Chila Thomas, YSP executive director, accepted the award on behalf of Ohio State during the Ohio Women’s Leadership Summit on July 13 in Cincinnati.

“It is an honor to serve Ohio and The Ohio State University community through the Young Scholars Program,” said Thomas. “Leading a team of esteemed colleagues with which many of us share the experiences of the students we serve brings my team immense pleasure to partner with and guide students to support college access and success.”

Founded in 1988, YSP is a comprehensive pre-collegiate and collegiate student success initiative offering academically talented, first-generation students with high financial need the opportunity to enhance their academic, personal and career development. YSP serves students from Ohio’s nine largest public school districts: Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lorain, Toledo and Youngstown.

Connecting multiple levels of education, each year YSP assists over 1,000 students statewide, including 700 students in grades 8-12 and 350 undergraduate students, serving as a stepping stone for success at Ohio State and beyond.

“The Ohio State University is a land-grant institution with a long and proud tradition of educating all Ohioans,” said Yolanda Zepeda, interim vice provost for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “The Young Scholars Program is an embodiment of that mission to bring education to Ohioans from every corner of the state and walk of life. We are extremely proud of the role that we play in helping Young Scholars achieve their educational dreams and become leaders in their communities and in their professions.”

YSP serves pre-collegiate students in grades 9-12 by providing year-round college counseling and programming to enhance college preparation and readiness in partnership with school district administrators and staff, Ohio State faculty, staff, students and alumni, and community partners.

YSP undergraduate programs assist Young Scholars in reaching their full potential and achieving their academic and career goals through personal, professional and leadership development. Undergraduate Students Success Programs begin with a summer early arrival program, followed by academic year programming, including an academic bridge program, holistic success coaching, peer mentoring, study skills enrichment, first-year seminar courses and scholarship support services.

To be eligible, scholars must complete a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and demonstrate high academic achievement. Scholars in good academic standing receive a robust financial aid package from Ohio State, which includes federal and state grants, work-study and the Young Scholars Award.

In addition to Thomas and Zepeda, Ohio State was represented at the conference by Wendy G. Smooth, senior vice provost for inclusive excellence, and Ange-Marie Hancock, executive director of the Kirwan Institute.

“This award is a wonderful acknowledgment of the Young Scholars Programs transformative impact on students across Ohio,” said Smooth. “We are deeply honored by this recognition and are committed to continuing our work to empower first-generation students, providing them the tools and opportunities to succeed academically and lead in their communities.”

The Ohio Women’s Leadership Summit is an annual nonpartisan, nonpolitical event hosted by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. YSP’s award recognizes individuals or organizations that uplift Ohio women and serve their communities.

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees will consider a proposal for 2023 tuition and fees that will continue the university’s Ohio State Tuition Guarantee. The program locks in tuition, housing and dining costs for each entering in-state student cohort for four years.

The university proposes to increase tuition and fees for incoming Ohio freshmen by 3% starting in autumn 2023. That equates to a $374 annual change from last year’s rate. The Board of Trustees will consider the proposal this week.

This rate will then be frozen for four years for new in-state students. Ohio State would remain the second-most-affordable university for resident undergraduates among selective admission public universities in the state and would be more affordable than nine of 15 Big Ten schools.

Tuition and fees support the university’s academic excellence and core mission to provide a comprehensive, inclusive and affordable education that prepares the next generation of leaders and engaged citizens for the workforce of tomorrow and to serve the state, the nation and the world.

In Columbus, in-state tuition and fees would total $12,859 per year for incoming first-year students. The most common housing and dining plans will total $14,382 under the proposal, an increase of about $416 year-over-year. Housing and dining rates remain frozen for those in the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee.

Approximately $1.45 million annually in undergraduate tuition will be invested in the Office of Student Life’s student wellness and mental health services, education and prevention efforts. That funding will be in addition to the more than $7.74 million the office spends annually on student mental health and wellness.

The additional, dedicated investment in wellness and mental health will allow the university to expand coordinated peer-to-peer mentoring and educational programming, which have been proven to be an effective way to connect with college students. It will also allow the expansion of mental health awareness and response training, and related education and prevention opportunities for campus community members, the expansion of suicide prevention and screening programs, and other mental health and wellness programs.

Pending approval by the Board of Trustees, additional tuition and fee proposals include:

• The non-resident surcharge for students who attend classes in person would increase by 5.2%. Overall, tuition and mandatory fees for incoming non-resident students would increase by $1,643.
• Student health insurance, which covers a third-party pass-through rate, would increase by 1.76% or about $62. Most domestic students utilize private insurance instead of obtaining coverage through the university.
• General graduate tuition and fees would increase by 3.8% for Ohio residents – a change of about $500 for students on the Columbus campus. Among graduate and professional programs, eight programs propose specific fee changes, and three new programs are seeking a fee.

At regional campuses, in-state tuition and fees for incoming students would be set at $9,212 for the Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark campuses and $9,167 at the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, a 3% increase.

The university evaluates tuition and fees annually and sets rates based on program needs, changes in costs and market data.

The university continues to invest in affordability programs to support students. That includes more than $305 million in need-based financial aid since 2015, $53.9 million in fiscal year 2023 alone. Additionally, the Ohio College Opportunity Grant program administered by the Ohio Department of Higher Education will be increased to an additional $500 per student for a maximum grant award of $3,200.

One of the signature affordability programs at Ohio State is the Buckeye Opportunity Program. Launched in 2019, the program ensures that all eligible Ohio resident students on all campuses who qualify for a federal Pell Grant receive enough student financial aid beginning their first semester to cover the full cost of undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees.

Now, the university is reminding current and incoming students to take advantage of this and other financial aid programs. One of the first steps is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on time.

“Tuition and mandatory fees are covered at any Ohio State campus for Pell grant recipients who submit their FAFSA by Feb 1. We want to remind our Ohio residents that they have a guaranteed pathway to an Ohio State education through our network of campuses, including Columbus, Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark and ATI/Wooster,” said James Orr, vice provost for strategic enrollment management.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, 9,400 students across all the university’s campuses, including Ohio State ATI, were a part of the Buckeye Opportunity Program.

For students whose aid falls short, Ohio State’s Buckeye Affordability Grant bridges any gaps and fulfills the spirit of the Buckeye Opportunity Program. A new adjustment to the program allows all students on the regional campuses to qualify for the affordability grants immediately, beginning in their first semester of enrollment.

Students eligible for the Buckeye Opportunity Program must:

• Be Ohio residents.
• Be enrolled full-time on one of Ohio State’s campuses or at Ohio State ATI at CFAES Wooster.
• Be in good academic standing.
• File the FAFSA by the Feb. 1 priority date each year.
• Be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant.

Students do not need to apply for the Buckeye Opportunity Program – eligibility is determined based on the FAFSA.

The Scarlet & Gray Advantage program will empower students to graduate without college loans through enhanced access to scholarships, work opportunities and learning experiences focused on financial and career skills. Through their active participation in the program, students will be able to support their education and prepare for life after college.

“When it comes to both professional and personal success, a college degree is one of the best investments an individual can make, yet the possibility of taking on crushing levels of debt to get one makes it cost prohibitive for far too many," said President Kristina M. Johnson. "The Scarlet & Gray Advantage program tackles this problem at its root, making college affordable and preventing debt from accumulating in the first place. As a result, Ohio State students will have the financial freedom after graduation to freely pursue their passions."

Ohio State will expand the program more broadly over the coming decade, informed by lessons from the pilot.

The pilot, which is focused on students starting their first undergraduate year at Ohio State, is diverse. The 125 students represent each of Ohio State’s campuses, hail from more than half of Ohio’s 88 counties, and are pursuing majors in 57 disciplines representing at least 11 colleges. Seventy-five students — 60% of the cohort — are first-generation college students.

Lexi Crane, of Steubenville, Ohio, took a gap year between high school and college to earn money — and she was still expecting to take out loans for college. After joining the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program, she is on a path to a debt-free degree.

“I’ve been stressing about that for God knows how long, so this program is like a dream for me,” she said. “Now, since I’m in the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program, I can focus a lot more on my schooling than my financial situation.”

Crane is starting her college education at the Newark campus, with a plan to study biochemistry and eventually pursue a graduate degree in veterinary medicine. Her ultimate goal is to open her own practice as a veterinarian.

For students in the debt-free degree program, Ohio State will ensure that the total estimated cost of attendance will be covered through a combination of scholarships, grants, work-study and a family contribution. Individual students may utilize all or some of these components, as determined based on their Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

The university provided additional scholarships to 101 students in the pilot group, with an average award of $8,172. The other 24 students already had sufficient financial support and expected family contributions to cover the estimated cost of attendance.

Students pursuing debt-free degrees have made commitments as part of the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program. Each student in the pilot has agreed to:

• Maintain full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress
• Apply for available scholarships and grants each year through the FAFSA and the university’s ScholarshipUniverse tool, and utilizing financial aid counseling
• Pursue jobs and/or paid internships and research opportunities that allow them to contribute financially to their education and support their career exploration.
• Take part in learning experiences that focus on financial literacy and career development. For example, the university offered virtual workshops this summer on financial aid and student employment. This autumn, students will enroll in a Scarlet & Gray Advantage class.

Yahya Elmi, a Columbus resident and Metro Early College High School graduate, said the summer programs will help direct students toward a path of responsibility and financial literacy.

“It honestly helped me understand a lot of things like, what is a subsidized loan? What is the interest rate of those loans and things along those lines,” he said. “I feel like that was definitely very beneficial towards my future.”

The debt-free degree program reflects Ohio State’s comprehensive focus on affordability.

