Stark State College

Stark State College

Former names	Stark State College of Technology Stark County Technical Institute Stark State Technical Institute Stark Technical College
Motto	Changing Lives ... Building Futures
Type	Higher education
Established	1960
President	Para Jones
Students	15,452
Location	Jackson Township, Ohio, U.S. 40°52′15″N 81°26′24″W / 40.8708°N 81.4400°W / 40.8708; -81.4400Coordinates: 40°52′15″N 81°26′24″W / 40.8708°N 81.4400°W / 40.8708; -81.4400
Colors	Red and blue
Mascot	Spartans
Website	www.starkstate.edu

Stark State College, also known as Stark State, is a public college located in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The school offers 230 majors, options, one-year certificates and career enhancement certificates. Approximately 4,000 noncredit students are enrolled in continuing education and contract training activities. As of fall 2013, the enrollment is 15,452.^[1]

Stark State College offers courses in the fields of liberal arts, business and entrepreneurial studies, health sciences, engineering technologies, information technologies, education and human services, math and sciences. The school awards degrees of associate of arts, associate of science, associate of applied science, associate of applied business and associate of technical studies.

History

Clayton G. Horn, Samuel Krugliak, and Ralph Regula were the leading figures in the founding of Stark State College in 1960. The college originally was named Stark County Technical Institute and over the years, renamed Stark State Technical Institute and Stark Technical College. In 1996, the college was renamed Stark State College of Technology and, most recently, renamed as Stark State College.^[2]

Locations

Kent State University Stark / Stark State entry from Frank Avenue

Stark State is located on 200 acres (0.81 km²) in Jackson Township near North Canton, Ohio. Stark State also owns 42 acres (170,000 m²) on the corner of Frank and Mega roads, used primarily for parking. Recently the college expanded the campus by six buildings and 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m²). Stark State also offers classes at satellite campuses in Alliance, Barberton, Carrollton and Downtown Canton.

Accreditation

Stark State College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. In addition, a number of its specific programs are separately accredited by organizations in their respective fields.^[3]

Fuel-cell research

Stark State College constructed a $4.7 million Fuel Cell Prototyping Center in the fall of 2006. The Center is designed for use by emerging and fuel cell-related technology companies to assist them in pre-commercialization prototyping and demonstration stages of the development of fuel cell-based power generation systems.

The charter tenant in the Fuel Cell Prototyping Center was SOFCO and Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (US) Inc, now LG Fuel Cell Systems. A fuel cell is a stand-alone generator much like a battery; it can create its own power from electrochemical reduction. Stark State offers a fuel cell technology option, one-year technical certificate, certificate of competency and scholarship as part of the mechanical engineering technology program.

Upward Bound Math-Science Academy

Stark State participates in the Upward Bound Math-Science Academy (UBMS) which is a college-preparatory program funded by the U.S. Department of Education and Stark State College. The Academy includes year-round academic support and a summer program that provides academic, career and social enrichment to students considering careers in the science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) fields. Upward Bound is available to Canton City School students in grades 9-12. Stark State also provides a program that supports and pays Stark State students to mentor those in the UBMS Academy.

References