Roger and Betty Neff P鈥�83, P鈥�85 made an additional gift of $25,000 to the Roger H. and Betty A. Neff Endowed Scholarship for Education, which supports students pursuing Global Studies (formerly International Studies) or studies that reflect a global perspective.
9i果冻制作厂Sociology Professor Emerita Eva A. Sebo and Ohio State University Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Emeritus Stephen A. Sebo founded The Eva and Stephen Sebo Endowed Scholarship in Sociology, Criminology, and Justice Studies to support junior or senior students studying this field. They also founded The Stephen and Eva Sebo Endowed Scholarship in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to benefit outstanding, incoming full-time undergraduate students with high academic achievement in these fields.
Mark Plaumann P鈥�22 and Marilyn Wilson P鈥�22, parents of Mason Plaumann 鈥�22, were instrumental in the support of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science 15th Anniversary Gala. They also continued their support of the 9i果冻制作厂Fund and the Plaumann Family Equine Endowment to provide resources for the Equine Science program and Equestrian Team. This support fully funded the equine endowment, the first of its kind for the program.
Marilyn Harpster P鈥�99 provided $10,000 to further invest in the Dr. Joseph and Marilyn Harpster Engineering Award, which supports full-time undergraduate students pursuing an Engineering degree.
The Teresa A. Petch 鈥�51 Endowed Fund was created through a $25,000 gift from Dr. John E. and Deidre L. Finnegan to honor Petch, an accomplished educator and musician who performed with the Cleveland Choir and the Canton Civic Opera. The scholarship benefits undergraduates pursuing a degree in the area of Music.
Kathleen Fernandez Hillibish 鈥�71 has arranged for a generous gift to support the Hillibish Unrestricted Annuity, the Hillibish Endowment Annuity to benefit the Courtright Memorial Library, and the 9i果冻制作厂Fund. Fernandez Hillibish said the well-rounded education she received at 9i果冻制作厂served her well in her chosen occupation as a history museum professional.
The Kathryn Irene Briggs Starcher Trust provided 9i果冻制作厂with $120,000 for the Kathryn I. Briggs and Ronald R. Starcher Scholarship, which will support one student at a time for four years of studies at Otterbein.
Dr. Richard J. Smolen and Karen Hohnhorst Strand 鈥�68 each provided funding to establish the Smolen/Strand Scholarship in honor of Susan Hohnhorst Smolen 鈥�66, Richard鈥檚 late wife of 57 years and Karen鈥檚 sister. Susan was a proud Theta Nu sister and educator. Her family will support rising juniors or seniors majoring in Education in perpetuity through this $50,000 scholarship.
Virginia Phillippi Longmire 鈥�55 gave a generous donation to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project. This renovation improves the safety and accessibility of the second floor of the Campus Center, as well as culinary offerings for the 9i果冻制作厂campus.
Jennifer Nichols Day 鈥�89 has supported the 9i果冻制作厂Fund with a gift of $35,000.
Alan R. Goff 鈥�75 and Coral Harris H鈥�23, longtime partners in Otterbein鈥檚 priorities, generously donated to the Promise House, the Rolling Green Fund, and Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project. Goff and Harris are active on campus as members of the Lifelong Learning Community (LLC), patrons of 9i果冻制作厂arts performances, and volunteers with the Courtright Memorial Library and other projects.
Trailblazer Alumna Bequeaths $900,000 to 9i果冻制作厂Endowment
During her time as an 9i果冻制作厂student, the late Carol Thompson 鈥�61 fully embraced every opportunity to get involved in college life. To say she was a trailblazer is an understatement. As a first-generation college student in the late 鈥�50s, Thompson was on the tennis, basketball, and field hockey teams; participated in choir, Torch & Key, the Women鈥檚 Athletic Association; and was a member of Kappa Phi Omega sorority.
