News Announcement
For further information please contact
Cheryl L. Kight - Associate Vice President, Marketing

Columbus, April 25, 2005

OFIC RECEIVES BANK ONE GRANT
IN SUPPORT OF MINORITY RECRUITMENT PROGRAM

Continuing their shared commitment to diversity, Bank One has awarded a $50,000 grant to The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) in support of OFIC’s Minority Recruitment Program. The goal of the Minority Recruitment program is to increase the number of students from under-represented groups who are recruited, accepted, and successful at OFIC member colleges and universities.

Grants from these funds will be awarded to member institutions through a formal proposal submission process. Member colleges and universities have been asked to submit proposals for projects to work with other OFIC institutions or with college access programs or a specific high school to significantly enhance recruitment efforts targeting minority students.

Bank One has partnered with OFIC for more than fifty years in support of independent higher education in Ohio. Jeff Lyttle, Vice President for Public Affairs, says, “We are quite proud of our longstanding relationship with OFIC and the positive impact on Ohio’s students we’ve made together over the decades.”

The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges was founded in 1950 to conduct annual solicitations of companies and foundations to benefit private colleges in Ohio. OFIC today has 35 member institutions and more than 94,000 students. OFIC raises both unrestricted and restricted gifts including scholarships and endowments.

The member colleges are: Antioch College, Ashland University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Bluffton University, Capital University, Cedarville University, University of Dayton, Defiance College, Denison University, The University of Findlay, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franklin University, Heidelberg College, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone College, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum College, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Northern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Otterbein College, Urbana University, Ursuline College, Walsh University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University and The College of Wooster.