YSU Awarded $1.6M to Expand Choose Ohio First Scholarships

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University has received $1.6 million to expand its Choose Ohio First scholarship program.

About $1 million of that will be awarded to new YSU Student Success in STEMM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine] Careers program, which is expected to have 125 students over the next five years.

The scholarships, ranging from $3,000 to $3,200, will be awarded to students studying advanced, additive and digital manufacturing; computer engineering/technology; STEMM integrated education; the YSU-BaccMed Consortium; undergraduate nursing; or actuarial science and financial mathematics.

The new Student Success in STEMM Careers program also including an annual Summer Bridge math program for local high school students; intensive recruitment of students, especially from underrepresented populations; faculty and professionally mentored student research teams; wrap-around academic oversight and tutor support; internships, co-ops and research experience, as well as other professional work experience.

“Building on this tradition, the new Student Success in STEMM Careers program moves into the future by mining established relationships with Mahoning Valley high school districts, regional industrial and health care partners, and northeast Ohio academic collaborators to extend current YSU-COF networks for recruitment, enhanced and mentored research experiences, and work-based learning and career opportunities,” said Stephen Rodabaugh, director of YSU’s Choose Ohio First program, in a statement.

Created in 2008, the program is funded by grants from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. 

Applications for both the Summer Bridge and on-campus scholarship programs can be found at the Choose Ohio First web page. For the Summer Bridge, eligibility includes at least a 2.5 high school GPA and successful completion of Algebra II. Eligibility for the on-campus scholarship includes Ohio residency, together with pre-calculus placement, plus additional mathematics placement as needed by an applicant’s intended major.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.