OHIO Match Program provides students access to excellence
In 2013, Ohio University dedicated $25 million to enhance the University’s endowed scholarship program through the OHIO Match, a program that aims to lower the cost of tuition for future Bobcats.
Since then, dozens of students across the University have received scholarships made possible by generous donors whose gifts were matched $0.50 on the dollar by the OHIO Match Program funds.
“We often hear that students have to choose a school where it economically makes the most sense,” Assistant Vice President of Advancement Communications and Chief of Staff Jennifer Bowie said. “We are able to offer scholarship awards that really make a difference so they can choose OHIO.”
Jacob McGinty works on-campus in the Division of Student Affairs’ Outdoor Pursuits.
The program’s flexibility has made it popular among donors and allows the University to recruit the brightest students with fewer barriers. Scholarships from the program must be University-wide or college-wide and designated for undergraduate students on the Athens Campus.
Jacob McGinty, BSRS ’18, received the Jessica Woodruff Memorial Scholarship, an award for students enrolled in the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education. McGinty is the current student manager for Outdoor Pursuits, OHIO’s adventure recreation department in the Division of Student Affairs.
“I’ve used the money to help pay my tuition,” said McGinty, who will graduate in December. “The scholarship and others I received provided me the opportunity to not pay out of pocket, which was great.”
After graduating from OHIO in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in specialized studies, Jessica Woodruff unexpectedly passed away in 2011. To honor her passion for teaching and helping others, her father, Tom Woodruff, established the scholarship.
Maxwell Posner, BBA ’19, received the Harold F. White Scholarship in Business and said the financial help is key to increasing access to higher education.
Maxwell Posner received the Harold F. White Scholarship in Business this year.
“I think it’s important to have these scholarships because they are what give a lot of students the opportunity to go to college,” Posner said. “With the rising cost of tuition across the country, every little bit that is given out goes a long way.”
Following graduation, Posner said he plans to either attend graduate school to earn his MBA or look for a job in the technology sector.
McGinty and Posner received just two of 57 distinct awards that were established or enhanced by the OHIO Match Program across all nine OHIO colleges during the 2017-18 school year.
“OHIO may be a student’s first-choice school, but they might have to pick someplace else if they don’t have the scholarship support,” Bowie said. “It’s rewarding to see more students be able to choose OHIO just like the program was designed to do.”
Visit the University Advancement website to make a donation or to receive additional scholarship eligibility criteria. Donors may specify the college of the scholarship recipient or choose to make the donation University-wide.