Ohio State has driven down student-debt numbers for four straight years. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, 46% of Ohio State’s bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with debt. Among the borrowers, the average debt was $26,772. By comparison, 53% of the 2017 graduating class held student debt, for an average of $28,158.

Johnson unveiled details of the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program — including an $800 million fundraising campaign over the coming decade — during her investiture speech in November 2021. Donors have already committed more than $100 million in gifts and pledges, far outpacing university goals. Ohio State had set a goal of raising $58 million by the end of fiscal year 2022.

As Scarlet & Gray Advantage scales up, Ohio State is also working to expand and optimize affordability programs that will have far-reaching benefits to Ohio State students, regardless of their participation in the program. These include improvements to financial aid, financial coaching and other programming.

Mayfield High School graduate and Cleveland native Nadia Gerbasi said she’s excited to join the pilot program so future students can benefit.

To help Scarlet & Gray Advantage evolve “so that more students can walk in and just be a student like everyone else, no matter where they came from, that’s a really big deal. I think it's a beautiful thing. I feel super lucky to be part of the first group,” she said.

See advantage.osu.edu for more information about the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program.

For autumn 2022, the university proposes to increase tuition and fees for incoming Ohio freshmen by 4.6%. That equates to a $549 annual change from last year’s rate, according to the proposal being presented to the university’s Board of Trustees this week.

The new rate will then be frozen for four years for these students, who will become the seventh straight class of Ohio students to graduate with no tuition and fee increases. Ohio State would remain the second most affordable university for resident undergraduates among selective admission public universities in Ohio and seventh for in-state tuition and fees among public Big Ten schools.

The university evaluates tuition and fees annually and sets rates based on program needs, changes in costs and market data.

Pending approval by the board of trustees, additional tuition and fee proposals include:

• The non-resident surcharge for students who attend classes in person would increase 5%. Overall, tuition and mandatory fees for incoming non-resident students would increase by $1,703.
• Housing and dining rates would increase by 4.6% for incoming students and remain frozen for those in the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee.
• Student health insurance, which covers a third-party pass-through rate, would increase 4.9%. Most domestic students utilize private insurance instead of obtaining coverage through the university.
• General graduate tuition and fees would increase 4.6% for Ohio residents. Among graduate and professional programs, eight programs propose specific fee changes, and five new programs are seeking a fee.

In Columbus, in-state tuition and fees would total $12,485 per year through 2025-26 for incoming first-year students. The most common housing and dining plans will total $13,966 under the proposal, an increase of about $614 year-over-year.

At regional campuses, in-state tuition and fees for incoming students would be set at $8,944 for the Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark campuses and $8,900 at the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. Most regional campus students do not live on campus.

The university maintains its commitment to access and affordability. Last year, President Kristina M. Johnson announced the goal for Ohio State to offer undergraduates a path to earn their bachelor’s degree, debt-free. The Scarlet & Gray Advantage program will scale up over the next 10 years.

For autumn 2022, the university will establish a small cohort of about 125 new first-year students to pilot the program. Scarlet & Gray Advantage will provide students with enhanced access to scholarships, work opportunities, and learning experiences focused on financial coaching and career development.

The university continues to invest in other affordability programs. More than $305 million in need-based financial aid has and will continue to support 45,000 students from 2015 through 2023. Some of the financial aid opportunities include:

• The Buckeye Opportunity Program, which ensures that financial aid covers the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees for Ohio students who qualify for federal Pell Grants.
• President’s Affordability Grants, which support about 15,000 low- and middle-income students annually at all Ohio State campuses.
• Land Grant Opportunity Scholarships, which have been expanded to cover the full cost of attendance and doubled in number since autumn 2018.
• Effective Autumn 2022, the Ohio College Opportunity Grant program administered by the Ohio Department of Higher Education will be increased to an additional $500 per student.

This notion was a through-line in Johnson’s speech this week at the Ohio Union, the first Patterson Lecture since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Begun in 2004, the lecture series allows a prominent figure to discuss the challenges facing higher education. It was named in honor of Ohio State graduate Jim Patterson, whose commitment to the land-grant mission led him to the university’s Board of Trustees, serving from 1994-2003 and as board chair in his final year.

Despite the size of Ohio’s economy, Johnson noted that the state ranks poorly across several measures, including per capita income, public health and educational attainment. It is incumbent upon Ohio State, she said, to partner with the communities that have supported the university. This can be done in many ways, including workforce development with employers like Intel, which recently committed $20 billion to two new semiconductor factories in Licking County.

“Building the workforce Intel requires is beyond what a single university, even one with our scale, can do. It is going to take a regional effort,” Johnson said. “So we are working with other public and private universities in Ohio and beyond – including Ohio’s two historically Black universities, Central State University and Wilberforce University – to develop the curricula that will lead students to careers at Intel and at other tech-intensive businesses.”

In addition to contributing to the state, Ohio State must make its top-tier education accessible for all its students, Johnson said. The university’s Scarlet and Gray Advantage program, which will offer undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a debt-free degree within the decade, is beginning with a pilot program this fall with 125 students.

“Since student debt is a complex national problem, and there are many kinds of borrowers, the pilot will allow us to work out the knots,” she said. “Ultimately, our 10-year goal is to do this at scale, with thousands more students a year graduating Ohio State without the burden of loans.”

Free from debt, students can then embark on a journey of lifelong learning. Johnson described a platform that will allow for just that.

“I envision doing this with an education cloud where students can personalize their education, earning micro-credentials that can stack as they progress through Ohio State – and then long after they graduate, as knowledge in their field expands,” she said.

Academic advisers will work in tandem with this program, Johnson said, helping students plot an academic path that can lead to exciting, engaging careers.

Johnson asked the audience to consider the purpose of land-grant universities. Who are the people they are meant to serve: the students who attend them, the communities that engage with them, the faculty who conduct research at them?

Ohio State can be all of these things, she said.

“It is time to redefine what it means to be a great land-grant university in the 21st century – to become a university of the people, by the people, for the people,” Johnson said. “Down the road, that is where real excellence lies – as well as the possibility of inspiring all institutions all across the nation to do the same.

“The beauty is, we have the size, scale and scope to lead,” she said, in closing. “I intend to make sure we do that.”

The James F. Patterson Land-Grant University Lecture is hosted by The Ohio State University Office of Outreach and Engagement.

The program is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation.

Ohio State is one of 10 American Talent Initiative members to receive this grant, joining a diverse network of colleges and universities dedicated to supporting first-generation students through direct financial support and cohort-based services.

“The benefits of a college degree – from increased earning potential to a wider array of career options – are well documented, but acquiring one is challenging, especially if you’re the first in your family to do so,” President Kristina M. Johnson said. “Studies have shown that four times as many first-generation college students drop out compared to those who have at least one parent who attended an institution of higher education. Financial pressures, lack of a support system, guilt for leaving family behind, and difficulties fitting in are among the many obstacles facing those who take this important step. The Kessler Scholars Collaborative helps bridge these gaps and gives first-generation students the support they need to achieve academic and personal success. Establishing this program at Ohio State will be truly transformative and make a real impact on many lives.”

As part of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, Ohio State will receive onboarding guidance, curricular resources and technical support to implement the Kessler Scholars model on campus. The university and partner institutions in the network will meet regularly to share resources, evaluate best practices, and participate in collaborative-wide student engagement and networking opportunities.

Ohio State joins the collaborative alongside six current institutions, including ATI members Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan, as well as Queens College, St. Francis College and Syracuse University. Nine other ATI members will join the collaborative, including: Bates College, Brown University, Centre College, Saint Mary’s College (Indiana), University of California, Riverside, University of Dayton, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University in St. Louis and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

“As a first-generation college graduate, I believe that opportunity for educational attainment is our country’s obligation to our citizenry in this global economy,” said Assistant Vice Provost for Student Academic Success David Graham. “Aligning Ohio State’s current first-generation student support efforts with the Kessler Scholars Collaborative allows Ohio State to share evidence-based practices, innovate new ideas, disclose challenges and continue to advance the success of first-generation students at Ohio State University and beyond.”

Founded in 2008 at the University of Michigan, the Kessler Scholars Program connects first-generation students with resources and opportunities across campus – including individualized support and cohort-based workshops and programming designed to foster academic, professional and personal growth. The Kessler Scholars graduating cohort attained a four-year graduation rate of 83%, or eight percentage points higher than their first-generation peers and virtually on par with their continuing-generation peers (84%).

Over the five-year grant period, July 2022 to June 2027, Ohio State will devote at least 40% of the total grant, or $400,000, to direct student aid. As a part of the proven Kessler Scholars model, participating students will benefit from high-touch, personalized advising and support from Kessler Scholars staff and peer mentors; cohort-based activities throughout their college experience to reinforce a sense of belonging; and programs designed to elevate first-generation students’ unique strengths, with a focus on ensuring they realize their academic and professional goals. The first cohort of up to 20 Kessler Scholars will arrive on campus in Fall 2023.

State Rep. Jon Cross (R- Kenton) announced new legislation to attract and keep students and workers in Ohio with a proposal that includes state income tax credits, targeted scholarships and expanded student aid. Cross was joined by Johnson and other higher education and business leaders to announce the Graduate and Retain Ohio’s Workforce (GROW) Act at a press conference at the Statehouse Monday morning.

“We talk a lot about workforce right here in this building at the Statehouse. But how can we actually put creative ideas and really good solutions on paper that actually will help with recruitment and retention?” Cross asked.

Cross said the No. 1 issue he hears about in his community is the need to grow the number of people choosing to live, work and raise a family in the state.

