The cost-shared partnership originated in 1971 with the establishment of Central Ohio Technical College (COTC), which was to share a campus in Newark with The Ohio State University. A formal “Cost-Sharing Plan” was signed by the boards of trustees of both institutions on May 7, 1971, and by the Ohio Board of Regents on July 29, 1971.

The agreement detailed how the institutions share facilities and personnel as well as the costs associated with each. It also provided the foundation for administrators to promote a spirit of mutual respect and establish a positive relationship between the two institutions, something unheard of among faculty and staff of other technical colleges and regional campuses that share locations.

The cost-shared agreement is still applicable today, though it has evolved and is updated every year as part of the institutions’ budget planning process. Also thriving is the spirit of mutual respect between COTC and Ohio State Newark.