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Students walk to class at the University of Cincinnati / Enquirer file

The Associated Press

College enrollment in Ohio is dropping.

A preliminary report released by the Ohio Board of Regents Monday shows that enrollment has dropped 5.9 percent since last year. The decline of more than 31,000 students at the state’s 61 public universities and colleges was expected — but it still hurt some financially and forced the layoff of 23 people at one community college.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the enrollment decline is attributed to a record number of students graduating last year ahead of the semester conversion at 17 institutions. Also to blame are changes to federal financial aid that mean fewer students are eligible, and an economy that has some choosing to go to work instead of school.

It’s the second consecutive year enrollment has dipped.

The Ohio Board of Regents 15-day headcount shows that enrollment at university main campuses is down about 1 percent from 2011. It’s down 4.24 percent at university regional campuses, and 13 percent at the state’s community colleges.

(more…)

Posted in: Community, News |

Tags: Tags: college, enrollment, financial aid, ohio, postsecondary, university

Mike Dyer reports:

Mason basketball standout Kayla McDowell verbally committed to Missouri this morning, says Mason girls basketball coach Rob Matula.

McDowell, a senior forward, had narrowed her choices to Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri as her top three before committing to Missouri.

McDowell, an Enquirer Division I all-area selection this past season, averaged 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals for the Comets. She was first-team all-GMC.

McDowell also had several other offers including Wake Forest, Iowa, Dayton, Toledo, Indiana, Iowa State, Xavier and Richmond during the recruiting process.

Mason (18-7) was a Division I regional finalist this past season – its first regional final since the state championship team in 2000.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, college, commits, gmc, kayla mcdowell, mason, mason high school, missouri, sports, university

Mike Dyer reports:

Wake Forest, Iowa and Missouri have offered Mason senior forward Kayla McDowell, according to Mason girls’ basketball coach Rob Matula.

Matula said she is considering those schools along with the offers that include Dayton and Richmond.

McDowell, an Enquirer Division I all-area selection this past season, averaged 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals for the Comets last season. She was first-team all-GMC.

Mason was a Division I regional finalist this past season – its first regional final since the state championship team in 2000. Mason had an 18-7 record this past season.

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, college, gmc, kayla mcdowell, mason, mason high school, sports, university

Mason’s starting pitcher Andrew McDonald during the Comets baseball game against Lakota East, Monday, April, 2,2012. The Enquirer/Tony Tribble

Mike Dyer reports:

Mason senior right-handed pitcher Andrew McDonald made a verbal commitment to Virginia Tech earlier this summer, according to Mason baseball coach Ken Gray.

McDonald was 8-0 with 54 strikeouts with a 0.80 ERA in 44 innings pitched. He also had offers that included UC and Ohio State.

McDonald was first-team all-Greater Miami Conference this spring. Mason was 20-8 overall and 16-2 as GMC champs this spring.

McDonald said he verbally committed to the Hokies toward the end of June. He said he was impressed with the campus and the baseball facilities.

McDonald, who scored a 29 on his ACT, intends to study mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: andrew mcdonald, baseball, college, comets, commitment, gmc, greater miami conference, hokies, ken gray, mason high school, pitcher, university, virginia tech

Mike Dyer reports:

Mason senior pitcher TJ Zeuch was impressed by the Pittsburgh coaching staff and facilities when he visited the campus less than a month ago.

On Thursday morning, Zeuch – one the area’s top players in the 2013 class – verbally committed to the Panthers.

Zeuch also had offers from UC, Boston College, Xavier, Michigan State and Notre Dame, according to Mason coach Ken Gray.

Zeuch was 5-1 with 53 strikeouts in 39 innings with an ERA of 2.15 this past season for the Comets.

Zeuch was an Enquirer Division I honorable mention selection and was first-team all-Greater Miami Conference this spring.

“TJ is a big, protectable right-handed pitcher,” said Chris Valentine, Ohio director of scouting for Prep Baseball Report. “His fastball sits in the high 80s and tops out in the low 90s while showing some life. He uses excellent arm action on his changeup and uses a hard cutter as his out pitch. With continued development of his offspeed pitches, he should become a dominant pitcher at the next level.”