“This is an important and catalytic legislation,” Johnson said. “We are deeply grateful to have such a champion of not only higher education but also the future of this state. One of the things that I’ve learned … is the future of this country depends on innovation exactly in states like Ohio and in the Midwest.”

The GROW Act includes several provisions to help keep students in the state. Students who earn a degree from an Ohio higher education institution and continue to work in the state will pay no Ohio income tax for three years after graduation.

Johnson said increasing the number of Ohioans with a college degree would ultimately boost state revenue and reduce the need for social services.

Paid internships and co-ops would see support in the form of a refundable tax credit for 30% of an intern’s wages. Johnson’s recently announced Scarlet & Gray Advantage program calls for more paid work opportunities as one of the pillars of offering a debt-free bachelor’s degree at Ohio State within a decade.

“[The GROW Act is] going to advance the longstanding collaboration between our higher education institutions and the co-ops, internships and the opportunities for our students to get a leg up and a first step toward a thriving and productive career,” Johnson said.

The plan also offers more traditional funding for colleges and universities, including a merit-based scholarship program for high-performing out-of-state students who are studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics. State funding would expand Ohio College Opportunity Grants to students who return to a state college or university after completing their associate degree in the state.

Leaders in the business community said the need to grow the state’s educated workforce is critical to bringing news businesses to Ohio and to help the ones already here to thrive.

“The JobsOhio pipeline is full of businesses that want to move here, and we have a lot of great businesses that are operating here today with not enough people,” said Ohio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Stivers. “We need more people in Ohio. We’ve got to get them to move here, and [the GROW Act is] going to start by getting college students to move here from other states, and it’s not just any college students, it’s the best and brightest.”

The GROW Act was just introduced in the General Assembly but already has bipartisan support.

“Part of this is also putting Ohio front and center amongst all of our neighboring states, and around the country, that this is the best place to invest, the best place to live and work, and I stand by that 100%,” Cross said.

To offer a debt-free bachelor’s degree within a decade, The Ohio State University will raise $800 million for student scholarships; expand job and internship programs that allow students to gain experience while earning a paycheck; provide grant assistance; and extend coaching on financial education, leadership and work skills, President Kristina M. Johnson announced today in her investiture speech.

“At Ohio State, we are building a new pathway to the American dream that will empower students to take control of their financial future,” said Johnson. “Scarlet & Gray Advantage will enable thousands of future Buckeyes the opportunity to earn their degree debt-free.

“With this program, we will help Buckeyes launch their lives after college, whether that means starting a business, buying a home or investing in the success of their communities,” she said.

Students who join Scarlet & Gray Advantage will be active participants in achieving a debt-free degree through a joint commitment with the university. Ohio State will provide financial aid for low- and middle-income students, coupled with work opportunities and programs to help students develop financial literacy for their college years and beyond. Students will be expected to participate in financial literacy programs, take advantage of work opportunities and join a cohort of like-minded students focused on a debt-free education.

Ohio State is a public, land-grant institution with more than 53,000 undergraduate students, so Scarlet & Gray Advantage would be among the largest debt-free programs in higher education. When the program is finalized, entering new first-year students at all Ohio State campuses will have the opportunity to join Scarlet & Gray Advantage as they begin their college careers.

Affordability and student debt are issues of national interest. Across the country, 62% of college graduates in 2019 took out loans to complete their degrees. Today, student loan debt tops $1.5 trillion in the United States, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

At Ohio State, Scarlet & Gray Advantage will build on successful affordability initiatives that have reduced the number of students who borrow and amount of debt for the past few graduating classes. In 2020, less than half (47%) of bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with debt, and these borrowers held $27,133 on average.

The improving trend reflects existing programs that cover the cost of tuition and fees for Pell-eligible students; the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee, which promises that tuition, housing and dining costs will not increase for each entering class of in-state residents; and textbook affordability programs that have made free and low-cost learning materials widely available in many large courses.

Ohio State will bring Scarlet & Gray Advantage to scale over the next decade while taking immediate steps that include:

• Scholarships: To expand financial support for students, Ohio State will raise $800 million, including $500 million in endowments, over the next decade to expand undergraduate scholarships. To help kick off this campaign and enhance the impact of early gifts, the university and lead donors are creating a $50 million pool to match the first $50 million in private donations. Donors who contribute at least $100,000 to endowed funds while the match is available will see their gifts’ impact double in size.
• Work opportunities: Working with employers throughout the state and country, Ohio State will expand its network of paid job and internship opportunities so that students have more opportunities to earn money, develop job skills and prepare themselves for post-college careers. The university will build on a robust network of relationships, both on campus and with outside employers, to offer work opportunities in a variety of fields.
• Education and coaching: Scarlet & Gray Advantage students will participate in financial literacy programs, leadership and career counseling, and other programs to enhance their path to success.
• Pilot program: In Autumn 2022, the university will select 125 new first-year students to be part of a Scarlet & Gray Advantage pilot program that will hone strategies to optimize university services and identify opportunities to further streamline student support. Details about how the cohort will be selected will be determined next year as the incoming class takes shape.

“Scarlet & Gray Advantage will be distinctive in higher education by engaging students in securing their own financial destiny,” said Johnson. “By teaching our students to successfully manage their finances, we will be offering far more than a debt-free degree — we will be turbocharging the next generation of change-makers.”

Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa L. Gilliam noted that concerns about college debt can also discourage some high-school students from attending college, despite studies that show a college degree can add more than $1 million to an individual’s lifetime earnings.

“No one should be deterred from becoming a Buckeye because of their financial situation,” said Gilliam. “We are determined to attract talented students throughout Ohio, the nation and the world to Ohio State, and prepare them to solve problems, identify opportunities and uplift communities when they graduate. This program reflects the power of our land-grant mission.”

Ohio State will support Scarlet & Gray Advantage through fundraising, optimizing existing resources, collaborating with state and federal leaders to support student success, and engaging with the business community and other employers.

“Ohio State has a long history of creating programs to reduce student debt, making it one of the most academically excellent and affordable institutions in our state and the nation,” Johnson said. “With the help of our supporters, Scarlet & Gray Advantage will continue that tradition of innovation, inclusivity and generosity that make our university and Buckeye family unlike any other in the world.”

More information about the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program, including opportunities to contribute, is available at advantage.osu.edu.

Ohio State is among the 11 founding members of the UIA, a national consortium of public research universities working to improve student success. At its launch, UIA presidents set a goal to graduate an additional 68,000 students above their baseline projections over the course of 10 years, and committed to ensuring that half of those graduates would come from low-income backgrounds.

Six years in, the UIA schools have exceeded that goal by graduating an additional 73,573 students, increasing the number of graduates from low-income backgrounds by 36% and graduates of color by 73%. The institutions are now projected to graduate a total of 136,000 students by 2023. That would double the original goal launched at the White House College Opportunity Day of Action in 2014.

Since the launch of the UIA, Ohio State has graduated an additional 11,096 students above the university’s baseline projections – including increasing the number of low-income graduates by 33% and graduates of color by 70%.

“Ohio State is dedicated to ensuring that all students, especially low-income students and students of color, have the resources and support they need to succeed and ultimately graduate,” said President Kristina M. Johnson. “We remain committed, in the next decade, to becoming the first university to offer a zero-debt bachelor’s degree at scale.” 

As part of UIA’s next phase of work, campuses will focus on eliminating disparities in educational outcomes based on race and ethnicity, income, generational status, gender and geography. UIA members remain committed to producing more graduates, collaborating on innovation, sharing data transparently and practicing fiscal discipline.

“The Ohio State University and its leadership have been a critical partner in our efforts to advance an ambitious agenda on the behalf of students,” said UIA Executive Director Bridget Burns. “The campus should be very proud of its progress to date, but we all know there’s more work to be done and we look forward to this next phase of collaboration and innovation.”

Since its founding, the alliance has worked to test, iterate and scale proven student success initiatives across its network. To date, its work has included the scaling of predictive analytics, proactive advising, completion grants, a student success chatbot and new career services practices across the member institutions.

The alliance will continue to report progress toward its defined goals and share the lessons learned from its work. Most recently, the alliance released its Completion Grant Playbook, based on its pilot to provide small grants with a total value of $3.6 million to help nearly 5,000 students complete their degree or remain enrolled in a university.

The university spent tens of millions of dollars since March 2020 to combat COVID-19 on campus and faces revenue losses caused by the pandemic in areas including net tuition and fee revenue, auxiliary revenues and athletics. Yet, long-term, Ohio State is poised to rebound, university officials noted in an interim financial report covering July 1, 2020, to March 31, 2020.

The long-term picture is anchored by an increase of nearly $1.4 billion of investment income for Ohio State compared to the previous fiscal year.

The university plans to resume its Annual Merit Compensation Process for faculty and staff, in which eligible employees can receive an increase of up to 2% of their base salary.

The board also heard and approved proposed Tuition Guarantee rates for incoming first-year students. The university plans to increase tuition and fees for incoming Ohio freshmen by 3.8%, a $418 annual change from last year’s rate. This rate will be frozen for four years for these students – representing the sixth straight class of Ohio students to graduate with no tuition and fee increases.

Ohio State will remain the second most affordable for resident undergraduates among selective admission public universities in Ohio and at the median for in-state tuition and fees among public Big Ten schools.

University leadership also shared more plans on reactivating campus in the fall, centered on reinvigorating campus life because of the success of the COVID-19 vaccines. At least 75% of classes will be in person, and class size will be tiered, with classrooms with fewer than 50 students allowing full capacity.

