Ohio Wesleyan Announces $250,000 Alumni Gift Commitment
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University has received a five-year $250,000 gift commitment from alumni Jason R. and Elizabeth Long Downey of Columbus, Ohio, to create an endowed scholarship.
Their contribution makes the Downeys two of the youngest OWU graduates ever to endow a scholarship fund. Jason Downey graduated in 2002 and Elizabeth Long Downey in 2006. The couple met after graduation through their involvement with Ohio Wesleyan.
“When we were students, loyal alumni invested in us,” the couple says of their commitment to their alma mater. “It is now our duty to invest in future generations.”
Their gift creates the Jason R. ’02 and Elizabeth Long Downey ’06 Endowed Scholarship to assist deserving students with significant financial need.
The couple’s contribution also benefits the Ohio Wesleyan Fund, an unrestricted account that supports campus operations; the President’s Circle, a group of alumni, parents, and friends who aid the president with strategic initiatives; and the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship.
At Ohio Wesleyan, Jason Downey was an economics management and history major and member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. He currently is a member of both the OWU Board of Trustees and the Alumni Advisory Board for the Woltemade Center. He is a research analyst for Columbus-based Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. and has expertise in the transportation industry. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
Elizabeth Long Downey was an English major and member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She currently serves on the Ohio Wesleyan Alumni Board. She works for the Columbus-based Ohio Dental Association as an ODPAC and government affairs assistant.
“There are not adequate words to describe Jason and Liz’s continuing loyalty and dedication to Ohio Wesleyan,” said President Rock Jones, Ph.D. “Everyone here is so impressed by their personal and professional successes, and honored that they are so deeply committed to helping other students have their own life-changing university experiences.”
The couple’s gift is part of Ohio Wesleyan’s “Connect Today, Create Tomorrow” capital campaign. The leadership phase of the seven-year campaign began in July and already has yielded more than $50 million in gifts and commitments.
Learn more about giving to Ohio Wesleyan at owu.edu/waystogive.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.