In her 1961 50th reunion memory book, Thompson shared, 鈥淢y years in the quiet peaceful village were four of the happiest years of my life. The educational experience in the classrooms exceeded my expectations. My student work experiences contributed greatly to my education; it was one of my jobs that exposed me to the possibilities of graduate school. My extracurricular activities helped me to grow in leadership abilities, and the intercollegiate sports I played provided many joyous hours of participation and skill development.鈥�
After completing her degree in Education at Otterbein, she later obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in Physical Education from the University of Illinois and The Ohio State University, respectively. A true lifelong learner, she spent 37 years in higher education at Baldwin-Wallace University, teaching, coaching, and eventually earning the role of associate academic dean.
Thompson passed away in July 2023, and in October 2023 the University learned of her incredible $900,000 gift to Otterbein鈥檚 endowment through her close friend, Carol Heskett, trustee of the Carol Thompson Trust. This transformational gift, and Carol Thompson鈥檚 legacy of seizing every opportunity as a first-generation college student, will live on through generations of 9i果冻制作厂students to come.
The Roush Family Foundation has donated an additional $250,000 to support the Campus Center Renovation Project and $50,000 to support improvements to the Rike Center court floor and bleachers. During a recent hard-hat tour, Foundation members and guests felt it was important to honor the legacies of the Roush Family Foundation founders and to invest in Otterbein鈥檚 current and future students in this way.
Nancy Jean Smith 鈥�72 committed $30,000 to establish the Nancy Jean Smith Endowed Scholarship in Arts and Humanities. Smith spent 30 years as a local public librarian and takes joy in the lifetime of inspiration she acquired for art and the humanities from former 9i果冻制作厂art history professor Lillian Frank.
Dr. Fred E. 鈥�79 and Deborah Webber 鈥�80 Benedict donated $25,000 to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project.
Brian E. 鈥�93 and Gwendolyn Swigart 鈥�93 Nichols pledged $35,000 to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project.
Alan Waterhouse 鈥�82 and Dr. Beena Wycliffe donated $11,847 to be split evenly to support the 9i果冻制作厂Fund and the Waterhouse Family Scholarship, which honors the legacy of Alan鈥檚 father, George Alan Waterhouse, by providing financial support to students from Richland County.
A gift has been bestowed to the 9i果冻制作厂Fund from the estates of Robert and Ruth Osbahr, parents of Nancy Osbahr DeBell 鈥�77 and Mark Osbahr 鈥�81, and parents-in-law of Fred DeBell 鈥�76.
Gretchen Freeman Hargis ’77 and Trustee Jonathan R. Hargis ’79 contributed $50,000 to conclude their $100,000 total commitment to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project.
Chris 鈥�77 and Karen Kaiser donated $28,550 to support the Campus Center Renovation Project, the Deborah and Mark Thresher Family Scholarship, and the 9i果冻制作厂Fund.
Trustee Emeritus Dr. John T. 鈥淭ed鈥� Huston 鈥�57, P鈥�85, P鈥�89 gave $37,050 to support the Campus Center Renovations and the Promise House. With lead gifts from Ted, along with Michael 鈥�86, P鈥�16, P鈥�21 and Lisa Collins 鈥�86, P鈥�16, P鈥�21 Huston and John P. 鈥�89, P鈥�04 and Lisa Rindfuss 鈥�88, P鈥�04 Huston, the Huston family is joining together to give as a legacy family to support the Campus Center. Fifteen members of the Huston family have attended Otterbein.
The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation donated $25,000 to benefit the Department of Equine Science in honor of the gala celebrating 15 years of excellence at the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science.
The Vida S. Clements Foundation granted a total of $165,000 to support The Point; the Rike Center Bleacher Renovation Project; the Sports Film Digitalization Project spearheaded by the Courtright Memorial Library staff; the Deborah and Mark Thresher Family Scholarship; the 鈥淥鈥� Club; and the Vida S. Clements Endowed Scholarship to support full-time students.
The 9i果冻制作厂鈥淥鈥� Club has continued its long legacy of supporting students with a recent $75,160 gift to fund the Rike Center Bleachers Renovation Project and the assistant sports information position.
