Lakeland receives grant for biotechnology program

Funds provide scholarships to cover full tuition

Lakeland Community College’s biotechnology science program has been awarded $100,800 from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to support at least 20 biotechnology science students for the 20202021 academic year.

According to the college, funds will cover the cost of tuition and fees up to $5,000 for biotechnology science students who do not receive full Pell grants.

The program, called “Choose Ohio First,” is an initiative from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. It is a key component of the state’s strategic effort to significantly strengthen Ohio’s position in world markets such as science, technology and medical education.

High school graduates or undergraduate students who passed chemistry with a C or better are encouraged to apply for the scholarship if they fit the following criteria:

• Have an interest in a career in the laboratory biological sciences or data/ analysis management as it pertains to biological data

• Will be enrolled in the biotechnology science program at Lakeland

• Place into MATH 1650 or pass MATH 0950

• Reside in Ohio

“Students who receive this scholarship will have their tuition and books fully covered,” said Joe Deak, program chair of the biotechnology science program. “We currently have six students taking advantage of this funding.”

Lakeland’s biotechnology science program currently has more than a 95 percent placement rate into jobs or transfer to a four-year college or university.

Institutions where graduates matriculate include Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Indiana Wesleyan, Kent State University, John Carroll University, Lake Erie College and Youngstown State University.

Lakeland also has a 2+2 articulation with Ursuline College, which allows students to transfer all of their credits and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in two additional years or fewer.

“After graduating from

Lakeland, many students are then able to receive tuition waivers or reimbursements from their employers to reduce, or eliminate, the cost of the bachelor’s degree,” Deak added.