Additionally, residence halls will revert to a more traditional setup, with visitors permitted, increased engagement and an estimated capacity of 15,200 students across campuses, up from 12,600 last academic year. Dining options will also expand, with more than double the amount of capacity for in-facility dining.

“Our plans are on track for a more-normal, in-person semester,” Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson told trustees on Thursday.

The board also took the following actions:

Provost McPheron honored
The board issued an expression of appreciation to Provost Bruce A. McPheron, who will be ending his term as provost and returning to the faculty in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The board noted McPheron’s contributions as an alumnus, scholar, former dean and provost, where he launched groundbreaking initiatives including the Buckeye Opportunity Program, Teaching Support Program and the Digital Flagship initiative. McPheron has served as provost since December 2015.

Professional services and construction contracts approved
The board authorized the university to enter into and increase professional service and construction contracts for the following projects:

• Campbell Hall renovation
  The project will replace the existing building systems, roof and windows, and will make building envelope improvements eliminating up to $18.5 million in deferred maintenance. Additionally, the renovation of interior spaces (115,000 square feet) will enable the College of Education and Human Ecology’s longtime goal of centralizing teaching, research and administrative functions along Neil Avenue. Trustees approved professional services contracts totaling $4 million, to be paid with state funds.
• College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Wooster: Fisher Auditorium renovation
  The project will renovate under-utilized space around the existing auditorium to create a combination of new teaching and outreach functions, a combined campus library and co-located student service functions, creating a new academic, social and cultural hub on campus and addressing $8.1 million in deferred maintenance. Trustees approved professional services contracts totaling $1.2 million, to be paid with state funds.
• Newark: Founders Hall enhancements
  The project will renovate 70,000 square feet of interior classroom and lab spaces that have been relocated to the new Alford Center for Science and Technology. This will allow the campus to meet the demand for growing enrollment and expand academic offerings and address $13.8 million in deferred maintenance. Trustees approved professional services contracts totaling $2.4 million, to be paid with state funds.
• Wexner Medical Center loading dock expansion and renovation
  The project will renovate 28,000 square feet of the existing dock area and add 6,000 square feet; the expanded dock will support the continued growth of the Wexner Medical Center. Trustees approved an increase to professional services totaling $1.3 million, to be paid with auxiliary funds. The total project budget is $16.9 million.
• Energy Advancement and Innovation Center
  The project builds a 66,154-square-foot facility to serve as a cornerstone of the public/private partnership with Ohio State Energy Partners. It includes dedicated lab space, collaborative learning and gathering space and small focused workspace, plus a 210-seat seminar room and a 96-seat café that will serve the Innovation and Research buildings. Trustees approved an increase in professional services and construction contracts totaling $10.4 million, to be paid with university and partner funds. This includes a plan to add a fourth floor of 13,609 square feet, which includes additional lab/research space, testing pod and smaller innovation spaces. The total project budget is $47.1 million.
• Newton Hall renovation and new nursing building
  The project will build approximately 35,000 new square feet to the south of Newton Hall including flexible classrooms, informal learning spaces and offices, and renovate existing space including a new facade, relocation of existing entryway and plaza, and an updated corridor and wellness space. The project will accommodate student and faculty growth and enable the relocation of College of Nursing groups back to Newton from off-campus leased space. Trustees approved an increase of $5.1 million, to be paid with fundraising, university funds and state funds, for a total budget of $30.7 million. The increase will renovate 12,300 square feet of multiple areas on the first floor of Newton Hall and include other updates.

Property transactions approved
Trustees approved the following deals:

• The sale of about 1.44 acres near West Dublin Granville Road, north of the Don Scott Airport. The land is vacant and will be sold to Dave Fox Remodeling Inc., whose office property is adjacent. Ohio State acquired the land in 1968 and the agreed-upon selling price is $500,000.
• The purchase of 149,000 square feet consisting of 3.42 acres of vacated streets and alleys described as 11th Avenue between Neil Avenue and North High Street, together with interconnecting public alleys located between 9th and 11th Avenues, from the City of Columbus. The acquisition will support the goals of creating a walkable campus core by moving traffic from 12th Avenue to 11th Avenue and enable future redevelopment of the block between 10th and 11th Avenues. With the recent purchase of the 75 W. 11th Ave. parcel, the university owns all property on both sides of 11th Avenue. This is necessary to gain ownership of the entire block to execute a project that eliminates parking meters and enables two-way bus and vehicular traffic on 11th Avenue. No purchase price disclosed.
• The purchase of 0.373 acres of land at Hughes Street between Hawthorne Avenue and Phale D. Hale Drive for $20,310 from the City of Columbus. This acquisition supports the university’s plan for redevelopment of land west of Hospital East.
• The leasing of 9.38 acres of property at 420 E. 19th Ave. to Metro Early College High School, which includes a two-story, 95,000-square-foot building formerly known as Indianola Middle School that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The university acquired the property in 2018 from Columbus Public Schools for $2.35 million. In lieu of rent, Metro will acquire necessary funding to renovate the building for educational use and is contingent upon Metro entering into a funding agreement with Battelle and receiving an award for additional funding from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
• A perpetual sewer easement of 2.301 acres located along Olentangy River Road to the City of Columbus to support the city’s Lower Olentangy Tunnel project. The city has compensated the university for the project at $575,138.
• Joint use agreements with the following:
  • Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, a nonprofit, for $50,000 that the university was allocated in the 2020-21 state capital bill for use by the nonprofit. In exchange, Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio will use the funds for the construction and renewal of a new facility in Columbus, which the university can use in a variety of ways.
  • Knox County Regional Airport Authority, a government entity, for $900,000 that the university was allocated in the 2020-21 state capital bill for use by the airport. In exchange, Knox County Regional Airport will use the funds for construction of the Knox County Regional Airport Aviation Center, which the university can use for aviation-oriented programs and activities.
  • Ohio Hills Health Services, a nonprofit, for $100,000 that the university was allocated in the 2020-21 state capital bill for use by the nonprofit. In exchange, Ohio Hills Health Services will utilize the funds for construction and capital equipment to outfit the new Monroe Family Health Center in Woodsfield, Ohio, which the university can use to expand its partnerships and activities in Monroe County.
  • PAST Foundation, a nonprofit, for $300,000 that the university was allocated in the 2020-21 state capital bill for use by the nonprofit. In exchange, PAST Foundation will use the funds for construction of a new digital innovation lab in the PAST facility located at 1003 Kinnear Road in Columbus, which the university can use in a variety of ways.

Awarding of Joseph Sullivant Medal
Every five years, the board approves the awarding of the Joseph Sullivant Medal to serve as a memorial to the services of Sullivant, who was a member of the first Board of Trustees and contributed significantly in determining the character and future of Ohio State. The board and president approved the award for N. Geoffrey Parker, Distinguished University Professor and Andreas Dorpalen Professor of European History.

Board of Trustees interim member approved; terms end for Shah, Krueger
The board approved the temporary appointment of Carly G. Sobol to serve on the committees on which Anand Shah currently sits. The governor-appointed terms for Shah and Cheryl L. Krueger ended May 13, 2021, and they’ll continue to serve until their successors are appointed or 60 days has elapsed – whichever is first. Sobol will replace Shah at that time, and his successor will take Sobol’s place when appointed.

Honda, Ohio State partnership recognized
The board formalized Ohio State and Honda’s partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding. Over the past two decades, two of the state’s brightest institutions have collaborated to build a better and brighter future, including partnering on 235 research projects in just the last five years.

New master’s degree in College of Medicine established
The board approved a Master of Science degree in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis in the College of Medicine, which will provide graduates with a foundational knowledge of health-related human immunology and microbial pathogenesis.

University Faculty rules, hospital bylaws amended
The board approved amendments to the University Faculty rules to clarify existing non-mandatory review procedures for both probationary and tenured faculty and establish consistent probationary contracts for clinical/teaching/practice faculty, and set a maximum contract of eight years for clinical/teaching/practice professors.

The board also approved Bylaws of the Medical Staff of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and the Bylaws of the Medical Staff of University Hospitals.

Honorary degrees approved
The board approved the awarding of the honorary doctor of science degree to Ellen Ochoa; the awarding of the honorary doctor of public service degree to Joyce Beatty; and the awarding of the honorary doctor of business administration degree to Jamie Dimon, each of whom was honored at spring 2021 commencement.

Faculty personnel actions approved
The board approved the following personnel appointments and reappointments:

• Jeffrey J. Chalmers has been named professor and Helen C. Kurtz Chair in Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025.
• Laura Dugan has been named professor and holder of the Ralph Mershon Designated Professorship of Human Security in the College of Arts and Sciences, effective Aug. 15, 2021, through Aug. 14, 2026.
• Todd Gannon has been named professor and holder of the Robert S. Livesey Professorship in Architecture in the College of Engineering, effective March 1, 2018, through May 31, 2021.
• Pierre Giglio has been named associate professor-clinical and Esther Dardinger Endowed Chair in Neuro-Oncology in the College of Medicine, effective June 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Maria B. Ignatieva has been named professor and holder of the Martha W. Farmer Endowed Professorship in Theatre at Ohio State University, Lima, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023.
• Dana Renga has been named divisional dean, arts and humanities, in the College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026.