Former 9i果冻制作厂Trustee and Chair Emerita Cheryl Herbert provided over $100,000 to establish the Cheryl Sinden Endowed Fund for Student Success. This gift will support several aspects of the 9i果冻制作厂READY career and professional preparation program, including the first-ever 9i果冻制作厂READY Day.
Dr. David L. Ward 鈥�74 gave $100,000 toward the founding of the David Lee Ward 鈥�74 Endowed Scholarship. Ward is an accomplished scientist and physician who credits the scholarship he received at 9i果冻制作厂in shaping his future. He is proud to create the same opportunity for students to realize their educational and professional goals.
James A. and Kathleen Rutherford P鈥�99 provided $50,000 to further build the James A. and Kathleen Rutherford Endowed Scholarship, which places a special emphasis on fostering the education of first-generation students.
The John B. and Olive S. Cook Foundation granted $12,300 to provide funds to support the Riley Auditorium Lighting Project and the Olive S. Cook 鈥�24 Memorial Endowed Award to facilitate graduates in the fields of Music and Music Education.
Morton J. H鈥�00 and Barbara K. H鈥�23 Achter donated $70,000 to support the new lighting project in Riley Auditorium and the purchase of equipment to facilitate experiential learning for the Nursing IV students. Morton is a retired professor emeritus of Music and former chair at 9i果冻制作厂whose passion helped develop the Musical Theater program, and Barbara was the founding chair of the Nursing program at Otterbein.
WELCOME to our new team member supporting Grants and Sponsored Programs in Institutional Advancement!
Megan Reamsnyder
Assistant Director, Grants and Sponsored Programs
Grants, Corporate, and Foundation Support
Grants help to provide essential funding for new programs, research, and other areas that directly impact our students. 9i果冻制作厂faculty and administrators have received five grants totaling $2,803,905 since the fall issue of Towers from the organizations listed here.
United States Department of Education
Title III Cardinals First Program
AMOUNT: $1,794,331
These Title III funds support the creation of the Cardinals First Program to hire a program director, resource navigator, and an additional academic success coach to expand the student success support for first-generation students. Through this program, 9i果冻制作厂will also hire additional tutors and provide training and support for tutors who work with first-generation and second-year students taking high intensity classes to increase retention; increase faculty development options; provide mentor training and supplies; and purchase software to track the success of the students.
Ohio Department of Higher Education
Choose Ohio First STEM and Engineering Scholarships
TOTAL AMOUNT OF TWO GRANTS: $896,816
In December, 9i果冻制作厂received two scholarship-based Choose Ohio First Grants. Our Cardinal STEM Scholars: Continuing to Build Ohio鈥檚 STEM Pipeline Scholarship Program was awarded $779,961 in fiscal year 2025 Choose Ohio First funding. This grant will provide STEM Scholarships from fall 2026 through 2030 to 75 students in five cohorts of 10-15 students. Based on the financial needs of the students, scholarships will range from a minimum of $1,500 to a maximum of $9,081. With the addition of 9i果冻制作厂dedicated matching funds, this equates to scholarships in the range of $8,000- $22,000 per student in STEM disciplines.
9i果冻制作厂also received $116,855 for a Choose Ohio First Fiscal Year 2019 Completion Grant. The 2019 Choose Ohio First Grant was a multi-year grant, but as it was a new program, it was not fully funded through the entire academic career of the student cohorts receiving these Engineering-based scholarships. This continuation grant provides funding to complete the scholarships for the students.
Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO)
Community Waste Reduction Grant
AMOUNT: : $12,758
Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) awarded 9i果冻制作厂for a Community Waste Reduction Grant to purchase new recycling receptacles for the Dining Hall in Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project. The grant will also provide recycling training and education to students, staff, and faculty as well as an analysis of current campus recycling efforts and creation of a campuswide recycling plan.
Columbus Foundation Shackleford Field of Interest Fund
9i果冻制作厂READY Experiential Learning Experiences
AMOUNT: : $100,000
This grant award supports the 9i果冻制作厂READY program and removes economic barriers to experiential learning opportunities in central Ohio, such as support for students with unpaid internships in their field of study.
