President Baird Tipson called for an Ohio Strategic Plan for the support of higher education, Feb. 3, during “Come Back to Campus,” a legislators’ dialogue sponsored by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE).

“The states, such as Georgia and North Carolina, that have been most successful in making the transition to a knowledge economy are those that years ago made a long-term commitment to fund higher education — as the path to build their economies,” said Tipson who was one of four panelists at the event.

Joining Tipson were Rep. Merle Grace Kearns (72nd District), Sen. Tom Roberts (5th District) and Ned Sifferlen, president of Sinclair Community College. The discussion was moderated by Dan DiBiasio, president of Wilmington College.

“A long-range funding plan would mean higher education would not be jerked around by boom and bust economies that we know are going to occur,” Tipson said. “We’ve got to find a way to preserve a stable funding base.”

State budget support was one of three critical issues that Tipson said can make Ohio an economic powerhouse again. Continued advancement in technology, such as the far-sighted achievements of OhioLink that Ohio already boasts and the mega-infrastructure computer backbone that the state is currently developing, along with access for all ethnic and economic groups to higher education were the other two issues.

“We independent colleges want to be part of the solution,” Tipson said. “I think we already are part of the solution.”