Ohio Wesleyan Parents Contribute $750,000 To Enhance Student Housing
Ohio Wesleyan University has received a five-year $750,000 gift commitment from a parent couple to support the university’s ongoing efforts to renew its student housing. The couple’s gift, combined with a $250,000 major-gift match, creates a $1 million building fund to support construction of a new small living unit (SLU).
“Through the eyes of their children, these parents understand the importance of creating a vibrant living and learning environment on a residential campus,” said President Rock Jones, Ph.D. “Their generous gift will help to provide that transformational experience for generations of Ohio Wesleyan students.”
The gift supports the first phase of a three-phase student housing master plan to renovate or replace campus housing over the next several years. The funds will be used to support the construction of an OWU small-living unit – a themed residence open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Ohio Wesleyan’s SLUs are intentional communities of students who share an interest in specific topics and issues. The students come together to explore their topics and educate the campus about them, too. Current themed houses include the Citizens of the World House, House of Black Culture, House of Thought, Interfaith House, Modern Foreign Languages House, Peace and Justice House, Tree House, and Women’s House.
The couple’s gift comes in support of the university’s “Connect Today, Create Tomorrow” capital campaign. The seven-year campaign was launched in July with the key objectives of enhancing access and affordability for students through scholarship endowment; recognizing and rewarding faculty excellence and innovation; and improving the physical campus.
The campaign’s leadership phase already has yielded more than $50 million in contributions and commitments, including an anonymous $3 million gift to create the major-gift match program. The match program will enhance up to 12 future contributions of $250,000 or more with a $250,000 match.
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s SLUs and other residences at owu.edu/reslife and more about giving to the university 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.