Lakeland Community College, Lake Erie College secure more than $2.5M in grants –

Two regional colleges have benefited from state grants totaling more than $2.5 million in continued efforts to bring new opportunities to a variety of academic disciplines.

Lakeland Community College was recently awarded $574,000 from the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program to provide funding for students in several health technologies areas of study.

While officials noted the college’s initial request was for $504,000, the ODHE extended an invitation to increase the award by 14 percent to bring the total to $574,000.

In accepting the supplemental funding, Lakeland agreed to match the award dollar-for-dollar through private philanthropic support facilitated by the Lakeland Foundation. The support, along with the award, brings the total amount of scholarship opportunities to nearly $1.2 million.

“We are grateful that the ODHE not only granted our full request for funding but added an additional $70,000 to our request,” said Lakeland President Morris W. Beverage Jr. “These grant dollars, along with a match, will go a long way to help more (health technology) students succeed and graduate.”

The award letter also commended Lakeland’s commitment to increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) graduates in Ohio, the school confirmed.

According to the department, Ohio faces a shortage of health care workers, and the scholarships are designed to graduate additional health care providers in high-demand occupations.

Lakeland’s degree programs eligible for the scholarships include nursing, biotechnology, occupation and physical therapist assistant, respiratory therapist, medical laboratory technology, histotechnology, radiologic technology, and health information management technology.

“The Lakeland Foundation is excited to participate in this initiative with the state to collectively provide more than $1 million in scholarships to health technologies students over the next five years,” said Executive Director Greg Sanders, who also serves as vice president for institutional advancement.

“We could not have done this without the support of our generous community of donors, and we thank them for their continued monetary backing and confidence not only in Lakeland’s academic programming but also in the Lakeland Foundation’s stewardship of funding.”

New students beginning their first semester of any of the designated programs will be eligible to apply for the scholarships, officials noted.

Students interested in starting Lakeland in the summer or fall 2022 terms can apply now at lakelandcc.edu/apply.

For more specific information on how to apply for the scholarship awards, visit lakelandcc.edu/web/about/cof-scholarships.

Registration is open for the fall 2022 semester, which begins Aug. 27.

Contact Jessica Salas Novak at [email protected] for additional information.

Lake Erie College

The ODHE also announced that Lake Erie College has been awarded a Choose Ohio First grant totaling $1.5 million to support underrepresented students in the critical fields of STEM, including women and students of color.

The school is receiving its first-ever Choose Ohio First award as part of its effort to “recruit talented students and retain them as employees in Ohio….”

Lake Erie College received the maximum grant possible under the program.

Choose Ohio First began in 2008 as a way to increase the number of Ohio residents completing STEM majors at Ohio’s public and private colleges and universities, “engines for workforce vitality in the state….that advances the economic growth of each region in the state.”

In addition, designated Choose Ohio First programs are “integrated with regional economies, meeting statewide educational needs, facilitating the completion of baccalaureate degrees in cost-effective manners….”

Lake Erie’s Johnathan Tedesco, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said the program will be a positive contributor to making STEM careers accessible, diverse, and desirable in Northeast Ohio.

“Choose Ohio First continues to grow because of schools like Lake Erie College that see the benefits of preparing students who stay in Ohio to continue their education for success in promising STEM careers,” added ODHE Chancellor Randy Gardner.

The funds will be used solely to fund scholarships over the next five years as well. In addition to receiving scholarships, students enrolling in the program will be eligible for reserved seats in various medical programs.

“We are fundamentally committed to minimizing the financial burden on our Choose Ohio First scholars,” Tedesco said. “I never want to see a student bypass such opportunities as a result of financial barriers.”

Lake Erie President Brian Posler added, “It is an exciting day for Lake Erie College. I am so incredibly proud of the faculty members who have worked so hard to make this possible, and I am grateful to Ohio’s Department of Education for allowing us the opportunity to further attract qualified STEM students to the college.”

With the new grant, Lake Erie plans to continue to build on current STEM programs including, biology, chemistry and environmental sciences.

In addition, scholars will participate in journal clubs and conduct study support teams, in addition to mentoring and career coaching, officials noted.

For more information about the Choose Ohio First program at Lake Erie College, contact Jonathan Tedesco at [email protected].