Kent State Continues to Focus on Student Financial Needs in Tough Times

Kent, OH, January 01, 2009 --(PR.com)-- In a time of economic instability regionally and nationally, Kent State University’s administration is reassuring current and future students and their families – as well as residents contemplating returning to the classroom – of the university's continued commitment to providing the financial resources to assist them in completing their college education, President Lester A. Lefton announced today.

With the reassurance, Lefton said Kent State remains fully committed to its aid programs, in particular student scholarships and university grants. Additionally, access to federal aid continues uninterrupted, according to Dr. Pete Goldsmith, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Kent State.

Since his arrival in 2006, President Lefton has made accessibility and affordability a hallmark of his administration’s excellence agenda.

“The commitment to making Kent State accessible, open and affordable to all students continues to allow the university to enroll a socially and economically diverse student body with incredible and increasing intellectual quality and achievement,” Lefton says.

“Kent State’s support for financial aid continues to be one of the fastest growing obligations of the university’s budget. It is fundamental to our success that we make a quality education affordable for all families.”

Additionally, with one of the nation's largest regional campus systems, Kent State offers traditional students and working adults cost-effective academic opportunities at one of its seven regional campuses in Northeastern Ohio.

“In these tough economic times, we know that some students and families need additional assistance or that some think that a college education is out of reach,” Goldsmith says. “We encourage current and potential students to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid to unearth every dollar available.

“In this economy, education attainment is crucial and we hope that our strong commitment to students, along with the financial options and services we offer, allows greater focus on students’ academic achievement and not the stress of financial worry,” Goldsmith said.

Some of the steps Kent State is taking include:

• Offering emergency loans to eligible students who encounter difficulties during the school year;

• Holding spring semester tuition rate at 2007 levels;

• Reaching out to freshmen students who do not re-enroll due to financial hardships to help them with the advice and support to overcome obstacles;

• Committing to protecting financial aid and scholarships despite budget struggles;

• Guaranteeing proportional increase in financial aid if tuition increases next academic year for our neediest students; and

• Continued fund-raising efforts to secure funds for student programs and scholarships.

Kent State has a deep commitment to public service, including helping the Northeast Ohio region, the state, and the nation compete in a global, innovation-driven economy. The eight-campus system is the largest producer of associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in Northeast Ohio and the third largest university in enrollment in the University System of Ohio. Kent State contributes to economic growth every day, on every Kent State campus. The university produces a steady stream of well-educated and highly skilled graduates who are employment ready in the emerging fields of the 21st century as well as in traditional fields. The university also is training and retraining working adults who have been displaced by the loss of manufacturing.

As a partner with the State of Ohio and lawmakers in remaking the Ohio economy, each Kent State camps is thoroughly engaged in its surrounding community, making available the rich resources of a comprehensive and diverse university and significantly impacting the area’s economic well-being and quality of life.

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