The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges
250 E. Broad St., Suite 1700
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3722
For more information, please contact Cheryl Kight,
614-649-1950 ext. 111 or kight@ofic.org
June 15, 2010 – For immediate release
AT&T OHIO MAKES $50,000 DONATION TO SUPPORT BRIDGES, A COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM OF THE OHIO FOUNDATION OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES
AT&T Ohio, headquartered in Cleveland, has made a gift of $50,000 to support The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges’ (OFIC) college access program, Bridges, in Northeast Ohio.
Bridges enables urban and economically disadvantaged youth to see a college education as a realistic and attainable goal and also teaches them how to gain access to that education. Tom Pelto, President, AT&T Ohio, is enthusiastic about the program’s benefits not only to Ohio’s students but also to the corporate community and Ohio’s business environment in general. He commented, “These initiatives will increase the number of minority students who attend college in Ohio, help keep them in school, and provide forums to address diversity issues that impact not only campuses but also the corporate community. The Bridges program not only encourages high school students to go on to higher education but also teaches them how to do it.”
The program connects students to OFIC colleges through their relationships with local churches and school systems, including the Cleveland Metropolitan School System, Harvey High School in Painesville, and private schools such as Cleveland Central Catholic High School. Bridges workshops teach the students the value and importance of a college education; the academic steps necessary in high school to qualify for college; and how to apply for financial aid, enroll and succeed academically. The State of Ohio Treasurer’s office is a co-sponsor of the Bridges Program and offers financial workshops for students and their families
With a cumulative donor giving total of nearly $5 million, AT&T Ohio has supported the mission of OFIC to provide access to independent higher education to Ohio’s students for 56 years. The company has been a strong supporter of OFIC’s diversity programs, sponsoring programs on member campuses to increase minority recruitment and retention as well as sponsoring diversity forums that provide an opportunity for both campus multicultural officers and corporate representatives to discuss diversity issues common to the campus and the workplace and to share best practices.
An additional benefit of the program is that OFIC campuses are providing scholarship support for students who participate in Bridges. Students can earn annual scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
Approximately 1,000 northeast Ohio students are participating in the program this academic year.
OFIC, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, is the primary corporate and foundation solicitation organization for 34 Ohio independent colleges and universities. OFIC member colleges collectively enroll 99,000 students. For 60 years the Foundation has worked to highlight the leadership, value and excellence of independent higher education. Through contributions raised in annual solicitations of businesses and foundations OFIC has provided unrestricted operating funds and scholarship assistance, thereby assuring continuation of excellence in independent 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.
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