Defiance College to receive $284,831 ODHE grant

December 13, 2019

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance College will receive $284,831 in a grant award from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) as part of the Choose Ohio First (COF) initiative. The COF looks to significantly strengthen Ohio's competitiveness within science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines and STEM education. The grant will provide scholarships for DC students seeking a degree in the STEM field, particularly computer science majors.

According to COF, it awards competitive scholarship funding to Ohio's colleges and universities to support undergraduate and qualifying graduate students in innovative academic programs. Designated COF programs are: integrated within regional economies, meeting statewide educational needs, facilitating the completion of baccalaureate degrees in cost effective manners, and recruiting underrepresented STEM student groups including women and students of color.

Defiance College has continued to focus on STEM programing while remaining true to the College's liberal arts roots. Enrollment in DC's STEM fields increased by 50 percent in one year, in part due to adding majors in computer science, environmental science, and clinical laboratory science. Additionally, the College has an Institute for Pre-Health and Wellness Studies with a dedicated dean, Bridgette Winslow, who works with students applying to all types of medical, dental, and veterinary schools. The dean facilitates trips to these schools and the effective writing of applications.

Procuring the grant was a campus-wide effort with support from Bridgette Winslow, dean of the Institute for Pre-Health and Wellness Studies, Professor Aaron Napierala, assistant professor of computer science, Mary Ann Studer, dean of the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity, and Tracey Dysart Ford, vice president for enrollment management.

Due to the generosity of donors and foundations, Defiance College has had nearly $700,000 invested over the past three years in STEM for student research, facility, scholarship, and programmatic improvements.

Chartered in 1850, Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The College is guided by the four pillars of its mission: To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve. The College website is www.defiance.edu.