toledoblade.com --

Owens Community College is going global.

Beginning in the summer, the college will offer an information technology course online to students in South Korea.

It will be the college's first course actively targeting students living abroad and could be the first program of its kind established by a community college in the state.

"It's intriguing," said Terry Thomas, executive director of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges. "To my knowledge, it's the first in Ohio. It just brings another dimension to the college's role."

While students living abroad have been able to take distance-education courses from Owens, none is doing so, said Owens Provost Paul Unger. So when officials were approached by the Ohio Learning Network about partnering with an Australian firm, INDELTA, to offer a program in South Korea, they listened. A key component of the partnership will be recruiting by INDELTA, Dr. Unger said.

"We're using this group to connect us with those students," he said.

If the pilot program is successful, he said it might be expanded to other countries in southeast Asia.

Owens trustees meeting yesterday approved a fee structure for international students taking courses through INDELTA, pegging the cost of each credit hour at $300. The fee includes tuition and an international distance learning service fee for the company.

Owens offers 52 Web courses from its campuses in Perrysburg Township and Findlay. In-state students attending the college pay $95 a credit hour. Out-of-state and other international students pay $180 a credit hour.

Dr. Unger said the new program could be a money-maker as Owens faces reduced state funding and looks for ways to generate revenue and cut costs. Yesterday, for example, trustees established a naming-rights policy and heard about a bus that officials bought on eBay at a reduced price.

While community colleges traditionally have focused on local populations, more are reaching out to international students, said Norma Kent, vice president of communications for the American Association of Community Colleges.

The growing interconnectedness of the world, especially in business, has led colleges like Owens to expand their horizons, Dr. Unger said. "To think we only live in this little vacuum called Ohio is an outdated premise," he said. "We are a global economy, so we open our doors to the world."

In other business, the trustees yesterday:

w Approved a three-year contract retroactive to Jan. 1 with the Owens Federation of Safety and Security Employees.

Members will receive 3 percent raises each year. They also will receive a 1 percent lump sum payment and a merit raise of between 1 percent and 3 percent in the contract's first year.

This is the first contract for the union, which includes 17 people and is affiliated with the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

w Voted Jack Sculfort to continue as board chairman. Ronald McMaster was elected vice chairman.

w Accepted the resignation of Gerald Bazer, dean of arts and sciences. He has been at the college since 1993 and will retire July 31.

w Created ad hoc board of trustee committees to be involved in the college's strategic planning efforts and the development of its performing arts programs and facilities.

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