Ohio

Employers are reaching out in droves to Northeast Ohio’s colleges and universities. One university career director said she hasn’t seen anything like this over her 15 years in the industry.

The percentage of students completing the federal aid application has fallen during the pandemic. About 62% of Ohio’s high school class of 2021 completed a FAFSA as of last month. That’s nearly a 5% drop from the previous academic year.

Northeast Ohio is a medical mecca, and health care is one of the biggest drivers of the local economy. But a recent analysis of federal data shows that some health care credentials don’t have much, if any, long-term economic payoff for individuals.

There is wide acknowledgment, a Cleveland State vice president said, that colleges dependent on traditional first-time freshmen will “need to look beyond.”

Sophomore year is always a critical time for retention. And this class faces unique challenges: they had anything but a typical first year of college.

Across the country, charitable giving to colleges in the 2020 fiscal year remained about the same as the year before.

Many campuses now offer things like workshops, group sessions and mindfulness experiences, in addition to counseling sessions with licensed professionals.

Campuses like Ohio State and Kent State are offering prizes through regular drawings for students who are vaccinated and share their status.

Around-the-clock student services, filling in tuition shortfalls, building improvements — some of the ways area colleges are using latest emergency relief.