Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
GREEN Today, Green City Councilman Stephen Dyer announced he has drafted Ohios first city-
sponsored, up to four-year scholarship program for first-generation college students living in the city.
The ordinance will receive first reading tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9, during Green City Council.
Dyer will present about the scholarship tomorrow at 5 p.m. during Finance Committee, where he serves
as Vice Chairman. All Green City Council and Committee meetings stream live at:
http://www.cityofgreen.org/meeting-minutes
I look forward to working with Mayor Neugebauer and my colleagues on City Council to get this done
for our community. Earning a college education is more important now than ever to compete in the 21st
Century economy. Ive seen its importance first hand, said Dyer, who is the Education Policy Fellow at
Innovation Ohio and teaches freshman Composition at the University of Akron. The most at-risk group
of students to either not go to college, or not finish college, are first generation students. It is my hope
that, at least in Green, this scholarship program would ensure that as many first-generation students as
possible start and complete college.
The program The Great Reaches Educational Achievement Together (GREAT) Scholarship would
provide $2,500 scholarships for Green High School graduates who have at least a 2.5 GPA and live in
Green. In addition, they would receive the $2,500 each year they are in college, whether a 2-year or 4-
year institution, if they maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher and remain continuously enrolled in college.
The current and previous mayors and councils prudent fiscal management have left us with the
opportunity to do this for our residents without breaking the bank, Dyer said. Our community is truly
blessed to have had that leadership.
The $2,500 would cover a significant portion of the annual tuition at Stark State. And over the four
years, the GREAT Scholarship would equal a little more than a year of tuition at Kent State University
or the University of Akron.
This scholarship is a really innovative idea, said Chad Aldis, Vice President for Ohio Policy and
Advocacy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute a center-right, think tank in Dayton and Columbus. As
a first-generation college student myself, this would have been incredibly helpful. Green is fortunate to
be in the position to do something so transformative for its kids and community.
Green is one of the few Ohio communities that runs significant, annual budget surpluses a fact that
allows the program to be paid for without additional taxes. Dyer has budgeted $100,000 initially, with a
potential $300,000-$400,000 funding level once its fully implemented.
This will give wonderful opportunities to our students, said Green Local Schools Superintendent
Jeffrey Miller. We have many students who could do wonderful things in college, but the costs just
swamp them under. This would be a great help and a wonderful selling point for the community. A real
feather in its cap.
-30-
According to a recent article in the journal Science, failing to go to college will cost students $500,000
over their lifetimes. But the benefits are more than simple economics. Among other things, attaining a
college degree means:
But first generation students struggle to see those benefits. Barely 1/3 of first-generation college
students go to college directly out of high school. They tend to have to work more during school and end
up not finishing at much higher rates. In fact, first-generation students are: