Valley is part of Buckeye Nation

By Michael V. DRAKE

The Vindicator

Visiting Northeastern Ohio as part of the university’s state tour highlighted the deep and varied connections we share.

It was wonderful to meet so many Ohioans working to make their communities better places to live, work and learn – from Lexington’s Next Generation Films, a key employer in Richland County that is partnering with our Mansfield campus to expand engineering education opportunities, to Hattie’s Gardens in Akron, which is helping to advance food security in Summit County.

I toured the National First Ladies’ Library in Canton with alumni and elected officials, visited the campus of Ohio State’s Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, and even joined Ohio State’s mascot to throw out a first pitch at a Mahoning Valley Scrappers game.

Few topics, however, resonated as strongly with students, families and community leaders as college affordability. We know that a college degree is the clearest path to the American Dream – and those opportunities must be open to all.

That is why we are dedicating $400 million to lowering the cost and improving the value of an Ohio State education, including $100 million in affordability grants for students. This year, approximately 15,700 students will benefit from this grant program, with more than 4,000 from northeast Ohio.

We are also looking at innovative ways to shorten the path to graduation, further lowering costs while improving value. These efforts include a data-driven examination of academic advising as well as a new teaching and learning institute to study and establish best practices. Beyond that, Ohio State has frozen in-state, undergraduate tuition each of the last four years.

Greater access

Along with balancing the affordability and excellence of an Ohio State education, we are focused on creating greater access for those who are the first in their families to attend college. Ohio State’s Young Scholars Program, for example, engages academically talented students with financial need in Ohio’s nine largest urban public school districts – including Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Lorain and Youngstown – by providing professional development and social support as early as middle school.

During the tour, I joined students and alumni of the Young Scholars Program, Ohio State Chief Diversity Officer and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Sharon L. Davies, Youngstown Early College Dean Monica Jones, Youngstown City Schools CEO Krish Mohip and others at an affordability forum.

A highlight of the Youngstown event was the story told by Young Scholars alumnus Cametreus Clardy. He spoke about graduating from East High School, my mother’s alma mater, unsure of how he would perform in college despite his stellar academic record. Happily, in May, he earned an Ohio State degree along with nearly 1,400 fellow first-generation alumni. This fall, he will head to graduate school at Vanderbilt University to study special education.

We need even more stories like Cametreus’ – and we are working hard to create them.

Buckeye Nation stretches across the globe, but it’s comforting to know that we need only look in our own backyards to see the incredible work being done by our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

Being an active partner in Ohio’s communities is inherent in our land-grant mission, and connecting with you on our state tour only reaffirms an old adage: It’s good to be a Buckeye.

O-H!

Dr. Michael V. Drake is president of The Ohio State University.