This newspaper previously reported that Widener asked the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education to hire him to help it convert military service to college credit.
Records since obtained from Clark State show that Widener made the same proposal there. When asked if they were considering signing it or any other contract with Widener or his companies, officials at the Springfield school responded: “Not at this time.”
Kevin Boys, president of Southern State Community College in Hillsboro, said Widener also approached him in December with the same proposal he took to SOCHE, but “this is the kind of thing we could not afford to enter into.”
“We’re a small community college and really aren’t in a place to enter into a contract like that,” Boys said, adding that aligning military service with college credit is a needed effort.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education has been working since 2013 to translate military experience into college credit and professional licensure, but some in the higher education community say progress has been slow.
“The work that needs to be done is pretty important,” Boys said. “It has a real value to it. But we haven’t entered into a contract.”
Widener announced Jan. 21 he was leaving the Ohio Senate 11 months before the end of his term. This followed more than a decade in the General Assembly where he held powerful posts such as chairman of the Senate Finance Commitee and a seat on the state Controlling Board, which approves certain expenditures for public colleges and universities. Most recently he was No. 2 in command of the Senate.
Widener was a vocal advocate for both Central State and Clark State. He was honored last year with Clark State’s first Champion of Clark State Community College Award, and was instrumental in helping Central State secure land grant status that reaped it millions of dollars in state and federal funds.
Widener did not return calls for comment on this story.
Laura Bischoff contributed to this report.
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