Reappointments

• William E. Carson III has been reappointed professor and John B. and Jane T. McCoy Chair in Cancer Research in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• John W. Christman has been reappointed professor and holder of the John A. Prior Professorship in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2023.
• Steven K. Clinton has been reappointed professor and Robert A. and Martha O. Schoenlaub Cancer Research Chair in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Datta V. Gaitonde has been reappointed professor and The John Glenn Endowed Chair for Technology and Space Exploration and Ohio Research Scholar in Advanced Propulsion Systems Integration in the College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Patrick L. Green has been reappointed professor and Robert H. Rainier Endowed Chair in Industrial Veterinary Medicine and Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine, effective Jan. 1, 2021, through June 20, 2023.
• Wael N. Jarjour has been reappointed professor-clinical and Martha Morehouse Chair in Arthritis and Immunology Research in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Sorabh Khandelwal has been reappointed professor and holder of the Samuel J. Kiehl III MD Professorship in Emergency Medicine in the College of Medicine, effective April 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Susan L. Koletar has been reappointed professor-clinical and holder of the Franke E. and Mary W. Pomerene Professorship in the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Peter E. Larsen has been reappointed professor and holder of the Dr. Larry J. Peterson Endowed Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the College of Dentistry, effective Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2023.
• Alan Michaels has been reappointed professor and Edwin M. Cooperman Chair in Law in the Moritz College of Law, effective Jan. 31, 2021, through Jan. 31, 2026.
• W. Jerry Mysiw has been reappointed professor and Dr. Ernest W. Johnson Chair in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
• Anil V. Parwani has been reappointed professor-clinical and Donald A. Senhauser, MD, Chair in Pathology in the College of Medicine, effective Dec. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Kamal S. Pohar has been reappointed associate professor and Julius Skestos and Diana Skestos Chair in Urology in the College of Medicine, effective Dec. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Matthew D. Ringel has been reappointed professor and Ralph W. Kurtz Chair in Hormonology in the College of Medicine, effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Orlando P. Simonetti has been reappointed professor and holder of the John W. Wolfe Professorship in Cardiovascular Research in the College of Medicine, effective Oct. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025.
• Marcia M. Worley has been reappointed professor-clinical and holder of the Merrell Dow Professorship in Pharmaceutical Administration in the College of Pharmacy, effective Jan. 31, 2020, through June 30, 2023.

Director of athletics’ contract extended
Gene Smith, Ohio State’s senior vice president and Wolfe Foundation Endowed Athletics Director, agreed to a contract extension that runs from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2026. Smith has run the department since 2005.

Executive compensation philosophy, strategy approved
The board approved a new Executive Compensation Philosophy and Strategy to replace the Total Compensation and Philosophy for University Executives and the Procedure for Setting and Reviewing Compensation for University Executives.

Interim capital investment plan for fiscal year 2022 approved
The board approved the interim capital investment plan that allows the university to begin or continue capital projects from July 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2021; the university has not yet finalized its operating budget for the fiscal year.

Utility system interim capital improvements approved
The board approved the Ohio State Energy Partners fiscal year 2022 interim capital improvements plan and authorization to make capital improvements for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021; the university has not yet finalized its operating budget for the fiscal year.

Revocation of emeritus status for two professors
The board approved the revocation of emeritus status for Dr. Samson Jacob and Bradley Peterson, in the College of Medicine and College of Arts and Sciences, respectively. University policy says faculty members’ emeritus status can be revoked if they have engaged in serious, dishonorable conduct or caused harm to the university’s reputation.

Interim operating budget for fiscal year 2022 approved
The board approved the interim operating budget for fiscal year 2022, allowing the university to continue to advance its academic and financial goals from July 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2021, prior to the operating budget’s finalization and adoption.

Waiver of tuition for certain students approved
The board approved a waiver of tuition for Ohio State students who enroll in university-approved third-party provider or direct enrollment study abroad programs for fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023. Since fiscal year 2015, the university has requested and received a tuition waiver for approved provider programs from the Board of Trustees and the Ohio Department of Higher Education so that students avoid two tuition payments during study abroad.

Amendments to university’s investment policy approved
The board approved amendments to the policy to govern the management of the university’s investment portfolios to better align it with policy best practices and Ohio State’s current investment management strategy. A complete update to the policy last occurred in 2013, with revisions in 2014 and 2016.

University Foundation Report approved
The board approved the report as of March 31, 2021, which includes the establishment of two endowed chairs; seven endowed professorships; one designated professorship; two endowed professorship funds; one endowed fellowship; one endowed scholarship; 28 additional named endowed funds and the revision of 15 named endowed funds.

Committee charters approved
The board approved the revised charter for the Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee, the Audit, Finance and Investment Committee, and the Master Planning and Facilities Committee.

The board also approved the charter for the new Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnership Committee and the new Legal, Risk and Compliance Committee.

Klingbeil reappointed as charter trustee
The board approved the reappointment of James D. Klingbeil as charter trustee of the Board of Trustees for a third three-year term from May 14, 2021, through May 13, 2024.

Establishment of the Farm Financial Management and Policy Institute
The board approved the establishment of the Farm Financial Management and Policy Institute, to be housed in University Extension, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, to serve as a unified center for the integration, translation and communication of critical farm financial management and policy issues affecting Ohioans.

Retirement plan amendments confirmed
The board approved changes to the Ohio State retirement plan that expands eligibility for participants and documents amendments made in response to federal COVID-19 legislation. These are the third amendments made to the plans since 2016.

Benchmarks for the Long-Term Investment Pool and university operating funds approved
The board approved new and modified benchmarks to evaluate the investment performance of the Long-Term Investment Pool and removal of the Sharpe ratio benchmark for the pool that had been used to evaluate the risk-adjusted investment performance of the pool.

Authorization for designated officials to buy, sell, assign and transfer securities approved
The board approved a request for designated officials to buy, sell, assign and transfer securities; to deposit or withdraw funds from bank and investment accounts held in the name of Ohio State; to designate depositories; and to execute treasury- and insurance-related agreements. This annual resolution is required by the institutions with which the university does business, and there are no changes from last year’s resolution.

Authorization to establish quasi-endowment fund
The board approved the establishment of the Entrepreneurial and Technology Commercialization Initiatives Endowment Fund, a quasi-endowment fund to provide a permanent source of funding for operations that support the university’s entrepreneurial and technology commercialization initiatives, with an establishment amount of $1 million.

Amended and updated charter for the internal audit department approved
The board approved the amended and updated charter for the internal audit department to ensure comprehensive oversight of the department and the university's operations through the adoption of best practices.

Reappointments to the Self-Insurance Board approved
The board approved the reappointment of six members of the board that oversees the University Self-Insurance Program. The terms end for the members on June 30, 2023. The members are:

• Dr. Arick Forrest
• Reed Fraley
• James Gilmour
• Michael Leach
• Cynthia Powell
• Dr. Andrew Thomas

Center for Slavic and East European Studies, Fisher College of Business department renamed
The board approved the renaming of the Center for Slavic and East European Studies to the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, as the center’s research and teaching mission has expanded to include Central Asia and Eurasia more broadly.

The board also approved the renaming of the Department of Management Sciences in the Fisher College of Business to the Department of Operations and Business Analytics, as the focus of the department has shifted substantially to operations management.

Naming of public university spaces
The board approved the naming of the following university spaces:

• The Prior Family Rotunda in the Jerome Schottenstein Center, in recognition of significant contributions from Kevin and Raegan Prior to the Department of Athletics and the Athletics District.
• In the John and Mary Alford Center for Science and Technology, on the Ohio State Newark campus, the following internal spaces were named in recognition of support from the organizations that contributed to the center’s construction:
  • Ariel Corporation General Chemistry Suite (300, 308, 310, 320)
  • Ariel Corporation Research Corridor (X309C)
  • Gilbert Reese Family Foundation Atrium (X102L)
  • Raymond H. and Beryl Dean Penick Organic Chemistry Suite (305)
  • LeFevre Foundation Biology Suite (265, 275, 285)
  • Newark Campus Development Fund Anatomy Suite (270, 280)
  • Park National Bank and Associates Concourse (X206C)
  • Melissa Warner Bow Earth Sciences Suite (205)
  • Licking Memorial Health Systems Simulation Center (110)
• The Allinson Family Classroom (202) in Parks Hall, in support of the significant contributions to the College of Pharmacy by Russel and Amy Allinson.
• The Clifton J. Latiolais Library (202a) in Parks Hall, in honor of the significant legacy left by Clifton J. Latiolais.
• The Richard C. Hannon ’50 Teaching Laboratory (0152) in the Mars G. Fontana Laboratories, to recognize the continued partnership with Richard C. Hannon Jr. and his contributions to the College of Engineering.
• In the new WOSU Public Media Headquarters at the corner of East 14th Avenue and Pearl Alley, the following internal spaces were named in recognition of support from donors that contributed to the center’s construction:
  • Linda Larrimer and Hugh Westwater Call Screen Room (222)
  • Bill and Mae McCorkle Foundation Master Edit Suite (313)
• The Applewood Village Community Center at the Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Wooster campus, a renaming of the housing administration building to align with the future vision of the campus.
• The renaming of Founders Hall to Louella Hodges Reese Hall on the Ohio State Newark campus, which honors the commitments and service from the Reese family, led by Louella and J. Gilbert, in the founding and support of the Newark campus.

Complete Ohio State supports students who return to the university to fulfill their degree requirements after spending time away, providing information and making connections to academic advising and other resources. The program also provides financial assistance for students who meet certain eligibility requirements. 

“We started by trying to determine why students who step out particularly close to graduation are doing so, and could we support them, to bring them back and complete the degree?” said Complete Ohio State Program Manager Kris Wethington. 

The program is open to first-time degree-seeking students who meet several eligibility requirements, including not currently being enrolled at Ohio State, having a 2.0 GPA or higher and being no more than 30 credit hours away from degree completion.

“We want to make sure we’re equipping students with the resources and supports they need to re-enroll and succeed,” says Beth Hume, vice provost for Student Academic Success. “Complete Ohio State is an important step in that direction.”

