center renovation project, completed one successful strategic plan and launched another, sustained double digit enrollment growth, and developed several new programs in health careers.

“The opportunity to lead and guide the college has been a privilege,” she said. “My entire tenure at Terra State Community College has been a blessing, and an opportunity to work alongside so many gifted and committed staff and faculty members. I am proud to be associated with one of the best and most progressive higher education institutions in Ohio.”

Dr. Bordner and her husband Dr. Harold Brown reside in nearby Catawba and are looking forward to spending more time with family, traveling, and periodically teaching a class. “Retirement will give me the opportunity to spend more time with my children and my grandson. And, I will finally get the chance to hone my golf game, read, and write Harold’s biography.”

Gathering FAFSA documents
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now posted online. It’s important to complete the form and submit it as soon as possible, as some financial aid is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. ACT offers these tips for getting prepared to complete the FAFSA.

• Your Social Security number and your parents’ Social Security numbers, if you are a dependent.

• Your driver’s license number, if you have one.

• 2011 federal tax information for you and your parents if you are providing parent information. If you have not filed your taxes, you can still submit your FAFSA by estimating family income.

• Records of untaxed income, such as Social Security benefits, welfare benefits, and veteran’s benefits for you and your parents.

To get started, visit fafsa.ed.gov.

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