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Cheryl L. Kight - Associate Vice President, Marketing
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$4 MILLION RAISED TO BENEFIT OHIO INDEPENDENT COLLEGES

The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) ended its annual fundraising campaign on May 31, 2008.  Total fundraising revenue, which included in-kind donations, endowed gifts, program grants and event sponsorships, was $4,153,385, a 2.6% increase over total funds raised last year.  

Donald E. Washkewicz, Chairman, President and CEO of the Parker Hannifin Corporation in Cleveland, served as Statewide Campaign Chair leading a corps of approximately 400 dedicated corporate and collegiate campaign volunteers.     Instrumental in securing new donors in 2007-2008, Mr. Washkewicz will serve a second year as chair for the upcoming 2008-2009 campaign.   Jeffrey S. Wolf, OFIC president, stated, “We are grateful for Don’s commitment to OFIC’s mission and his energetic leadership.  He gave willingly of his time, played a very active role in the campaign and was effective in raising new dollars.   We look forward to his continued leadership in 2008-2009.” 

OFIC is supported in its mission by 720 corporate, foundation and individual donors.   In partnership with these donors, OFIC has become one of the largest providers of need-based scholarships in Ohio, this year providing more than 1,000 scholarships to students enrolled in its member institutions.  Funds raised are also used by member colleges for student financial aid, for library and classroom needs, and to support college readiness programs and campus-based diversity initiatives to increase and improve minority recruitment and retention.  

Since its founding in 1950, OFIC has distributed a cumulative total of nearly $134 million to its members.
OFIC is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 34 independent Ohio colleges and universities and operates one of the largest, most comprehensive and diverse scholarship management services in the state.  OFIC member colleges collectively enroll nearly 97,000 students and award one-third of all bachelor’s degrees in the state. For 58 years OFIC has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education and has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship commitments through funds raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in private higher education. OFIC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of Ohio’s corporate leaders, as well as presidents of the 34 member colleges.

The member colleges are:  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.