Wethington said the students aided by the program are often aware they are close to completion but family responsibilities, health issues or financial commitments get in the way.

“These students know they’re close but there are other life factors going on that just makes school not their top priority right now,” she said.

Aspen Bauman, a food business management major, fit the profile. Bauman left Ohio State short of finishing his degree. He said working too many hours impacted his study habits and he failed a class. Bauman is not sure he would have finished at Ohio State.

“I probably would have been gone longer had they not contacted me and said, ‘Hey, we have a way for you to come back,’” he said.

Bauman qualified for financial assistance, which allowed him to make work more manageable. He expects to graduate at the end of the semester.

“[Complete Ohio State] definitely helped me get back. I don’t have to work as many hours, and I have time to study and focus on class,” he said. “I still have to work a little bit, but it’s not crazy.”

In addition to some financial support, the program provides case management to help students through the re-enrollment process and reconnects students to appropriate academic advising – advisers who understand what the students are trying to accomplish and the challenges they face.

Wethington said it’s important for a university as large as Ohio State to show students they can find the help they need to finish.

“I think it helps the university show its commitment to helping students to see it all the way through,” she said. “For these students, who maybe need a little bit more of a connection or feel like we are important to them, I want them to know that they are important and that their goals are important. Completing that degree can have a huge impact on what they’re able to do in the future.”

Students interested in learning more about the program can fill out this form or email osas-tag@osu.edu. 

Johnson started her tenure during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, following a summer of protests against racial injustice and through a contentious political campaign season. While highlighting the challenging times, she also pointed toward a more optimistic future.

“The Ohio State University was created to spread opportunity more widely,” she said. “And if ever there were a time that required a mission like that, it is our own. Where on the one hand, we are struggling to recover from a pandemic that underscored painful and increasing inequalities, and on the other, we are being offered so much that is so promising, by new technologies and all the lessons we have learned about using them during this pandemic. And if ever there were a university with the power to seize this moment, it is Ohio State.”

Investing in excellent faculty is one of Johnson’s top priorities. She said the university’s next provost will be charged with the urgent mission to hire a minimum of 350 net new tenure-track faculty – 150 of whom will come from a new initiative called RAISE: race, inclusion and social equity.

At least 50 of the RAISE faculty will be scientists, artists and scholars whose work addresses social equity and racial disparities in fields such as health care, education, justice and public safety. The RAISE initiative will also include a goal of hiring at least 100 underrepresented and Black, Indigenous and people of color hires in all fields of scholarship.

Johnson said it’s critical for students to see faculty who represent them.

“I want every single Ohio State student to be able to look across the lecture hall or seminar table and understand immediately that their dreams are valid and achievable,” she said.

The faculty hiring plan also includes adding 150 scholars in high-demand fields where student-faculty ratios exceed university peers, such as the Fisher College of Business, and recruiting at least 50 faculty in emerging fields of leading-edge research. The goal is to cap class sizes at 50 students per class in those high-demand fields.

Johnson also announced a $750 million investment in researchers and research over the next decade. Part of that will be dedicated to the Presidential Research Excellence Fund supporting two types of projects: innovative proposals by faculty and initiatives in fields of emergent and convergent research that support national scientific, medical and engineering priorities.

The goal, she said, is for Ohio State to lead in research fields like next-generation computing and communications and artificial intelligence – developing “killer apps” in health care, education and the arts and humanities – as well as the life sciences. Johnson wants the university to build on existing expertise in infectious diseases and vaccines, advancing the development of living therapeutics – such as engineered microbes that can diagnose diseases and produce drugs in the human body to fight infections and tumors.

A part of that commitment to research includes a just-announced, $100 million strategic partnership with JobsOhio and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to spur innovation and economic growth. The university has committed to increasing sponsored research in biomedical sciences and engineering by 50% and growing STEM programs that produce 22,500 graduates over the next 15 years.

Johnson wants students to play a role in innovation. The university is launching a student startup accelerator, creating an annual competition for students to be selected as Buckeye entrepreneurs and awarded $50,000 to work on their new ventures for a year. The Buckeye Entrepreneur Awards Program will also introduce them to potential investors and partners.

These discoveries will take place in new facilities that represent strategic expansion of the university’s physical infrastructure. Johnson highlighted the 270-acre Ohio State Innovation District on West Campus, the $1.8 billion Wexner Medical Center inpatient hospital and the newly opened 60,000-square-foot, $33.5 million Wooster campus science building.

Focusing on a theme of building opportunities for all citizens, Johnson emphasized the need to help graduates manage the cost of an Ohio State education. In 2019-2020, 47% of Ohio State graduates carried an average of $27,000 in student debt. That debt can prevent students from continuing their education, buying a home or starting a business, and it’s a burden she wants to eliminate.

“Over the next decade, we are going to make sure our undergraduates leave Ohio State debt-free,” she said. “This is well within our reach, and we will lead the nation, as the first university to offer a zero-debt bachelor’s degree at scale.”

Johnson said the university is committed to aiding graduate and professional students with affordability measures, as well. Ohio State recently announced an increase in the minimum graduate student stipend by $4,000 per year, beginning in August 2021.

Ohio State can be the greatest land-grant university of the 21st century, she said, by fiercely committing to four kinds of excellence: in academics; research and creative expression; entrepreneurship and partnership; and service to Ohio, the United States and the world.

“We can take on the great challenges in our society – the great challenges in science – the great challenges in engineering, the arts, the humanities, the law and in every other field we encompass, and make a real difference,” she said. “We can converge across disciplines, colleges and industries around the most pressing and most interesting problems; become a force for equity, justice and the American dream; educate young leaders more than ready to take over for us in building a better world; and redefine what it means to be a great land-grant university in the 21st century, in service to the common good.”

The Digital Flagship Design Lab was conceived as a space for students to not only develop in-demand technical skills but also interpersonal skills through hands-on collaboration and networking opportunities. Students will work with industry professionals and have a chance to immerse themselves in workshops, consultations and conversations that prepare them to tackle challenges in their community while building skills that will serve them in their future careers.

“The Design Lab presents a really interesting twist on workforce development,” said Cory Tressler, director of learning programs and Digital Flagship. “This new space will be a place where this community-mindedness can merge with the strength of the business and intellectual power within the university and Columbus.”

The Design Lab is a natural outgrowth of work the Digital Flagship program has been doing to expand access to digital skills and coding education. The Mobile Design Lab, which began traveling the state in the spring of 2019, brings technology and interactive learning experiences to Ohio State campuses, local K-12 schools and community groups. The design lab space will operate alongside the mobile lab to offer new opportunities and extended partnerships with industry professionals.

“The Digital Flagship Design Lab is a space and environment that promotes continued learning, collaboration and growth over time,” said Tressler. “The physical space provides huge flexibility to offer new types of programming and connect our students with the immensely talented professionals both at Ohio State and in the greater Ohio community.”

Construction is slated to begin in the University Gateway District this year, with the space expected to open to the community in 2021.

“The space itself is going to be beautiful and I’m very excited for it to be in the University Gateway District,” said Tressler. “It will be wonderful to be located within this vibrant, flourishing area. We hope to see students, staff and community members coming together and working on ideas across a range of formats.”

Liv Gjestvang, associate vice president for learning technology, is excited about the new opportunities this space provides.

 “The COhatch and Ohio State Design Lab shared space will be located in the heart of south campus, and is an opportunity to build connections with the larger community,” said Gjestvang. “We are committed to workforce development and community partnerships, and this space is a wonderful way to align these goals, to connect university and high school students, entrepreneurs, and community members in shared learning and ideation. This is also a space where we will work to address equity and inclusion, targeting outreach to women and people of color, populations that are typically underrepresented in tech and coding communities.”

“I wish it did not end so soon. I was really looking forward to finishing the year off in school, not at home. The COVID-19 ruined the great times we could have.”

“I’m doing well, just a bit disappointed. Although I know that it’s necessary and I want everyone to be safe, there is a selfish part of me that grieves my senior year.”

Ohio seniors have put pen to paper to lament the loss of traditions, celebrations and the conclusions of the final months of their high school career. Their thoughts, often raw, angry and emotional, are now on display at a website built by The Ohio State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Dear Senior Year is a project created through the university’s Young Scholars Program. Program leaders asked members of the 2020 graduating class to write a letter to their senior year.

Cianna Agosto, a senior at McKinley Senior High School in Canton, was the author of one of the letters.

“I had a lot of stuff planned with my friends. I miss seeing people every day,” said Agosto, a Young Scholar since eighth grade. “And my teachers, I miss seeing them. I made really good connections with them. I think the thing I miss the most is the traditions that go in to the end of the year, and how much bonding and closure you get at the end of the year.”

Young Scholars program coordinator Lisa Gissendaner came up with the senior letter idea in April as she was checking in with the scholars she supports in the Canton area.

“I just wanted to know how they were feeling and if they could share their thoughts with me,” she said. “I immediately got a response back from one of my scholars, and she had written about two paragraphs and it just stunned me. I wasn’t really expecting a quick return like that but it really kind of made me sad.”

“I really do trust Ms. G, so I just laid it all out. I was very open with how I was feeling because I know I can trust her,” Agosto said. “I was really open to the idea and I don’t mind sharing. There’s nothing wrong with being disappointed about how things ended up.”

Gissendaner said students appreciated that someone was asking how they were feeling as stay-at-home orders kept them isolated from their friends and community. The writing project became cathartic for some of the students.

“It made perfect sense to have all the seniors write a letter to their senior year. But we did not anticipate that type of response,” said Chila Thomas, executive director of the Young Scholars Program. “But to read it and to see it in writing, personally, I can only get to get through two or three at a time and I’m crying because they’re so sentimental. You’re reading through a lot of loss.”

