Northeast Ohio Universities Collaboration and Innovation Study Commission report commissioned by the Ohio General Assembly, from which some recommendations had been implemented History The framework for what eventually became NOCHE began in 1951 when a group of locals obtained a grant from the Cleveland Foundation to conduct a study to “look into the condition of higher education in Cuyahoga County and recommend potential avenues of cooperation and coordination.” As a result of the study, the Cleveland Commission on Higher Education was formed with the following initial members: Baldwin-Wallace College, Case Institute of Technology, Fenn College, John Carroll University and Western Reserve University. Higher Education in Post-World War II Cleveland The driving forces for the creation of the Commission were the increase in college-ready students due to the end of World War II, and the GI Bill, which gave military veterans free or reduced tuition. An enrollment increase of 30% in the decade following the war greatly strained the enrollment capacities of the region’s higher education institutions. In addition, some students lacked a sufficient secondary education that would allow them to succeed in college. To remedy these problems, the Commission recommended the creation of a two-year college in the area. This recommendation eventually led to the formation of Cuyahoga Community College in 1963. However, still no public four-year university existed in Cuyahoga County. The realization of the need for more affordable education led the Commission to push for the creation of a local public university. Because of these efforts, with help from other regional groups, Fenn College became Cleveland State University in 1964. One of the more significant historical events in higher education in Northeast Ohio occurred in 1967, when the Commission and other groups lobbied for the merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University. The merger eventually was realized in 1967 with the formation of Case Western Reserve University. During the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the Commission expanded its membership significantly across Northeast Ohio. To reflect this expanded geographic activity, the Commission changed its name to the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, or NOCHE. Member institutions NOCHE's members are as follows: Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland State University Cuyahoga Community College Hiram College Eastern Gateway Community College Kent State University Lakeland Community College Lorain County Community College Northeast Ohio Medical University Stark State College of Technology The University of Akron University of Phoenix