By CLAIRE SANT
BG Independent News
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and Penta Career Center announced a formal partnership Thursday morning aimed at expanding educational opportunities for high school students in northwest Ohio.
The partnership allows Penta students to dually enroll in BGSU courses at no extra cost, enabling them to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree.
Penta Career Center is a public vocational high school in northwest Ohio serving 16 school districts. The school offers a variety of programs, including but not limited to cosmetology, culinary arts, welding and phlebotomy.
BGSU President Rodney Rogers unveiled the partnership alongside Penta Superintendent Ed Ewers.
“We’re trying to evolve our academic offerings to ensure that students can see themselves getting that degree from Bowling Green,” President Rogers said. “They’re prepared for life, but they’re also prepared for careers.”
After completing the program and being accepted to BGSU, students can pursue any of the 12 undergraduate degrees in the BGSU College of Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering.
“As we communicate with our business partners, one of their needs is more students who have that technical skill. But also knowing there’s a need for a secondary degree,” said Ed Ewers, superintendent of Penta.
Ewers said the partnership has been in the talks for months, but the ball started rolling about a month ago.
“We’ve tried [to be] partners with everyone,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve had an exclusive agreement.”
