Ohio University is eliminating 30 student jobs in the Program to Aid Career Exploration (PACE) next year as the endowment that created the program has taken a hit.
This year, 330 positions in the program were funded by a $500,000 university budget in addition to an alumni endowment, but with decreasing endowment returns OU is cutting 30 jobs, said Sondra Williams, director of Financial Aid.
Employees in the program can work up to ten hours a week, but their earnings for the year cannot exceed $2,100.
PACE was founded more than 20 years ago by an anonymous donor as an outlet for students to learn more about their future career choices by working within the university and in academic research.
It's a great resume builder since we match students with jobs according to their major
Williams said.
While the requirements of a 2.3 GPA, at least 30 hours of completed coursework and demonstrated financial need will remain the same, an increase in the number of applicants for next year is expected.
A rise in the number of applicants would not surprise me. In my experience more people in financial need and filling out the FAFSA lead to more applications for these types of jobs Williams said.
As of the end of February, FAFSA applications were up 4 percent from last year, with 12,107 applications compared to 11,643.
Proposals for possible PACE positions are submitted by OU employees every year and reviewed by a 16-member committee. They are evaluated according to how professionally beneficial an experience would be provided, how well the supervisor could mentor the student and if the position is structured for nine to 12 months.
The decision to fund 30 fewer proposals was made in February. The deadline for applications is April 24th.
Krista Bradley, a senior studying journalism, said she felt slightly worried about her job status for next year when she learned of the cuts, especially since the program has been instrumental in helping her determine her career path.
This is my second year in PACE and I feel incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. Working in the Scripps College of Communication last year and doing event planning now with the Alumni Association has opened my eyes to a whole new type of career
she said.
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Emily Willis
