Studying in Ohio

Education is the gateway to great things. Your decision to continue your education beyond high school represents a major step toward increasing your lifetime earning potential, broadening your career opportunities and improving your overall quality of life for the future. It will require a commitment of time, money and energy on your part, but the potential rewards are substantial.

Consider that a high school degree will never again provide a guarantee of a comfortable middle-class life. The increased complexity of most occupations, the increasing reliance on technology in almost all businesses and jobs, and the rapid pace of change will require that more and more of you obtain two-year, four-year and even more advanced degrees. An individual with a four-year college degree earned $19,096 more than an individual with a high school diploma in 2003. That college graduate will earn $1 million more in his or her lifetime than the average high school graduate.

But Ohio also wins in this equation. A highly educated, highly skilled workforce keeps companies in Ohio and attracts companies to Ohio. The state also benefits from better educated citizens that make more money. Ohio needs more of its residents to be earning $19,096 a year more than they’re currently earning. The state would have more money in its coffers in the form of additional state income tax revenue, which means fewer taxes for Ohio residents.

As you prepare yourself to move beyond high school, you will face many options and choices on how best to equip yourself for the knowledge economy of the 21st Century, including where to continue your education. I urge you to take a close look at post-secondary institutions throughout the state as you make your college plans. Some of the most respected colleges, universities, and trade and technical schools in the nation are located right here in Ohio, and they may not be in your backyard.

Ohio’s higher education system is large and diverse, with 13 public university main campuses, 24 university regional campuses, two free-standing medical schools, 23 public community and technical colleges, and 63 independent colleges and universities. Ohio’s public and private colleges and universities currently enroll more than 600,000 students.

The state’s rich tradition of advocating for education dates back to the formation of Ohio in 1803 from a portion of the Northwest Territory. In fact, the oldest institution of higher education in the Midwest – Ohio University in Athens, Ohio – was chartered on Feb. 18, 1804, less than a year after Ohio joined the Union as the 17th state.

Your decision to move on to higher education is an important one and there will be many choices and challenges facing you in the years to come. One of the first is to consider going to college away from home in another part of the state. I congratulate you on your success thus far and wish you the best in all your future endeavors.

Editorial provided by Bret Crow, Assistant Director of Communications, Ohio Board of Regents.