Ohio State’s Knowlton School of Architecture launched the Knowlton Access Fund March 5. Credit: Christian Harsa | Asst. Photo Editor
In the midst of COVID-19 and its unprecedented consequences, an age-old barrier for students has surged with a vengeance: financial uncertainty.
Ohio State’s Knowlton School of Architecture launched the Knowlton Access Fund March 5. The need-based fund provides financial support for Knowlton students looking for assistance, especially during the pandemic. Fund recipients will typically be awarded an amount between $200-$500, according to the Knowlton website.
“The university and the school, we thought, generally was quite good about supporting scholarships in a traditional environment, but we are not in a traditional environment,” Andrew Cruse, associate professor of architecture and co-creator of the fund, said.
The Access Fund was created and supported by Cruse and Dorothée Imbert, the director of Knowlton, with the intent of supporting students and expanding diversity and inclusion within the architecture program by providing aid to current and future students in the school, Imbert said.
“We both felt that this would be a nice way of supporting the mission of the school in educating and expanding access to an education at Knowlton,” Imbert said.
Although COVID-19 was the starting point for the fund, Imbert and Cruse said the Access Fund will continue to be a part of Knowlton long after the pandemic. Unlike academic scholarships, the access fund will be available all year to account for student financial issues that may arise suddenly.
“It’s meant to answer to short-term needs that are unexpected immediately,” Cruse said.
Both Imbert and Cruse said they witnessed the struggles that arose or worsened in students’ lives because of the pandemic, and they knew something needed to be done.
The fund is extremely flexible in what it covers, Imbert said. Students who need help paying for school supplies, project materials, rent, tuition and more are eligible to submit an application on the Knowlton website.
The Knowlton Access Fund receives its financial support from donations, and those who are able to contribute are encouraged to. Both Cruse and Imbert said the fund’s primary goal is to cater to all audiences regardless of age and financial background.
“What may seem like an insignificant amount to a young graduate could be a very significant amount to a student,” Cruse said.
Applications for the fund are currently open, and Knowlton has already granted at least two students aid –– even with the fund being available for less than two weeks.
“I know that students are having a difficult time, and this is just another way for them to reach out and get support because we are here to make sure that they can stay in school and make sure that they get the best education they can,” Imbert said.
Students interested in submitting an application or donating can do so on the Knowlton Access Fund page.
