For more information contact:
Barbara Klingman - Administrator, Scholarships & College Services

UPS FUND PROVIDES $2 MILLION TO PRIVATE COLLEGES
$96,250 to 35 Ohio Independent Colleges

Columbus, Ohio – October 19, 2005 – The UPS Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia, and the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) of Washington, D.C., jointly awarded more than $2.0 million in grants in 2005 to benefit private colleges and universities across the nation. A grant of $96,250 was awarded to The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges for UPS scholarships.

Throughout the nation, 644 private institutions will receive a UPS Scholarship, which will be dispersed to students who are selected as UPS Scholars. Institutions select the students on the basis of financial need and academic achievement.

In addition to the $1.8 million designated for scholarships, other funds will be used for innovative programs designed to improve education services for students and to encourage collaboration among colleges. Programs will be selected through a competitive matching grants process called the UPS National Venture Fund. Since its inception in 1999, more than $3.2 million in Venture Fund grants has been awarded, and with local matching grants the total impact of the program exceeds $ 11 million.

The UPS scholarships and grants are funded by the UPS Educational Endowment Fund, which is held and administered by FIHE and was originally funded through grants to FIHE from United Parcel Service (UPS). Since its inception, the UPS Educational Endowment Fund has generated more than $ 37 million in scholarship support. The current value of the endowment is approximately $ 43 million.

In announcing the grants, Evern Cooper, President of the UPS Foundation, said, “For nearly 50 years the UPS Foundation has been honored to support education through partnerships with such organizations as FIHE and The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges. The availability of quality, affordable higher education is critical to establishing a talented, more diverse workforce”.

The Foundation for Independent Higher Education is the national partner in a network of 36 state and regional funds, including The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, which develop resources for private colleges and universities. Since its founding in 1958 FIHE and its partners have received more than $ 1.5 billion in support for private colleges.

OFIC’s 35 member colleges and universities: 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.