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Chancellor Announces $50 Million in Scholarships to Attract and Retain Ohio’s Talented Students
Second round of scholarship dollars awarded in competitive process
Part of the “Ohio Innovation Partnership” to advance Ohio’s position in world markets in the areas of science and technology
For Immediate Release, June 26, 2008
Columbus, Ohio – Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut today announced the State of Ohio’s second group of collaborations to receive funding under the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program, the state’s premier model for recruiting and retaining talented Ohio residents as students in STEM and STEM education fields. The competitive awards are based on collaborations between colleges, universities, and their Ohio business and industry partners that will have the most impact on advancing Ohio’s position in the world markets including aerospace, medicine, computer technology and alternative energy.
Governor Ted Strickland and the Ohio General Assembly have invested over $250 million to remake Ohio’s economy through collaborative programs in higher education, particularly in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine, known as STEM.
The second round of awards is directed to 28 Ohio public and private colleges and universities across the state to be used specifically to attract, retain and graduate more than 2,600 new STEM students over the next 5 years. When combined with the first group of recipients announced in March 2008, Ohio expects to see more than 5,700 STEM graduates who have been scholars in the state’s Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program.
“There's nothing more crucial to our economic future than investing in the people of Ohio,” said Governor Strickland. “The Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program is part of the investment we are making to attract and retain students in the vital areas of science and technology.”
Choose Ohio First is part of the Ohio Innovation Partnership created by the Ohio General Assembly to increase the role of Ohio’s higher education institutions in building the talent and research pipelines critical to the state’s economic success.
The Ohio Research Scholars Program – which exists in partnership with the Third Frontier Commission – is another part of the Ohio Innovation Partnership in which Ohio invested more than $143 million in endowment and other funds to recruit faculty to academic Centers of Excellence tied to the strength of Ohio’s regional economies.
Both programs represent a commitment to funding based on quality and alignment with the state’s economic priorities. When leveraged, the funds bring the total investment in science and technology collaborations between Ohio colleges, universities and their Ohio business and industry partners to more than $400 million dollars.
“In the recently released 10-year strategic plan for higher education, I emphasized the need for the state to regain its prominent role in the areas of scholarship and research. We have a proud history of scientists, inventors, and innovators in the fields of science and technology,” said Chancellor Fingerhut. “Today’s award is a significant investment in our future.”
The Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program review process was highly competitive to ensure that the highest quality standards are met and designed so that the Ohio Board of Regents can work with schools across the state to assist in the development of quality programs.
Sixteen second round proposals were reviewed by a national panel of STEM and STEM education experts in the higher education field. The experts, empanelled by Chancellor Fingerhut, recommended 9 proposals for funding. The selected proposals not only identified a commitment to outstanding programs but also met the rigid HB 119 guidelines that focus on STEM recruitment and retention as they relate to building Ohio’s new economy.
The first round recipients of the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program share more than $23.6 million in scholarship funds in areas of pharmacy, nursing, science, engineering and mathematics. Collaborating institutions in round one will put forth more than $38 million in cost shared funds in support of their proposed scholarship program, while in round two, institutions will be providing almost $30 million in cost shared funds. For more information, please go to http://uso.edu/initatives/chooseohio1st.
Choose Ohio First Scholarship Awards – Round 2
Diversifying Yield and Retention in Engineering, Mathematics and Science
The University of Cincinnati (lead institution) will partner with Sinclair Community College and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to attract and graduate an estimated 250 students in STEM fields over a 5-year period. This program will expand several highly innovative programs that currently exist in the college of engineering to support not only the engineering students but also mathematics students in the college of arts and sciences. Most noteworthy is the program’s plan to recruit and retain first generation college students, underrepresented minorities, women and economically disadvantaged students. Recipients will be afforded the successful UC cooperative education experience, an alumni shadowing program, summer bridge program, structured freshman and sophomore year support, as well as mentoring and undergraduate research opportunities. The proposed project will increase the number of freshmen in its entering class majoring in science and mathematics to 20 percent. The collaboration shares $4.268 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Strengthening the PK-8 Mathematics and Science Teacher Pipeline with an Integrated STEM Education Curriculum
The University of Cincinnati (lead institution) will partner with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cincinnati Public Schools, Mayerson Academy, Strive-Knowledge Works Foundation and the Strive Regional P-16 council to attract and graduate 90 students in the STEM education field in 5 years. The selected STEM Education proposal will improve the mathematics and science preparation of PK-8 teachers, special educators and teachers pursuing graduate studies. Programs will provide updated coursework in inquiry based, integrated mathematics and science curriculum and internships and cooperative education programs emphasizing experiential learning. The program will provide educators with the necessary tools to foster a positive student attitude toward science and mathematics and to create a seamless PK-20 educational pathway to STEM careers. The winning collaboration will share $822,000 in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Integrated Science Training for Northeast Ohio’s Future Biomedical and Biotechnology Workforce
Kent State University (lead institution) will partner with Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College , Lorain County Community College, Stark State College of Technology; Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Summa Health System, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Lake County Educational Service Center and Akron Children’s Hospital to attract and graduate an estimated 580 STEM students over 5 years. Students will be provided an exceptional interdisciplinary learning experience in biology, chemistry and physics coupled with the academic rigor of “front-line” experience in Northeast Ohio’s world-class health care institutions. The program will work with college-level students, high school and middle school students to spark interest in the biotechnology and biomedical science fields. The collaboration will share $2 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
