Ohio Northern University’s T.J. Smull College of Engineering has received a $748,839 grant from the National Science Foundation to assist academically successful students who are financially challenged.
Beginning in Fall 2023, the S-STEM grant, the first NSF S-STEM award for ONU, will support 15 scholars. Students who are accepted into the program will receive a $7,750 scholarship renewable for four years. Five first-year students per year will be selected annually for three years, for a total of 15 scholars.
Along with the much-needed financial assistance, scholars will benefit from mentorship, research opportunities with faculty, other educational programming such as a guest speaker series, and specialized learning that focuses on helping them succeed in college.
“We’re grateful to the National Science Foundation for its substantial support of our program. We’re eager to provide the additional resources to students who more than deserve them and who will benefit tremendously from them,” said College of Engineering Dean John-David Yoder, Ph.D.
ONU President Melissa J. Baumann, who was a first-generation college student, said she knows the difference that extra help, in any form, can make when it comes to pursuing a degree. “Let’s face it, getting through college is an exhilarating and demanding effort. That’s why this NSF grant is huge for us, and an even bigger win for our 15 future Scholars. It represents a federal-level endorsement of ONU’s mission to assist and empower students, especially those who have less to start with but who have what it takes to advance in ways they have yet to even envision.”
The university explains that it will work to better address the gap in retention and graduation rates exhibited by students who have less support–financially and culturally from a higher-education standpoint–than their peers. Not only do some students have less money to fund their education, but have less knowledge and support when it comes to university learning and life. Essential elements inherent to the undergraduate experience, such as scheduling classes, determining the best ways to study for exams, effectively managing stress and incorporating fun activities for a balanced life can be daunting.
ONU has already been attracting these students to its engineering programs, but when compared with the general student body, their graduation rates are significantly lower, according to Larry Funke, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Dr. Carl D. Clay and H. Jane Clay Department of Mechanical Engineering.
“How do we do these students justice? How can we identify their strengths and use those to move them forward? How do we teach them to support themselves and each other, and to improve their study skills? If we can provide them with additional resources…, then maybe we can level the playing field,” says Funke, who is spearheading the Scholars program along with College of Engineering Dean John-David Yoder, Ph.D.; Stephany Coffman-Wolph, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science; and Seyed Ardakani, Ph.D., assistant professor of civil engineering.
Dedicated student cohorts will be used to provide a more concentrated level of peer-support and cohesion to bolster student confidence and skills. The program will provide opportunities such as guest speakers, workshops and research projects.
“The NSF is looking for sure bets and determined ONU is one of those,” Funke says, “in part because of the compassionate academic relationships that faculty cultivate with students.”
“The vast majority of our time, we (faculty) are in our offices with the doors open. When a student walks by, whether it’s office hours or not, we welcome them and want to talk to them. It’s that sort of accessibility and care for our students that matters. We already have that track record of success. I think continuing that and having the opportunity to have a more intentional mentoring cohort will really drive that home for our future scholars,” he notes.
