A downtown Cincinnati arts college has created a new scholarship that will allow poor inner-city youths to attend its two-year school without acquiring costly student loans.

        Antonelli College will award up to $750 per quarter this year to 15 to 25 cash-strapped inner-city students. Kerry Tarvin, director of Antonelli, said the scholarship may seem small on the surface, but it can make a big difference for students whose families have no money.

        “We see this as that last dollar notch that gets a kid into school,” Mr. Tarvin said. “Most poor students can receive grant money that would cover a good portion of their tuition, but they would have to take out loans or turn to family members to cover the rest.”

        The scholarship, he said, represents Antonelli's commitment to downtown and its concern for Cincinnati's future generations.

        “We wanted to play a part in changing lives and contributing something to the community at a time when that is needed,” he said.

        Antonelli College, across from the Aronoff Center for the Arts, is a two-year career college with about 360 students. The 55-year-old school's programs include : interior design, photography, commercial art and business office technology. School administrators say the college has a 90 percent job placement rate for graduates.

        The scholarship is based solely on economic need, Mr. Tarvin said. Union Baptist Church, the city's oldest African-American Baptist church, will help administer the new scholarship program by recruiting students, collecting applications and making award determinations.

        Antonelli has already named its first scholarship recipient. Tyrone Stevenson of Walnut Hills who has enrolled in the school's business office technology program Mr. Stevenson, 25, wanted to enter college after graduating from Mt. Healthy High School in 1995, but failed to pass the state's proficiency test. Seven years and five tries later, Mr. Stevenson passed the math portion of the test an by recruiting students, collecting applications and making award determinations.

        Antonelli has already named its first scholarship recipient. Tyrone Stevenson of Walnut Hills who has enrolled in the school's business office technology program Mr. Stevenson, 25, wanted to enter college after graduating from Mt. Healthy High School in 1995, but failed to pass the state's proficiency test. Seven years and five tries later, Mr. Stevenson passed the math portion of the test and got his diploma.

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