The openness and vulnerability in the students’ letters is the result of the close relationships built in the Young Scholars Program. The program serves academically talented first-generation college students from economically challenged backgrounds who live in nine of the largest urban school districts in Ohio.

“When you think about the Young Scholars, many of these students attend some of the most vulnerable school systems in the state of Ohio, and arguably in the United States. So there’s a lot of fragility that you find in their lives,” said Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer James L. Moore III. “What we’re trying to do and what we’ve always done is to be a bridge to help people work through these emotions, while remaining steadfast in their focus and matriculating to The Ohio State University.”

The writing project helps inform program leaders about the mindset of the students before they begin their college coursework. They know this abrupt end to such an important moment of these students’ lives will have a long-term impact.

“I think that this initiative helped our university pay attention to what’s going on with the students before they enroll at Ohio State,” Thomas said. “This is a brief insight, it’s small, but it’s enough, especially when you think about who the Young Scholars students are. They’re first generation. Many of the students come from modest homes. But I don’t think that they are the only ones who are having those sentiments.”

Gissendaner agreed: “For our scholars, just being able to contact them, as we’re doing on a weekly basis, provides a lot of encouragement and stability for them right now at this time.”

However, with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak resulting in lost jobs on campus and at area businesses, the food pantry is well stocked to help Ohio State students get groceries. In fact, the BFA has expanded its pantry hours to give students ample access to food and other goods.

“Getting past some of that stigma is more important than ever,” said Debo, the BFA president and a neuroscience major set to graduate in May.

“We’ve always tried to make it a very welcoming place — nobody’s going to judge you. Especially now, these are unprecedented times. It’s one of the best times for students to come and visit, even if you’re just looking to supplement your daily nutrition list.”

The food pantry ­— open solely at its 150 Lincoln Tower location for the time being — is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. If those hours don’t accommodate schedules, students can email Student Life’s Buckeye Food Alliance Coordinator Nick Fowler (fowler.318@osu.edu) to schedule a visit any day of the week, including weekends.

BFA extended its hours after seeing a spike in visitors — 72 — the week of the expanded spring break, March 16 through 20, when it was open only two days. In the first two days of the expanded hours, March 23 and 24, the food pantry saw 39 visitors.

Some of the procedural changes include switching to one location, at Lincoln Tower, where the university’s staff can ensure the facility is thoroughly cleaned. The BFA staff is also making pre-packaged grocery bags, including vegan, gluten free, no-dietary restriction and religious-friendly bags, to limit touching of grocery items.

Fowler is also doing the shopping and packaging for students as they arrive with a shopping list to help maintain social distancing and decrease handling of items.

“We really want students to feel comfortable coming in,” Fowler said.

Any student, undergrad or graduate, with a BuckID can visit the pantry, which started in 2016 after a report showed 15% of Ohio State’s undergraduate students, about 7,000, had low food security. BFA started as a student organization but is now part of the Student Life Student Wellness Center.

“The growth of (BFA) has skyrocketed,” said Michaela Martin, the assistant director for the Student Life Student Wellness Center and former adviser to BFA. “Now is a good time for more students to realize the food pantry is here for them.

“Students are transitioning to online learning, figuring out their next job, doing job interviews, graduating and so many things are all up in the air. We’re trying to alleviate a burden. We have food for you, we can help you. This is the time more than ever to utilize the food pantry.”

While BFA is having more visitors, it is also seeing more who want to donate, according to Fowler, who said his inbox is blowing up with people asking how they can help.

“People’s lives have been disrupted but they’re pausing and asking, ‘What about the students?’” Fowler said. “Grocery stores are empty, but people are still taking time to pull from their reserves to make sure our students have food. It’s very humbling to see how much people care about our students. It’s made me grateful to be doing the work I do knowing how important it is to our students and the community.”

If you are interested in donating to BFA’s pantry, money is a good option because it allows the organization flexibility to quickly get items it lacks. To make a monetary donation, visit the Student Food Pantry Fund.

To donate food or goods, email Fowler to coordinate a drop-off or pick up. The organization’s needs vary from day to day, but typically it runs low on spices along with personal care items such as soaps and shampoos, diapers, feminine hygiene products and toiletries. For the moment, BFA is asking anyone interested in volunteering to check in once the COVID-19 threats have passed.

The American Talent Initiative’s most recent impact report shows that between 2015-16 and 2017-18, institutions with graduation rates of 70% or higher, including Ohio State, added 20,696 students who qualify for Pell grants. While the initiative measures the collective progress of all high-graduation-rate institutions, those colleges and universities that have joined the initiative as members have contributed disproportionately to this increase.

Ohio State is a founding member of the American Talent Initiative, which launched in 2016.

“We know that while talent is distributed equally across backgrounds and ZIP codes, opportunity is not,” said President Michael V. Drake. “It is vital for all of us in higher education to continue to work together to increase access to an affordable, excellent education.”

The report notes that Ohio State increased its Pell enrollment by 386 students since 2015-16, largely through strategic finance and fundraising for need-based aid. Drake announced in his State of the University Address that Ohio State has committed $200 million in additional need-based aid for students and families since 2015 — twice the goal set five years ago.

Some of the programs helping to advance access, affordability and excellence include:

• The Buckeye Opportunity Program, which covers the full cost of tuition and fees for Pell-eligible students from Ohio.
• The President’s Affordability Grant program, which benefits about 15,000 low- and moderate-income students annually.
• Land Grant Opportunity Scholarships, which have been expanded to cover the total cost of attendance for up to 176 Ohio students annually.
• The Ohio State Tuition Guarantee, which freezes in-state tuition, mandatory fees, room and board for four years.

The American Talent Initiative is in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Aspen Institute and Ithaka S+R. It has grown from 30 founding member institutions in 2016 to 128 at the end of 2019. Member colleges and universities represent schools of all sizes, missions and locations across the U.S.

According to the report, data for the 2018-19 school year are not yet publicly available for all high-graduation-rate colleges and universities, and data collected from member institutions indicate that continued progress toward the goal is not guaranteed. While the majority of member schools increased Pell enrollment between 2017-18 and 2018-19, others saw declines. Overall, Pell enrollment at member schools stayed virtually the same over the last year.

Initiative leaders are optimistic that members will intensify their commitment. “We believe the results over the first three years of the initiative provide evidence that the initiative is having its intended effect,” the report states. “They also show that we need to keep our foot on the gas.”

Additionally, the report noted that institutions sustaining or making the most progress have taken a comprehensive approach: having a visible, concrete commitment to this mission and strategy among senior leaders and trustees; expanding beyond traditional pipelines of incoming students; prioritizing need-based financial aid; and making sure lower-income students have what they need to thrive on campus in an inclusive environment.

According to the report: “Ohio State has also set goals to increase enrollment and retention of students just above the Pell-eligibility threshold, and is exploring strategies on how to achieve these goals. The President’s Affordability Grant program provides differentiated levels of grant support for students, depending on whether they are low-income or middle-income.”

More information on Ohio State programs and initiatives is available here.

Drake’s career in higher education spans four decades, including the last 15 as a university president or chancellor. He said the timing is right for Ohio State and his family.

“Ohio State is a very special place. Brenda and I are blessed to be part of the incredible Buckeye community,” said Drake, 69. “The work being done at this university through teaching, learning, research, creative expression, community engagement and leading-edge partnerships is unprecedented in our 150-year history.

“Ohio State has enjoyed record successes in several of our most important strategic markers and has tremendous momentum. It was important to Brenda and me that the university be accelerating on a path forward as we decided to begin the transition.”

Board of Trustees Chairman Gary R. Heminger agreed, saying: “The university has never been stronger, and there couldn’t be a better time to position a new leader for success.”

Under Drake’s leadership, the university has seen all-time highs in several important areas, including: applications, the academic preparedness and diversity of five consecutive incoming classes to the Columbus campus, retention rates, research expenditures and industry-sponsored research, graduation rates, total number of graduates, patient care and support from donors. Ohio State’s performance in these categories is the best in the university’s history and among the strongest in the nation.

The university will launch a national search for its next president, and trustee Lewis Von Thaer will serve as chair of the search committee.

Drake said he has always envisioned that the university would begin a search while he still served as president in order to provide continuity in leadership. The trustees are aligned with that position as well. Drake will lead the university through at least the end of the academic year.

Drake will remain on the Ohio State faculty. Teaching and learning represent pillar one of Ohio State’s strategic plan, launched under Drake’s leadership in August 2017. The University Institute for Teaching and Learning, created to further advance teaching at Ohio State and improve the student experience, is unique nationally for implementing a research-based survey instrument on effective practices across the institution.

Another area of intense focus has been increasing access to an affordable and excellent Ohio State education.

Under Drake, Ohio State implemented its first comprehensive tuition freeze for in-state students in 40 years. The university also launched the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee, which locks in-state tuition, mandatory fees, housing and dining for each incoming class of undergraduate students. The university has committed more than $150 million in additional need-based aid since 2015, exceeding its goal to reach $100 million by 2020 and benefiting tens of thousands of Buckeyes. Fewer students are graduating with debt, and those with debt have less of it.

This additional aid has funded several programs designed to make college more affordable for students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds. The Buckeye Opportunity Program, for example, provides full tuition and mandatory fee coverage to thousands of Ohio Pell students in Columbus and at all of the university’s regional locations. The inclusion of regional campuses in the program is notable in higher education for a school of Ohio State’s size.

“We have always said that while talent is distributed across zip codes, opportunity is not,” Drake said. “It is critical that we balance access, affordability and excellence for all.”

