News Announcement
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Columbus, September 2009

AKRON RESIDENT, RECIPIENT OF SISLER MCFAWN FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP, ON PRE-MEDICAL TRACK AT HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY

Rachael DeRosa, from Akron, Ohio is a junior at Heidelberg University double majoring in Biology and Psychology on the pre-medical track.  She is the recipient, for the second year, of a scholarship from the Sisler McFawn Foundation through The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges’ Ohio Scholars Program.

Rachael is extremely appreciative of Heidelberg’s encouraging its students to expand their knowledge in all areas and takes courses in many different disciplines.   She praises the professors for their extraordinarily broad range of experience and knowledge and for their encouragement of their students to be the best that they can be.  Developmental Biology particularly captures Rachael’s interest, though, and she will be conducting research for her capstone course in that area during her second semester. 

In the true liberal arts tradition, Heidelberg’s students are encouraged to develop interests outside of their studies.  Rachael has become involved in the Euglossian Society on campus, which sponsors major philanthropic events, such as the bi-annual blood drive, and works to support other campus groups.  Society members also challenge each other to grow as individuals and take on leadership roles.  Rachael is also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity, whose members volunteer at soup kitchens, nursing homes, parks, school events – anywhere, she said, that they can be of service.   She also tutors in Biology and Psychology and has begun her first year as a resident assistant.    

“I am enjoying the experience of working and problem solving with such a variety of people”, Rachael wrote in her thank-you letter to the Sisler McFawn Foundation.  “I would like to thank you”, she said, “for helping me to live my dreams as a student at Heidelberg University.  This scholarship means a lot to me and to my family.  Your foundation has made a great difference in my future”.

The Sisler McFawn Foundation has supported the mission of OFIC for 17 years and has a cumulative giving total of nearly $1 million.  The Sisler McFawn Scholarship supports students from Summit County in their pursuit of private higher education.

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.