CINCINNATI - Attracting minority students who will flourish in Ohio State's Young Scholars Program is the goal of a new plan to supplement the university's 12-year effort to help low-income minority and other under-represented Ohio youngsters succeed in college.

Timothy Knowles, Ohio State vice provost for minority affairs, presented the "Young Scholars Plus" plan to The Ohio State University board of trustees, meeting April 7 in Cincinnati.

Currently, students from nine Ohio cities - Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lorain, Toledo and Youngstown - are chosen to participate in Young Scholars in sixth grade based on a written essay, grades and a standardized test.

YSP Plus will allow the program to reach out to talented minority students in the seventh and eighth grades - students who move into the district after sixth grade, are late bloomers or otherwise were not identified in sixth grade, said Knowles.

Students chosen for the program must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and take college preparatory classes in high school to remain eligible for the program. Middle schoolers take math classes on Saturday mornings, and high school students attend two-hour tutoring sessions twice weekly after school and participate in career and cultural programs throughout the year, as well as annual two-week summer institutes at Ohio State's Columbus campus.

Gary Edmerson, an Ohio State senior majoring in mechanical engineering, told the board about his experiences as a Young Scholar. A 1996 graduate of Hughes Center High School in Cincinnati, he credited the personal attention and motivation provided by the Young Scholars' staff as a key factor in choosing to attend Ohio State. The special college-preparatory classes taught during the summer institutes were particularly helpful, he said.

Edmerson and Knowles both urged the board to continue supporting the Young Scholars Program.

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