The Choose Ohio First Engaged Scholarship Program in Bioscience and Healthcare
Cleveland State University (lead institution) will partner with Baldwin Wallace College, Case Western Reserve University, Cuyahoga Community College, Hiram College, BioEnterprise, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and JumpStart to attract and graduate more than 430 STEM students in a 5- year period. Scholars for this proposal will ensure that Northeast Ohio’s globally recognized health employers, The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospital Health System and The MetroHealth System have a highly skilled workforce in the bioscience fields available to them. The 5 higher education institutions will create a “coalition of excellence” that will prepare graduates by providing engaged learning and science entrepreneurships. This collaboration will share $2 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Science & Math Education in Action
Bowling Green State University (lead institution) will team with Owens Community College, Terra Community College, Northwest State Community College, The University of Findlay and more than 100 local industrial partners to attract and graduate an estimated 300 STEM education students over a 5-year period. This proposal builds on BGSU’s excellent track record on graduating highly prepared teaching professionals in Ohio by providing teacher education students early cooperative education, internship and practicum experiences in high technology and STEM business fields. Students will also participate in science and mathematics research and be exposed to new and innovative coursework. Overall, the teacher education experiences will translate into a better-prepared teacher workforce in Ohio, thereby engaging another generation of students in the important field of science and mathematics as they prepare to enter college. The collaboration will share $3 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Improving STEM Teacher Preparation: A Long Term Investment (D-STEM)
Miami University (lead institution) partnering with Cleveland State University, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Owens Community College, the University of Toledo, Cincinnati City School District, Toledo City School District, Cleveland City School District, Dayton City School District, Edgewood City School District, Fairfield City School District, Great Oaks Career Campuses, Middletown City School District, Mount Healthy City School District, North College Hill City School District, Northwest Local City School District, Princeton City School District, Talawanda City School District, Winton Woods City School District, Wood County City School District, Equistar Chemical Company, Givaudan Flavors Corp and Proctor and Gamble to attract and graduate more than 150 STEM education students over a 5-year period. The proposed program focuses on investing in quality education for K-12 STEM education teachers. Scholarship recipients will be engaged in teaching experiences and professional learning communities-online included-that will support their experiences as student teachers. Not only will the program recruit underrepresented minority and economically disadvantaged student populations to the STEM education field, it will also provide assistance in critical transition periods in the early years of the teaching profession by providing continuing education coursework and assistance. The collaboration shares $2.747 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Growing the STEMM Pipeline in the Dayton Region- Becoming an International Center of Excellence for Human Effectiveness/Human Performance
Wright State University (lead institution) partnering with Central State University, University of Dayton, Wittenberg University, Clark State Community College, Edison Community College, Sinclair Community College, Southern State Community College, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton Development Coalition, EDvention, Battelle, Qbase, Emerson, LexisNexis, NASA Glenn, SOCHE, Montgomery, Clark, Miami, Southern Ohio and Greene Counties Educational Service Centers to attract and graduate an estimated 450 STEM students over a five year period. The west central area of Ohio will need a trained workforce in the areas of human effectiveness, sensors and related information technologies to fill an anticipated 1200 US Department of Defense jobs by 2011. The collaboration will use a shared inquiry-based curriculum, with the creation of the Dayton Area Undergraduate Studies Institute, where Choose Ohio First scholars can access the appropriate STEM curriculum at any collaborating institution. All scholars will engage in undergraduate research, cooperative education and internship opportunities with local industry in this STEM area. The collaboration shares $3.941 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Ohio House of Science and Engineering: Success in STEM through Collaboration
The Ohio State University (lead institution) in partner with the University of Cincinnati and Muskingum College will attract and graduate more than 160 STEM students over five years. This grant will foster and promote STEM outreach and education activities from kindergarten through PhD to dramatically expand the number of students matriculating into STEM fields – with special interest in increasing the opportunities for first generation college students and students from underrepresented populations. The program will engage K-12 students in inquiry based science programs, create a new innovative STEM education curriculum for better prepared teachers and create more STEM-focused support programs that provide research opportunities and mentorships with scientists and industry. The partnership will share $3 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
Choose Ohio First for Engineering Entrepreneurship (COFFEE) Scholarship
The University of Toledo (lead institution) teaming with the Ohio State University, Lorain County Community College, Owens Community College, Stark State College of Technology, the Regional Growth Partnership, the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, the Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator, the Center for Technological Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Battelle Labs, the Ohio Supercomputer Center, Plastic Technologies, SSOE and Xunlight to attract and graduate an estimated 450 STEM students over five years. This collaboration provides exceptional student exposure to industry through cooperative education – with more than 1,300 companies participating. Student scholars will receive a rigorous technical education in engineering and science, and coupled with a personal entrepreneurial development plan and industry mentor, will prepare and retain Ohio graduates in the high tech workforce. These graduates will make a significant impact on the climate of innovation and commercialization that is needed to advance Ohio’s new economy. The collaboration shares $3.941 million in Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program funds awarded by the state.
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Contact: Michael Chaney, Chief Communications Officer, Ohio Board of Regents
Office: 614-752-9480 Cell: 614-633-5909
Email: mchaney@regents.state.oh.us
