Ohio private college presidents ask to get rid of proposed changes to Governor's Merit Scholarship
Ohio private college presidents slammed proposed requirements for participating in the Governor's Merit Scholarship that were added to the House's version of the two-year operating budget during testimony in the Senate Higher Education Committee.
The committee had four hearings on the budget, which Senate lawmakers are currently working on. The Ohio House passed the budget last month and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine must sign the budget by June 30.
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Todd Jones, president and general counsel of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO), spoke out against provisions the Ohio House added to the budget regarding new requirements for private colleges if they want to continue to participate in the Governor's Merit Scholarship, which gives the top 5% of each high school graduating class a $5,000 scholarship each year to go to an Ohio college or university.
Under the new changes made in the House, private colleges would also have to accept the top 10% of Ohio's graduating class and comply with parts of Senate Bill 1 — Ohio's new higher education law that bans diversity and inclusion efforts and regulates classroom discussion, among other things.
'I want to be clear that our concerns are not about DEI and SB 1,' Jones said. 'Our concerns are about the very nature of our institutions and what it means to be a private, nonprofit institution. … When the state dictates our missions, board structures, curriculum, hiring practices, workloads, and public engagement, the autonomy that defines nonprofit institutions disappears.'
Tiffin University President Lillian Schumacher said the S.B. 1 mandates would increase operational costs without improving educational outcomes.
'For many institutions, these new burdens could lead to closures, reduced financial aid, higher tuition, and a reduction in critical educational services for students,' she said in her testimony.
Forcing private colleges and universities to accept the top 10% of Ohio's graduating class would create challenges for those institutions, Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education Mike Duffey said.
'Public universities have the infrastructure with branch campuses, large-scale facilities, and state funding to absorb enrollment increases,' Jones said. 'Independent institutions operate on much smaller scales.'
Eight AICUO institutions function out of a single academic building, he said.
'Imposing this mandate without providing financial or logistical support places an impractical burden on private colleges,' Jones said.
Being able to welcome an additional influx of students depends on various factors including the students' major, housing and financial needs, University of Findlay President Kathy Fell said.
'I know we all agree that students will not benefit from this opportunity if approbate supports and resources for success are not available,' she said in her testimony.
Aultman College President Jean Paddock said the 10% acceptance mandate would not be possible in healthcare programs that are limited to a capped number of seats.
'With a nursing shortage well documented, sending our best and brightest who want to enter the healthcare field to other states is the opposite of what we want,' Paddock said in her testimony.
The Governor's Merit Scholarship was enacted through the last state budget two years ago and 76% of the state's 6,250 eligible students from the class of 2024 accepted the scholarship. The acceptance rate was 100% in Hocking, Holmes, Putnam, Adams, Monroe, Noble, and Vinton counties, Duffey said.
In the second year of the scholarship, 87% of Ohio students accepted the scholarship and 11 rural counties had a 100% acceptance rate, Duffey said.
Ohio Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, said she has received several inquiries from private colleges and universities with concerns about the Governor's Merit Scholarship requirements being linked to compliance with parts of S.B. 1.
'Clearly we would lose some students if they weren't able to access those funds,' Duffey said.
The budget currently allocates $47 million for fiscal year 2026 and $70 million for fiscal year 2027 for the Governor's Merit Scholarship.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
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