Ohio State has taken another initiative to meet one of its greatest priorities, increasing diversity.
In a partnership with Columbus State, OSU provided 11 minority transfer students merit scholarships this quarter to assist with OSU’s tuition. Tally Hart, director of OSU’s Office of Student Financial Aid, said the program, which was introduced at OSU about a year and a half ago, is in the pilot stage.
Ohio State is providing the funding for the pilot stage, but is still seeking permanent funding from outside sources to offer the program to students in autumn 2003, Hart said.
“To be considered for the scholarships, students are required to have sufficient transfer credit and a GPA above 3.0,” Hart said. “All students had financial need although it wasn’t a criterion to receive the scholarship.”
The scholarships do not quite cover full tuition but come close, Hart said. There is no specific renewal criteria for the scholarships, which are renewable for up to two years.
“It’s a benefit for the students who receive the scholarship to be able to study at OSU. In the future they may even want to continue with graduate courses here,” said Chuck Aphun, a doctoral student in industrial engineering.
According to a press release, “the state legislature and Ohio Board of Regents adopted a statewide policy in 1990 encouraging state-assisted universities to establish articulation and transfer agreements with community colleges.”
Ohio State is working solely with Columbus State during the pilot stage, but we hope to expand the program to other community colleges in the future, Hart said.
Part of the larger program will provide an OSU counselor on the Columbus State campus to assist students in scheduling classes and making sure all of the students’ credits can transfer to OSU, Hart said.
The agreement meets two priorities of the university with regard to recently approved competitive admissions standards and increasing diversity, said Martha Garland, vice provost for undergraduate studies, in a statement.
“Community college campuses, which are traditionally more ethnically diverse than our four-year institutions, can be an important resource for Ohio State in continuing to attract a diverse student body,” Garland said in a press release.
Based on funding, OSU is trying to establish the number of scholarships that will be awarded in the future.
“I hope the number will grow significantly from the current 11 students,” Hart said.
Hart said she hopes to meet with the scholarship recipients soon to discuss their academic performance at OSU thus far.
“I hope the scholarships will increase the number of students starting at community colleges and then transferring to OSU to complete their degrees,” Hart said.
When Columbus State students complete a full year at OSU, they normally do very well at completing their Ohio State degrees, she said.
“I hope the scholarships will help make students aware of this possibility,” Hart said.
