News Announcement
For more information contact Lynne Briggs or Cheryl Kight at
614-469-1950

Columbus, November 2009 

EMORY P. ZIMMER INSURANCE AGENCY INC. HOSTS AREA KICK-OFF OF THE OHIO FOUNDATION OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES’ CINCINNATI AREA 2009-10 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

Baker Bahlman, President, Emory P. Zimmer Insurance Agency Inc., serving as Chair of The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC) Cincinnati area annual campaign, hosted the campaign meeting and kick-off on October 29 at the Cincinnati Country Club.   Bahlman welcomed all of the area campaign volunteers who had come for orientation and introduced Jeff Wolf, OFIC president.

Wolf thanked the Cincinnati representatives for their service and commitment to this campaign to help provide career choices and college access for students enrolled at OFIC member independent colleges and universities.   He also emphasized the importance of independent higher education in Ohio to the Cincinnati region’s economic stability and to the state’s future in a changing global economy.  The Cincinnati area campaign goal has been set at $167,000.   

Wolf then recognized Chris DeSimio, OFIC trustee, presenting him with the OFIC 2008-2009 Volunteer of the Year award.  DeSimio has volunteered with OFIC for four years and served as 2008-2009 Chair of the Cincinnati area campaign.   

OFIC corporate volunteers, known as ambassadors, call on current and prospective donors to educate them about and encourage their support of OFIC’s mission to support independent higher education in Ohio.  Approximately 20 representatives of area corporations have volunteered their time to this year’s campaign.

All of the 98,000 students enrolled at OFIC member colleges, which include the University of Dayton, Cedarville University, and Wilmington College, will benefit from funds raised through OFIC’s campaign.   A total of 112 students at these three local institutions have directly received scholarships through OFIC’s Ohio Scholars Program for the 2009-10 academic year, and a total of 7,588 students from the Cincinnati campaign area are presently enrolled in one of OFIC’s 34 member institutions across the state. 

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 98,000 students and award one-third of all bachelor’s degrees in the state. For 60 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 University, Hiram College, John Carroll University, Kenyon College, Lake Erie College, Lourdes College, Malone University, Marietta College, Mount Union College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Muskingum University, 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.