Ohio Wesleyan Receives $1.625 Million Contribution to Support Athletics
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University announced that it has received an anonymous gift of $1.625 million over five years to support its athletics department.
This gift from an anonymous alumni donor is made in recognition of his passion for athletics and sportsmanship, the game of lacrosse, and the Ohio Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team in particular. The fund will be used for the Ohio Wesleyan lacrosse programs to provide needed resources, including expanding the coaching staff, as well as to enhance staffing for several OWU women’s sports in compliance with Title IX. The endowed fund will ensure long-term support of the Battling Bishop men’s lacrosse program.
“I am deeply grateful for this gift and the impact it will have on the Ohio Wesleyan athletics programs,” said President Rock Jones, Ph.D. “With nearly one-third of our student body participating in varsity athletics, the experience as a student-athlete contributes greatly to the education of many OWU students. This gift provides important support to our men’s lacrosse program as well as to three of our women’s athletics programs, reflecting Ohio Wesleyan’s commitment to excellence in all of its athletics programs. It is a great day to be a Bishop!”
Roger Ingles, Ohio Wesleyan athletics director, said: “Ohio Wesleyan alumni love this university and their generosity has helped make the student-athlete experience here exceptional. Thanks to this gift, several men’s and women’s programs will be greatly improved and better able to provide those exceptional experiences.”
“This is an exciting time for our athletics department and our men’s lacrosse program,” said Ohio Wesleyan men’s lacrosse coach Mike Plantholt. “The longer I work at Ohio Wesleyan, the more I am humbled by our great alumni and their passion and generosity. This gift addresses some of our biggest program needs and will benefit our student-athletes immediately.”
Ohio Wesleyan has a storied tradition in men’s lacrosse, winning 18 of the first 30 North Coast Athletic Conference championships, advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs 27 times to rank second all-time among Division III institutions, and advancing to the NCAA Division III national championship game four times.
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan athletics at www.battlingbishops.com 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, coed university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors, minors, and concentrations, 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 practice. OWU’s 1,850 students represent 42 states and 37 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the 2013 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.