Spring 2011 - The University of Akron

UP fRONt
UA Participates at Obama’s ‘Winning the Future Forum’
President Barack Obama drops by the Youth Engagement Roundtable
at the Winning the Future Forum on Small Business at Cleveland State
University on Feb. 12. Seated, facing President Obama is Steve Sedlock,
president of Associated Student Government (right, in silver tie). Official
White House Photo by Pete Souza.
As part of President Barack Obama’s visit to Cleveland State
University Feb. 22, he held several meetings and roundtables to
discuss with local business and community leaders and college
students how America can best support small businesses, which
play a vital role in job creation, economic recovery, global
competitiveness and the long-term strength of the United States.
Obama heard directly from those constituents, including
University of Akron President Luis M. Proenza, about their ideas
to grow the economy at the “Winning the Future Forum on
Small Business.” The forum, hosted in association with CSU and
Northeast Ohio economic development organizations JumpStart
and NorTech, welcomed more than 100 small business owners
and other Northeast Ohio community leaders.
Steve Sedlock, UA’s president of Associated Student
Government, was invited to be part of “The White House
Roundtable with Young Leaders,” which was part of the larger
forum on economic development.
Senior administration takes part in forum
There were several “breakout sessions,” each led by senior
cabinet officials, such as Small Business Administration
administrator Karen Mills, and Secretaries Timothy Geithner of
Treasury, Hilda Solis of Labor, Gary Locke of Commerce and
Steven Chu of Energy.
Proenza said President Obama started out in his session on
Entrepreneurship together with Mills and Steve Case, a cofounder
of AOL. Obama then went to each of the other sessions
before coming back to the full group to “report out” on what
they had heard.
“I’m very pleased that President Obama and his staff invited
me to participate in the forum, not only as a representative of
The University of Akron, but for Ohio higher education as well,
along with some of my colleagues at other state colleges and
universities,” Proenza said.
“Like industry, higher education must innovate its way
to a better future through innovation, entrepreneurship and
creativity,” Proenza continued. “The University of Akron’s
success as an engine of regional economic development has
caught the attention of several national organizations that
promote higher education’s role in driving regional economies,
so it’s only fitting that our university and other higher education
institutions in Ohio were at the table with our president.”
Students’ voices heard
According to Sedlock, the young leaders’ group, which
was joined for a time by Obama, focused on three major
topics: funding startups and supporting new technology; the
affordability of higher education; and helping graduates stay in
the state through strategic job placement.
“The conversation began with how we can improve funding
for startup businesses, and how to continue to drive technology
and support new technology,” said Sedlock, a senior marketing
management and e-marketing/advertising major and 2006
graduate of Canton McKinley High School. “For example, we
explored how the government and private organizations can
make startups possible through seed money.”
Roundtable participants also discussed a Carnegie Mellon
virtual reality program through which all graduates are
guaranteed a job. “We could explore enticing large companies
to do this with UA polymer graduates, for example,” Sedlock
explained. “Job placement after graduation is a salient issue, and
ties back to the funding of startups.”
Several Northeast Ohio schools participate
The 45-minute discussion was “very laid back and open,”
according to Sedlock, and included representatives from
Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University,
Kent State, Ashland University, Cuyahoga Community College
and the College of Wooster.
“Overall, it was amazing to know that the highest office in
the country cares about what students think,” said Sedlock. “We
very candidly exchanged ideas and offered feedback. Often, the
White House staff had answers right on the spot and we already
are planning to do follow-up conference calls.”
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