Two UC Proposals Awarded New Funding Through the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program

Two projects led by the University of Cincinnati are among a total of nine proposals awarded funding by the State of Ohio in the second round of the Choose Ohio First Scholarship program. The awards were announced by Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut on June 26. The new program is the state’s model for attracting, retaining and graduating students into the high-demand disciplines of science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) as well as STEM education to prepare future leaders in the fields.

In round two of funding, UC led institutions competing for awards across the state and was awarded $4.268 million in the Choose Ohio First Scholarship program for a proposal involving UC’s College of Engineering and McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), along with Sinclair Community College and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. The proposal aims to diversify the field of engineering by awarding scholarships to an estimated 250 students, targeting first-generation college students, minorities, women and economically disadvantaged students. The program would build strengths through UC’s cooperative education experience, summer bridge program and structured support for freshmen and sophomores as well as mentoring and undergraduate research opportunities. The University of Cincinnati’s Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program for Diversifying Yield and Retention in Engineering, Mathematics and Science aims to increase by 20 percent the number of freshmen entering math and science disciplines in A&S, with targeted increases in the percentages of women and underrepresented minorities in both engineering and A&S STEM disciplines. The proposal states that the project strives to transform the lives of underrepresented students by “tearing down the academic and social barriers to challenging jobs in an increasingly global market.”

In a separate proposal awarded $822,000 and announced on June 26, the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), A&S and College of Engineering will join Cincinnati State, Cincinnati Public Schools, Mayerson Academy, Oak Hills Schools and the Strive partnership to attract 90 students into a new inquiry-based, integrated science and math curriculum for preparing pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers. The five-year program will award scholarships to pre-service teachers, special educators and graduate students in math and science education in both undergraduate and graduate programs. The program targets pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers, providing the tools to build interest and passion in the math and science disciplines before children reach middle school. The proposal also emphasizes an effort to diversify the teaching profession by recruiting students of color, first-generation college students and other underrepresented students. The proposal is part of a larger university initiative to create seamless pathways from kindergarten, to college, to graduate school and to successful STEM careers. In addition, the new redesign of Taft Elementary into a STEM-themed school and the establishment of a STEM high school at Hughes Center will make both of those CPS schools the sites for the placement of teacher interns in the program.

In the first round of awards in March, UC was awarded more than $3 million to partner with more than 500 Ohio businesses to attract and graduate 215 new STEM students over the next four years, blending classroom study with co-op in creating an interdisciplinary pathway for STEM professionals.

“Through this program, the state is placing a high priority on educating more Ohioans in the critical STEM fields,” says UC Senior Vice President and Provost Anthony J. Perzigian. “Through our three awards, UC has successfully addressed the whole pipeline from pre-K through graduate school. More students will now be able to enroll in UC’s strong undergraduate and graduate programs, and go on to productive careers in areas vital to economic development and global competition,” says Perzigian.

OBR News Release

Details of UC’s award in the first round of the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program