Sinclair Foundation purchases 33 acres in Warren County

Land will eventually expand the college’s Courseview campus

The Sinclair Foundation has purchased 33 acres of land, including one building, adjacent to Sinclair Community College’s Courseview Campus in Warren County for eventual expansion of the center.

The Foundation, which is funded through private sources, will lease the land and building to the college at a later date, part of a longterm plan to grow academic programs and the number of students at the Courseview campus, said college spokesman Adam Murka. The purchase totaled $4.5 million. The building was formerly owned by Stress Engineering and is directly off Interstate 71 near Kings Island.

Sinclair has a Vision 2035 plan to expand its offering in Warren County as the market demands it. The county’s population is expected to increase nearly 75 percent during the next 25 years, according to Sinclair. Sinclair envisions that by 2035, the Courseview campus, which opened in 2007, will have between 8,000 and 10,000 students, 50 to 75 academic programs, 700 to 900 employees, eight to 10 buildings and 75 to 85 acres of land.

Between 1,000 and 1,400 students now enroll during a term at Courseview.

No Montgomery County funds or tax funds of any kind were used for the purchase of the additional acres, Murka said. The purchase will help to serve the growing population of Warren County and will not impact the Dayton campus, he added.

“We are not going anywhere from downtown Dayton. We are committed to this community,” Murka said.

Sinclair is not alone in growing its offerings in southwest Ohio. Cincinnati State is also expanding with a location in Middletown. Miami University has long had two branch campuses in Butler County. Miami also opened the Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester Twp. in 2009.

Sinclair Board of Trustees chair Barney Wright said the college is excited about its future in the Warren County region.

“The continued future economic development of the Warren County community requires a significant investment in the workforce of the future,” Wright said in a news release.

The Foundation sees the purchase “as a sign of our continued commitment to meeting the needs of the southwest Ohio region,” said Foundation Board of Trustees chair Amy Barker. “This investment of private Foundation dollars goes toward the sole purpose of supporting the strategic plan for improving cost effective and accessible higher education for the people of southwest Ohio.”

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