Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series looking at the present state of scholarships at Ohio University.
Reaching for the stars has always been Keith Hawkins’ passion: Whether he is observing new planets or studying for his next exam, work ethic has never been a problem for the Canton, Ohio, native.
But Hawkins, an African-American senior studying astrophysics, needed some down-to-earth help to make his dreams a reality, and after being selected for the Templeton Scholars Program, he decided to come to Ohio University.
Hawkins is one of hundreds of students from underrepresented groups to receive a full-ride or partial scholarship to cover the increasing costs of attending OU.
“The Templeton has offset the cost of coming to OU, and in many ways, it has made it very affordable for me,” Hawkins said. “(It has) allowed me to focus on things that I really need. … It has really helped me grow as a person.”
Hawkins is one of 36 Templeton Scholars at OU, a program that covers tuition, room and board, and also includes a book stipend. During the 2011–12 school year, OU paid out $726,191 for the scholarships, according to data from the Office of Student Financial Aid.
“Ohio University is committed to the enrichment provided by a diverse educational experience, and one of the ways we do so is by offering these scholarships,” said Craig Cornell, vice provost for Enrollment Management.
OU’s Office of Student Financial Aid and the Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention also offers the King-Chavez-Parks Scholarship Program, worth $9,000 per student per year, which had 226 recipients in 2011–12, totaling $1,792,840 in aid, and the Ohio University Incentive Award Program, worth $6,000, with 271 recipients during the same year, totaling $1,269,980, according to the Financial Aid office data.
All three scholarships have been specifically created to make OU more accessible to students from disproportionately represented populations, according to OMSAR’s website.
Two other scholarship programs — Urban Scholars and Appalachian Scholars — were started by OU President Roderick McDavis shortly after he became president in 2004 to increase student diversity, pledging 10 scholarships per program per year.
Today, less money from OU’s development office to support the scholarships has led to only one student scholarship per year for the Urban and Appalachian scholars programs, respectively, said Cecil Walters, OMSAR director.
“There was enough money originally to have more than one per year, but based upon the economy and how the stocks fluctuated during the recession, we’ve had to reduce it to keep the programs solvent,” Walters said.
There are currently eight Urban Scholars at OU, an award that pays $14,000 a year with a $600 book stipend, and three Appalachian Scholars, an award that pays $10,000 along with the same book stipend, Walters said.
In a recent attempt to revive these scholarships, OU received money for one new scholarship and is close to getting money for a second.
The Rankin Scholarship Program, a full-ride scholarship similar to the Templeton scholarship but for Native American students, has been endowed by Harry Rankin, a 1947 alumnus of OU, with a gift of $500,000, Walters said.
He added that OMSAR will start recruiting one or two students for the award starting next fall.
The Carthen Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship, worth $500 a year, is still in development and will be accessible in the near future, Walters said.
For Hawkins, whose life was changed by a minority scholarship, the programs are working and need to grow.
“I think the goal behind all of the scholarships is to attract a more diverse crowd of people,” Hawkins said. “And I think it’s definitely doing the job.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