Funding for these programs has been aided by the innovative revenue generation and administrative efficiencies programs launched at Drake’s presidential investiture in 2015. The goal was to reach $200 million in revenue generation and an additional $200 million in efficiencies by 2020. The university has far surpassed its efficiencies goal and its revenue generation goal with the Comprehensive Energy Management Project, the first of its kind nationally.

The partnership will improve energy efficiency on the Columbus campus by 25% in the next several years. It represents the largest single investment in the university’s academic mission and includes an energy advancement and innovation center — part of a planned West Campus innovation district and the university’s long-term planning vision for the physical campus, Framework 2.0.

The university’s medical enterprise, including the Wexner Medical Center and health sciences colleges, has set high marks for patient care, safety and satisfaction as well as research funding to drive breakthrough health care solutions. 

Drake has helped to elevate Ohio State’s national role in higher education with an unprecedented sequence of leadership positions. He served as chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Universities from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, he became the first Ohio State president in nearly four decades to serve as chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the oldest higher education association in North America. And in 2019, Drake was elected chair of the Board of Governors of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Drake played a central role in the establishment of the American Talent Initiative, a partnership with the Aspen Institute, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Ithaka S+R to increase the enrollment and graduation of middle- and lower-income students at the nation’s top colleges and universities. He was part of a three-person organizing committee that recruited the initiative’s 30 founding member schools. The number of participating institutions has grown to 128 in less than three years.

Since 2015, the university has had a 19% increase in new first-year Pell students. This is part of the American Talent Initiative’s goal to increase by 50,000 the enrollment of Pell students at member institutions nationally by 2025.

Ohio State is also a founding member of the University Innovation Alliance, composed of 11 public research institutions working to make degrees more accessible to lower-income and first-generation students. Drake serves on the executive board.

Last month, the university announced Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign, which strives to engage 1 million supporters, an unprecedented level in higher education. This follows several record donor totals during Drake’s tenure. Since the start of fiscal year 2015, Ohio State has raised nearly $2.8 billion.

“Our goal when we came to Columbus was to see The Ohio State University rise in impact and influence among the nation’s leading research universities, to significantly improve student and faculty success and recognition, and to contribute further to our community in a way that makes us the exemplars of the 21st-century land-grant university,” Drake said. “It is great to see that happening.”

The university’s Board of Trustees voted in May to approve the bachelor of science in engineering technology with a concentration in manufacturing. In partnership with the College of Engineering, the degree will be offered beginning in autumn 2020 on the Lima, Mansfield and Marion campuses, and tentatively is set to begin on the Newark campus in autumn 2023.

The degree program is designed to produce highly skilled college graduates with broad training in manufacturing engineering technology who are prepared for plant management roles. A resurgence of manufacturing, Ohio’s largest economic sector, has increased demand for college graduates with this combination of skills. Additional concentrations within the major may be added later.

“The collaborative effort to build this program is a perfect example of living one aspect of our land-grant mission, to fuel Ohio’s leading industries like manufacturing with skilled, career-ready talent,” said College of Engineering Dean David Williams.

Engineering faculty conducted extensive research of the Ohio manufacturing industry, visiting plants and seeking engineers’ input as they designed project-based coursework emphasizing hands-on skills and technological know-how in mechanical and electrical processes, industrial robotics, and project and change management.

The Ohio Manufacturing Institute (OMI) at Ohio State also engaged industry focus groups across the state and analyzed federal data to determine the characteristics needed to become an engineering technologist in today’s manufacturing environment, said OMI Executive Director Kathryn Kelley.

“Our conversations with manufacturers and the Ohio Manufacturers Association gravitated to a consensus,” she said. “They want and need these graduates.”

The degree program will expose students to a variety of engineering technology fields and provide training in systems-based thinking and problem solving, proficiency in professional communication and business terminology, and continuous improvement.

This addition to the regional campus curriculum reflects Ohio State’s commitment to educate Ohio citizens and support community needs, said W. Randy Smith, vice provost for academic programs.

“The faculty and academic leaders who developed the plan for this new undergraduate major did a great job of addressing the needs of our students and Ohio’s workforce,” Smith said. “This innovative educational opportunity will prepare students to be leaders of industry and provide businesses with the talent they need to thrive. This program shows how Ohio State is continually focused on serving students and the state economy.”

Bella Natole graduated from Bellevue High School. She will begin classes as a first-year student at Ohio State in August. Her interest in the university was a family affair.

“My sister is four years older than me. When I was a freshman in high school, she was a freshman in college and she went to Ohio State. So that was kind of my first time seeing Ohio State, and I just fell in love with it,” she said.

Natole said the decision to switch from a school with a student body of about 600 students to one with about 60,000 was not a difficult one.

“I think I expected myself to be intimidated, but when I got there, it just felt more comfortable than anything,” she said of Ohio State. “It was more exciting than intimidating, which was really cool because when you come from a small town, you expect to be a little nervous about those things.”

Financial aid also contributed to her decision. Natole is the recipient of a Land Grant Opportunity Scholarship. Two students from each county in Ohio are eligible for the award each year and the scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition and fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Natole found out she received the scholarship while she was applying for other grants and scholarships.

“I was actually filling out some other scholarship forms at the time, stressing over how many I had to do, and so I got on to my financial aid [site] and I looked at it. I probably read it a thousand times,” she said. “It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I was just so excited when I got accepted into Ohio State but [the scholarship] was just incredible.”

Natole comes to Ohio State with the goal of becoming an optometrist. For Derek Michaelis, the engineering program is the draw.

The Bowling Green native attended Otsego High School. Like Natole, he’ll start his career at Ohio State in August. Michaelis represents Wood County as a Land Grant Opportunity Scholar.

He said the financial aid made a difference in his decision to come to Ohio State. He had been considering another Big Ten school.

“[They] didn’t give me anything in scholarships,” he said, so making a choice after receiving a full ride from Ohio State “wasn’t hard at that point.”

Natole and Michaelis are among the 42,000 Buckeye families to benefit from the university’s expanded financial aid programs. Since 2015, the university has devoted more than $150 million to increase support for low- and moderate-income Ohioans.

Michaelis is an Eagle Scout and a member of his local 4-H club and county Junior Fair Board. He said the scholarship support will help him continue his passion for volunteer work.

“It will give me a lot more time to focus on my academics but also I will be volunteering in other activities as I find them,” he said.

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees voted today to increase tuition and fees for incoming Ohio freshmen by 3.3%, which equates to a $358 change from last year’s rate.

The new rate will then be frozen for four years for these students, who are the third class to join the university under the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee. The university will also increase aid packages by $358 so that students with high financial need are unaffected by the change.

The tuition guarantee provides students with predictability about college costs by locking in-state tuition, mandatory fees, housing and dining for each incoming class of undergraduate students from Ohio. The past two entering classes are part of the guarantee, so their costs will be unchanged from their first year at Ohio State.

“We speak often of affordability, access and excellence, and we think all the time about making the university experience affordable for the citizens of Ohio,” President Michael V. Drake said. “The value comes from the quality of the education that we provide and the quality of the opportunities that we provide, and affordability and access are important to make sure that that great value is available to our students.”

The university has also continued to freeze tuition for Ohio students who arrived prior to the guarantee program at a rate that has been frozen since 2012-13. This will be the fifth straight graduating class that never experienced an in-state tuition increase.

Ohio State has placed a strategic emphasis on access, affordability and excellence. Since 2015, the university has devoted more than $150 million to increase support for low- and moderate-income Ohioans. Through the end of the coming academic year, an estimated 42,000 Buckeye families will have benefited from three new or expanded financial aid programs:

• The Buckeye Opportunity Program, which ensures that financial aid covers the cost of tuition and mandatory fees for Ohio students who qualify for federal Pell Grants.
• President’s Affordability Grants, which support more than 15,000 students annually at all Ohio State campuses.
• Land Grant Opportunity Scholarships, which have been expanded to cover the full cost of attendance and doubled to 176 scholarships each year.

Ohio State is also expanding its CarmenBooks program, which provides digital textbooks to students at a deeply discounted rate — often 80% less expensive than traditional texts. A year-long pilot that is continuing through autumn semester is expected to save students more than $1 million.

More than 13,000 incoming students — including first-year students at all Ohio State campuses — will also receive iPad learning technology suites this year through the university’s Digital Flagship initiative, a collaboration with Apple. More than 11,000 undergraduates received iPads last year, bringing the second-year total for this student success initiative to more than 24,000 devices.

The university’s tuition and fees proposals for 2019-20 reflect the current language in the biennial state budget, which is being finalized by the Ohio General Assembly. If approved by the board, Ohio State’s in-state tuition and fees would remain at the median for public Big Ten schools.

In Columbus, in-state tuition and fees would total $11,084 per year through 2022-23 for incoming first-year students. Including the most common housing and dining plans, the total rate for these students would be $23,792.

At regional campuses, in-state tuition and fees for incoming students would be set at $7,912 for the Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark campuses and $7,874 at the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. Most regional campus students do not live on campus.

For Ohio students on the Columbus campus who arrived prior to the guarantee program, in-state tuition and fees total $10,037.

Additional tuition and fee proposals include:

• The non-resident surcharge would increase 4.8% for undergraduates.
• Housing and dining rates would increase by 2.2% for incoming students and remain frozen for those in the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee. The most popular plans on the Columbus campus would cost $12,708, compared with $12,434 for students who entered last year.
• Student health insurance, which covers the cost of third-party health coverage, would increase 2%. Most U.S. students utilize private insurance instead of obtaining coverage through the university.