On Feb. 12, the Council on Postsecondary Education approved a five-year strategic plan that could change the way public colleges receive state funding. The plan would subsidize colleges based not only on how many students enroll, but on how many graduate.

The plan is expected to benefit high-growth colleges, including Northern Kentucky University. It also emphasizes the benefits of using community colleges as a stepping stone to entering a university system, which could boost graduation rates and save money for families.

Read the full story here.

Northern Kentucky University's Institute for Talent Development and Gifted Studies will be hosting up to 400 Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati male high schoolers for a day designed to prepare them for college and careers.

This year's Man Up! Young Men's Leadership Conference is a follow up to the one NKU hosted for females-only last year. The Institute plans to alternate each conference, geared toward juniors and seniors, every year.

During the daylong event, set for March 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., students will attend workshops and discussion panels that outline the nuts and bolts of preparing for college and for a career path. Sessions will be led by professors, and community and business leaders.  Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls spoke last year, and University President James Votruba is among this year's speakers. Topics that will be discussed include resume writing, etiquette and linking passions and skills to a career.

 

Many students who will attend will be first-generation college students, or those who are considering NKU but may not have made up their mind, said program co-director Dr. Kevin D. Besnoy.

"What we are trying to do is show what it takes to get into college, that it is accessible to anybody. We'll teach them about resume writing, the college application process and financing college through loans and scholarships, Besnoy said. "We'll also talk how to position yourself for graduation as you get ready to enter a profession."

The conference is meant to supplement what students are learning in high school, but from a different point of authority that can tie the high school and college worlds together, Besnoy added.

"It supports the message that high schools are sending to the kids, but it provides a different voice. Sometimes getting a message from a completely different source makes students more apt to hear it," he said.

The conference cost is $10 and covers the cost of lunch and supplemental materials. To register a student or for more information, call (859) 859-572-1957 or email [email protected].

Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Source: Dr. Kevin D. Besnoy, co-director Institute for Talent Development and Gifted Studies

Travelers at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) have two new food choices in Concourse B. The new restaurants that opened earlier this month include Subway and Great American Bagel. With the opening of these new restaurants, CVG will now offer passengers more than 25 restaurant choices from its extensive Sky Shop Program.

Read the full story here.

bioLOGIC Corp, a Covington, KY based life science accelerator, announced today that Surgical Energetics LLC (SE) has moved its headquarters to the bioLOGIC facility in Covington, KY.

Founded in 1998 by the late Dr. David Melvin, previously known for performing the region's first heart transplants, SE has developed technology for the coupling of tissues never before reliably closable. This new coupling technology utilizes force-transfer surface dynamics to join living tissue to either a prosthetic device or other living tissue. SE's first product, FiberSecure, has been shown pre-clinically to connect tissue more strongly than existing sutures or staples, and holds durably where they cannot. The Company is pursuing FDA compliance through 510K process during Q4 2011, which will result in a commercially marketed product.

bioLOGIC and SE have been in close collaboration since early 2007. 

"We are extremely pleased that Surgical Energetics has now chosen to move its operations to bioLOGIC," stated Dr. Charlie LeCroix, COO and partner at bioLOGIC. "The addition of SE and their patented wound closing technology to the current life science companies already located at bioLOGIC continues to expand the emerging life science corridor in Northern Kentucky."

"Moving our headquarters to bioLOGIC in Northern Kentucky provides our company access to additional programs and support that will accelerate our path towards the 510K filing with the FDA," Dr. Natalia Juncosa-Melvin, Scientific Director at SE, commented.

Now there's an app to help fight hunger in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky thanks to some Northern Kentucky University students.

Students in NKU's College of Informatics developed a mobile application for two Smartphone platforms for the Freestore Foodbank.

The new mobile application, which can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store or from the Android Market, provides a brief introduction to the Freestore Foodbank, a news feed of recent and relevant information, involvement opportunities for community members, a member agency locator and important contact information to connect with Freestore Foodbank.

"Ultimately, we're about connecting people to what they need, and the app allows us to do this in a variety of ways," John Young, president and CEO of the Freestore Foodbank, said in a news release about the collaboration that resulted in the new application. "We're connecting volunteers and donors to our current opportunities and advocacy issues, and connecting those in need to food and services to help stabilize their lives and bring them hope."

Read the full story here.

In a sign of the times, a Northern Kentucky-based website is tapping into the needs of homeowners looking for a new way to attract buyers in a depressed market.

Holly Wall, of Park Hills, launched bailmeoutofmyhouse.com, a web site where homeowners can list their own houses. The site is a twist on the traditional For Sale by Owner property, because sellers will offer a five- to seven-percent discount on the home, which equals the amount normally paid to a real estate agent.

"Right now homeowners are facing reduced equity, competition and short sales. On top of that they are paying a real estate agent a commission. This is a recipe for failure. We thought if we could eliminate one of those obstacles for traditional sellers, we could create a formula for success. I hope this gives those traditional sellers a voice," Wall said.

The site is Wall's first foray into web entrepreneurism, but she has plenty of personal experience selling properties. She's lived in four states, moving along with her husband's job transfers. The couple has also bought and sold several investment properties, she said. Wall formerly was a teacher who left the profession to work at Fidelity Investments for three years. She's currently a stay-at-home mom.  

The couple's most recent move from Cleveland to Northern Kentucky gave Wall the idea for the site.

"When we relocated, I learned that we'd have to pay $17,000 toward commission right off the bat," she said. "That huge number sort of astounded me. I thought it would be better to sell the house at a reduced price."

Through Bailmeoutofmyhouse.com, sellers can create a password protected profile where they can post a simple text advertisement with pictures of their home. In the ad, sellers are asked to post the home's market value, and its sale price. Wall is offering homeowners an incentive to list their homes until Jan. 31; sellers can list their homes for free until they sell. After Jan. 31, the cost is $50.

Homes are listed by county. Current listings are generally in the Cincinnati-area but the site is setup for nationwide sales.

"We just had someone from Chicago sign up, so people are finding out about it," Wall said.

Wall currently is working to promote the site, and plans to soon offer sellers yard signs bearing the bailmeoutofmyhouse.com site.

"The signs will tell buyers not just, 'My home is for sale, but my house is on sale'," she said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Source: Holly Wall, founder bailmeoutofmyhouse.com

A new report is celebrating the shared government service successes already achieved by regional municipalities, and it's encouraging more.

Titled "Connecting Communities," the report was produced in collaboration by the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Vision 2015. It looks at the eight most northern counties of Kentucky: Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Owen and Pendleton. It highlights what communities in those counties already have done. (Grant County provides police services to the city of Crittenden, for example.)

The report's call to action? 

"Collaboration has clearly helped Northern Kentucky to achieve progress. In these increasingly challenging times, it will be important to seek even more opportunities for collaboration."

Read more about the report's recommendations and access the full report here.