Over 300 students received 20-21 funds via Scholarship Committee efforts

A total of 338 Cincinnati State students were awarded more than $516,400 in scholarship funding for the 2020-2021 academic year, as a result of work accomplished between May and August by the College-wide Scholarship Committee.

The Scholarship Committee includes faculty members appointed by the Faculty Senate as well as representatives of the Financial Aid Office and the Institutional Advancement Office.

• The totals above do not include Honors Program scholarships and several other internal scholarships with special eligibility criteria.
   
• About $100,000 in funding was distributed to students with scholarships that were automatically renewable if the students met certain qualifications.

Scholarship Committee Chair Jessi Loomis, a Biology faculty member, said the scholarship selection process that typically would have started in mid-March was delayed until mid-May of 2020.

• The entire review and selection process was carried out via remote meetings of Scholarship Committee members.
   
• Also, the application and award period was extended to early August to ensure that students facing hardships because of the pandemic were able to be considered.

“By extending the timeline for the scholarship award process, I know we were able to help some students return to campus for Fall,” Jessi said.

“Several scholarship applications specifically referred to hardships resulting from COVID-19 disruptions to school, work, or home life.”

Over 550 students submitted applications for scholarship funds.

“The acceptance rate for students who were offered scholarships was over 98%,” Jessi noted.

“Considering how much uncertainty our students have dealt with for the past several months, it’s great to know so many are able to use the scholarship funds the College can provide.”

Chief of Advancement Elliott Ruther, who is also the Executive Director of the Cincinnati State Foundation, said, “On behalf of the Foundation, I want to thank the Scholarship Committee members and Chair Loomis for tremendous work in these extraordinary times to help so many deserving students.”

Elliott added, “Thanks also go to all of the faculty and staff members who encourage students to apply and who contribute to the funding sources. Your generosity is inspirational.”

Jessi said six campus teams reviewed student applications and selected the scholarship award recipients.

“To make sure the remote process was successful, team leads for scholarship selection made extra efforts to prepare,” Jessi said.

“Most of the teams that reviewed scholarship applications met for extended hours to ensure that donor criteria were met while best serving our students,” Jessi added.