BW earns nearly $1.4 million Choose Ohio First grant for STEMM majors

The Ohio Department of Education's Choose Ohio First (COF) program has awarded Baldwin Wallace University nearly $1.4 million in new grant funding for students enrolling in STEMM majors. BW's share of the new round of COF funding for new students is second only to Kent State University and surpasses funding for much larger Ohio universities.

"The level of funding provided to BW in this and the previous round of funding reflects the tremendous success of the program to date and the promise of continued access and affordability for future BW STEMM Scholars," said Dr. Jim McCargar, associate dean of BW's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing.

Funds cover two grant areas

The 2021 BW COF grant titled "Affordable, Accessible, Career-ready STEMM Education at an Emerging Regional Comprehensive University" will provide $1,129,700 over five years to recruit and support students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) majors.

The grant will also award $248,750 for a four-year program to support students who enrolled with funds received as part of BW's 2016 COF grant. That grant has supported transfer students from regionally accredited community colleges studying in STEMM fields and first-year public health majors completing BW's Primary Healthcare Advancement program, an exclusive pre-med track for aspiring primary care physicians that offers opportunities for early acceptance to medical school.

Grants that keep on giving

In addition to the new COF grants, BW is embarking on the second year of a five-year 2019 COF grant for computer science-related majors. Thirteen incoming students for fall 2021 will receive a total of $51,975 in renewable grant funding.

The BW STEM Scholars Program will award funds to incoming first-year students and transfer students from regionally accredited community colleges through BW's A2BW Program. For more information about BW's Choose Ohio First grants, qualifying majors and contact information, visit bw.edu/academics/stem.

High-tech environments maximize student learning

The goal of the Choose Ohio First program is "to significantly strengthen Ohio's competitiveness within STEM disciplines and STEM education."

In support of that goal, BW offers cutting-edge learning environments in the new Austin E. Knowlton Center, which opened in January.

The 55,000-square-foot facility includes high-tech labs for fields such as engineering fabrication, robotics, user experience and data visualization, as well as tech-enabled classrooms and team workspaces.

Designed with input from industry leaders, the center will also host collaborations with regional business partners as they work together with students to solve unscripted problems and increase technology skills in Ohio's highly sought-after STEMM talent pool.

BW is also currently transforming a health sciences building at 201 Front St. into a state-of-the-art home for BW's thriving nursing and physician assistant (PA) programs. The $2.8 million redevelopment of the 25,000-square-foot building will provide tech-enhanced classrooms and spacious clinical labs where students will practice simulated patient care, along with lounge, study, conference and briefing room spaces. The facility is slated for a fall opening.