© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Reporting on the state of education in your community and across the country.

Cleveland State Receives $5 Million Gift To Support CMSD Graduates

[Cleveland State University]
Cleveland State University Logo

The Parker Hannifin Foundation is giving $5 million to Cleveland State University to establish a living and learning community.

Starting this fall, 40 Cleveland Metropolitan School District graduates receiving tuition assistance to CSU through the Say Yes to Education initiative will have access to free room and board for two years.

CSU Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Jianping Zhu says the students will also receive wraparound support.

“This will provide career guidance to help (students) navigate the college campus higher education system and help them when they run into difficulties,” he said.

The students will live in designated residence halls on the CSU campus to create a living and learning community. Zhu says this helps to foster a network of support for those students.

“Studies have shown students who live on campus have a much higher rate of graduation and retention rates,” he said. “And students from a social and economic disadvantaged background need more wraparound support.”

Earlier this year, Cleveland became the fourth Say Yes community in the country. This $85 million public and private investment provides CMSD students with social and educational services and provides tuition assistance to those who graduate.

This is the latest contribution to CSU from Parker Hannifin, a Cleveland-based motion and control technologies corporation.

Other gifts have funded construction of a new administration building and provided academic scholarships.

darrielle.snipes@ideastream.org | 216-916-6404