Mason won the Greater Miami Conference with a 20-8 overall record and was 16-2 in the conference.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, college, comets, ken gray, mason, mason high school, pitcher, pittsburgh, tj zeuch, university

Two Mason students are among 30 students from Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky to be named National Merit Scholarship finalists.

Nationally, 2,000 students received the honor, which awards scholarships between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.  National Merit does not release the exact amount of individual scholarships.

Mason students honored include Colleen Kennedy, who plans to study chemical engineering at Case Western Reserve University; and Joseph LaRue, who will study mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama,.

Announced Monday, these are the last of the awards for the 2012 National Merit Scholarship winners.  Other winners of National Merit-sponsored, corporate and college scholarships were named in three previous announcements.

Altogether, there were 1,178 private and 80 public colleges and universities in 45 states and the District of Columbia that sponsored about 4,600 awards. Overall, 8,100 students received awards totaling $35 million from colleges/universities, corporations and the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

The students were selected from more than 1.5 million juniors from 22,000 high schools who took the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and made it to the finalist round.

Sue Kiesewetter contributed

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: academic achievement, colleen kennedy, college, finalists, joseph larue, mason high school, national merit, scholarship, university

Mason High School will hold a College 101 night at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.

Twenty-six presenters and nine counselors will speak on more than a dozen topic sessions, including college visits, financial planning, athletic recruiting and private versus public institutions.

Attendees can choose to attend up to three 45-minute sessions that evening.  A college fair follows at 8:15 p.m. with representatives of local, state and out-of-state colleges on-hand.

Mason High School is at 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road and can be reached at 513-398-5025.

Posted in: Events, Events, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: college, college 101, college fair, junior, mason high school, senior, students, university

Mason High School will host a meeting on post-secondary enrollment options at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Ohio State Department of Education representative Fred Ross will speak to interested parents and students on post-secondary options available in the next school year, followed by a brief question-and-answer session.

Ohio’s post-secondary enrollment options program allows high school students to earn college and/or high school credit through the completion of college courses. The program is open to all Ohio students in the ninth through twelfth grades.

For more information, go to www.edline.net/pages.Mason_High_School/Guidance and click on the State Department of Education tab.

Posted in: Events, Events, School events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: college, fred ross, mason high school, ohio department of education, post secondary enrollment options, pseop, university

Summit College Funding president and CEO Scott Moffit will give a free presentation on college funding from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Mason High School.

The 50-minute presentation educates parents on how to pay for college without sacrificing retirement planning. Topics include financial planning, money-saving alternatives and strategies and financial aid resources.

Moffit, who lives in Morrow,also serves as president and CEO of SMB Services, Inc., a mortgage brokerage company. He has taught financial courses at the University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Northern Kentucky University and for the Cincinnati Bengals and Toyota Corporation, among others. He also hosted the local call-in radio talk show “Dollars and Sense” for four years.

The presentation, which is free and open to the community, will be held in the high school auditorium at 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road.

Posted in: Events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: college, financial aid, free, mason high school, parents, presentation, retirement, scott moffit, students, summit college funding, university

Summit College Funding president and CEO Scott Moffit will give a free presentation on college funding from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Mason High School.

The 50-minute presentation educates parents on how to pay for college without sacrificing retirement planning.  Topics include financial planning, money-saving alternatives and strategies and financial aid resources.

Moffit, who lives in Morrow,also serves as president and CEO of SMB Services, Inc., a mortgage brokerage company. He has taught financial courses at the University of Cincinnati, Miami University, Northern Kentucky University and for the Cincinnati Bengals and Toyota Corporation, among others.  He also hosted the local call-in radio talk show “Dollars and Sense” for four years.

The presentation, which is free and open to the community, will be held in the high school auditorium at 6100 Mason-Montgomery Road.

Posted in: Community, Events, Events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: college, financial aid, free, mason high school, parents, presentation, retirement, scott moffit, students, summit college funding, university