Lakeland Community College launches The Lakeland Institute to serve various sectors in Northeast Ohio

A new 501c3 has been launched through Lakeland Community College called The Lakeland Institute. The institute has been created with a dedication to elevating the public service, nonprofit, and small business sectors of Northeast Ohio.

The Lakeland Institute is guided by the college’s mission of attempting to meet the needs of the community through education. The Institute’s mission is to strengthen and educate government relations, small businesses, and nonprofits in the Northeast Ohio region. The Lakeland Institute functions as a fast track educational center that works to provide high quality consulting, facilitation, research, and education, in government and public affairs, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit administration, which follows the spirit of the mission of Lakeland Community College.

The Nonprofit and Public Service Center at Lakeland Community College shifted in 2021 when the school decided to reevaluate the needs of public service and nonprofit agencies in the region. After several stakeholder meetings and a survey process, the college determined that there was a need for more programming in the areas of fundraising, marketing, strategy, and leadership. It was through this process, and the results, that The Lakeland Institute was created in order to meet those needs and beyond.

In an article posted on Lakeland Community College’s website, the executive director of The Lakeland Institute Amy Sabath was quoted as saying, “By creating The Lakeland Institute, we are furthering Lakeland’s mission to meet the needs of the community. Outside of being an educational institution, Lakeland serves the community in a variety of ways. The Lakeland Institute looks to collaborate and strengthen nonprofit, small business and government relations in the region.”

The Lakeland Institute will contain the previously extant nonprofit center, an entrepreneurship and workforce development center, and a public service center. All of these centers will be facilitated by an advisory board composed of local professionals and will offer a range of resources, consulting, and educational opportunities across their respective industries. Topics of these offerings will cover myriad areas such as talent acquisition and retention for entrepreneurs, marketing and leadership for nonprofits, and provide education in government relations across all levels from local to federal.

Yet another service the Institute will provide is a forum for analysis and critical thinking on topics important to the community as a whole by working to be a space for public conversations and research. Any findings the Institute comes up with will be provided to the public to assist in educating the community when it comes to its goals for empowering and improving the economy and quality of life for all people in Northeast Ohio.

As a 501c3, The Lakeland Institute is therefore eligible for a range of opportunities for funding from federal, state, and foundation resources. 

Mike Benz, who serves as the Chair of the Lakeland Institute’s advisory board and executive in residence at Lakeland Community College, weighed in on the benefits the Institute will have on the community, saying, “Establishing The Lakeland Institute creates opportunities that were previously unavailable to us, which in turn, will benefit the agencies collaborating with the institute. We are very excited to utilize the expertise we have at the college and in the community to expand our offerings to the small business and government sectors.”

More information about Lakeland Community College can be found at the school’s website.