Inside Education and Health Sciences

Meredith Montgomery, associate professor in the Department of Counselor Education and Human Services, has received an additional $278,000 in grant funding from the Great Minds Fellowship Program from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. This grant is on top of an award in the summer of 2023 for $331,705.

The Great Minds Fellowship is funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to address workforce shortage at mental health agencies across Ohio. The program provides education support packages to students who commit to working in Community Behavioral Health, where the need is greatest. The program offers flexibility for students who are allowed to fulfill their commitment at any Community Behavioral Health Center in the state.

"This additional funding not only supports our students financially but also strengthens the mental health workforce in Ohio," said Susan Davies, chair for the Department of Counselor Education and Human Services. "By easing the financial burden of graduate education, we are helping dedicated future counselors stay committed to serving communities in need."  

Montgomery is using the grant funds to support students entering the behavioral healthcare workforce. In order to increase the number of Ohioans entering behavioral mental health positions, students in their last two years of the clinical mental health counseling program are receiving a stipend for scholarships, paid internships, licensure exam prep costs and other costs related to the degree. To accept the funding, students must complete their internship at one of over 1,000 state-identified community behavioral health centers, and then continue to work at one for at least a year post-graduation.

The initial grant fund allowed for $10,000 per student per year, and the additional funds have allowed the department to provide an additional $5,000 to the existing Great Minds Fellows, as well as invite seven additional students into the fellowship program. The University of Dayton has been able to provide educational support to 40 Great Minds Fellows.

"Having this funding has pushed me to consider staying in a community based mental health center when I may not have considered that before," said Elizabeth Ruffing, one of the students who received funding thanks to the additional grant money. "I've found peace in realizing that I'm not going to do it just because the contract says to, but because I've found a passion for this population and the lives I'm impacting where I am."