Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
All my life, I have resided in the Hoosier state—growing up in northwest Indiana, attending college and law school in central Indiana, raising my family and building a thriving law practice in Indianapolis. My undergraduate education at Wabash College gave me the chance to achieve my dreams.
That’s why I am urging the Indiana General Assembly to restore the Frank O’Bannon grant program and the funding that allows Hoosiers access to world-class colleges and universities in Indiana. With our ever-changing economy and requirements of the next generation of Indiana’s workforce, it is critical to provide access to higher education and the life-changing benefits to young Hoosiers.
After graduating from Wabash College and while attending the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, I had the incredible privilege of serving as an administrative assistant to then-Gov. Bob Orr.
As the recently retired managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg, I have reflected on how my education changed my life in every possible way. My family wasn’t any different from so many families across Indiana. My parents were hardworking folks without college degrees and were not able to afford to send me to college. Still, I wanted to go to Wabash and worked jobs in high school and throughout my time in Crawfordsville to help pay for my tuition.
Yet it still wasn’t enough. It was a state higher education grant program—the precursor to today’s Frank O’Bannon program—that made my dream of a college education possible!
Today, approximately 32,000 Hoosier students receive Frank O’Bannon grants. Nearly 7,900 of those students attend Indiana’s 29 private colleges and universities, and these students stand to lose a collective $20 million in financial aid if lawmakers don’t act by April 1. The Frank O’Bannon Grant, a need-based scholarship that helps thousands afford college, is at risk due to a shift in the state’s funding model. Without a hold-harmless agreement to maintain current award levels, individual students could see their grants slashed 15% to 30% or more, forcing many to rethink their education plans—or abandon them entirely.
For thousands of Hoosier students, the Frank O’Bannon Grant isn’t just a number on a financial aid package—it’s the difference between staying in school and watching their dreams slip away. Many recipients are first-generation college students who have worked hard to break the cycle of financial hardship, balancing part-time jobs and full course loads in pursuit of a better future.
A hold-harmless agreement would prevent these sudden losses by ensuring that current Frank O’Bannon Grant recipients retain their existing award levels for at least one year. This would provide stability for students as they plan their education and allow colleges to package financial aid appropriately, rather than scrambling to address unexpected funding shortfalls.
As Hoosiers committed to improving the quality of life in Indiana, we should be concerned that thousands of families are facing significant cuts in their O’Bannon grants. This comes on top of two other realities: Only 53% of Indiana high school graduates are enrolling in college, and the “demographic cliff” is upon us, which means the number of high school graduates is declining at a significant clip.
Our great colleges and universities need predictability and consistency to continue to enroll Hoosier students. Now is the time to ensure that our students are not harmed by cuts and are allowed access to higher education that allows them to pursue their dreams.•
__________
Grand is a partner at Barnes & Thornburg and a member of the Wabash College board of trustees.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.