Academic Program Support
Ashland continues to attract students and faculty with the drive and heart to succeed so our community becomes stronger in talent, diversity, and accomplishment.
Departmental Support
At Ashland, our faculty not only teach, but they mentor our students. Their passion is to unleash each student’s ambitions.
Every department within our five colleges, works to best support the students and faculty within their area. For instance, there are many departments within the College or Arts and Sciences and each department houses an academic major, or several majors, which are pursued by our students.
Your support provides immediate assistance within a specific academic area. With your gift, faculty feel supported in providing the best for our students. Giving to an individual department allows our professors to help students match their passions to a purpose and become the men and women they were designed to be.
Innovation in Teaching and Learning Excellence
The Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence (CITE) is both a physical space where our professors can learn and practice alternative teaching and learning styles, and also a program for faculty professional development.
The mission of CITE is to cultivate the growth and learning of our faculty, giving them opportunities to develop as teacher-scholars This program provides faculty with options to attend blended face-to-face and virtual summits where they can learn high impact teaching strategies, along with other developmental opportunities. Our professors are then better equipped to train up new generations of Eagles as they prepare for their lives beyond college and make a big impact on the lives of those around them.
Your support of this initiative ensures our professors can reach their full potential. When our professors are both experts in their field as well as excellent teachers, our students benefit the most.
Classroom Technology and Lab Equipment Support
Every academic department at Ashland University knows advanced equipment and innovative technology are one way to enhance our students’ experience. We’ve made it a priority to allow students the opportunity to use the latest high-end technology in a real way, so they’re prepared to flourish long before they head out into the world.
For example, the College of Business and Economics purchased Bloomberg Terminals, which run a software system through which users can monitor and analyze live market data and place trades. Our students are able to experience financial markets in real time. This technology gives our finance students a competitive edge after graduation—whether they choose to work on Wall Street or Main Street.
The costs are steep for building windows into the real world, but the benefits are enormous. Even amidst a global pandemic, investment in innovative technology ensures that every student receives an education that upholds Ashland's reputation for innovative teaching with professors who come alongside every student, every day, in any circumstance, to prepare for their life’s calling.
Faculty / Student Research Support
Mentoring a student who is researching a solution to a real-world problem is a passion of Ashland professors. This partnership is vital for students submitting competitive applications to graduate school.
For example, prestigious institutions across the country are able to host summer undergraduate researchers and provide them a stipend while they work with their mentor and conduct their research. At Ashland, Dr. Perry Corbin and Dr. Rebecca Corbin are ready to grow our existing summer research program so we can provide the same experience.
The Undergraduate Science Research Endowment was established about a decade ago to bring this program to life. Earned income from this endowed fund provides science students majoring in Chemistry, Geology, Biology, or Toxicology the opportunity to work side-by-side with a professor in their chosen field.
Our dream is to build this endowed fund so Ashland’s summer research program can host and provide stipends to even more students! Imagine a robust summer program where labs are full of students and professors working together. These collaborations elevate Ashland University’s reputation and perpetuate important scientific advancements in areas such as: current drug delivery, cataract, soil compound analysis, and field work projects. This plants the seeds for new ideas to blossom on our campus.
Your support would allow us to establish new research opportunities for students to set themselves apart in their chosen field of future employment.
Special Programs
Several generous donors have provided funding to bring new initiatives to Ashland. These programs are enriching the student experience on campus in ways never imagined. Here are some donor-funded initiatives going on at Ashland.
Freshman Orientation
In 2016, Fred (’75) and Anne (Mainwaring) (’76) Broad made a gift to revitalize the Freshman Orientation Program. The program was redesigned to facilitate a smoother transition for new students and greater peace of mind for parents. This program is one way we fulfill our promise for all students to experience the “Accent on the Individual” from the first moment they arrive on campus.
Life Calling
A donation from Paul (‘68) and Lani (Hum) (’70) McKnight ensured the Life Calling program, consisting of three courses and a lecture series, is available to all students. This program helps students find their passions, talents, and opportunities for growth in their careers and future lives. Endowing this program will guarantee Ashland students are pursuing their life calling for years to come.
Accent on Writing and Communication
This program focuses on the ongoing development of writing throughout each student’s collegiate career. Students develop their writing skills through this comprehensive and immersive program. Now more than ever, writing and communication skills are essential. The Accent on Writing and Communication program provides the tools our students need to succeed in today’s world.
Ashland Center for Nonviolence
The Ashland Center for Nonviolence at Ashland University was established to promote alternatives to violence through programming, education, training, and building relationships that foster awareness and consideration of issues related to peace and social justice. The Center also supports ways to create a caring community that is inclusive and just. The impact of this program has been extending beyond our campus and into the local community.
International Collaboration Research Center
For decades, the field of psychology has faced a “reproducibility problem.” Dr. Chris Chartier, Professor of Psychology at Ashland University, solved this problem by establishing the nationally recognized Psychological Science Accelerator. Hundreds of labs across the world are now running the same studies simultaneously and sharing their data. These groundbreaking collaborations have produced unprecedented results. Expanding this program on Ashland’s campus provides our psychology students internship and research opportunities and positions them on the cutting edge of their field.
A gift of support enriches existing programming. A passion or idea for a program can enhance the student experience. When Ashland partners with generous donors like you our students thrive.
Faculty Endowments
Since its founding, a hallmark of Ashland University has been its remarkable faculty. These distinguished individuals are crucial to our mission and core values. You can help to ensure the University continues to recruit and retain leading faculty who emphasize teaching enhanced by research and scholarship through your support of endowed distinguished chairs, professorships, and faculty fellowships.
The future success of Ashland depends on retaining faculty with the drive to succeed and a heart to serve. Your gifts are needed to create capacity for new opportunities.
To paint a picture of what that looks like practically, here is a real life example. Earned income from a faculty endowment would free up grant money currently compensating psychology professor Chris Chartier Ph.D. Dr. Chartier founded the International Collaboration Research Center and is leading the development of the Psychological Science Accelerator—an initiative changing the entire landscape of how psychology studies are structured across the globe—providing unique student experiences through this collaboration. By replacing grant money with endowment earnings, Dr. Chartier can expand his research and provide even more opportunities for students on our campus.
Directly supporting our faculty through an endowment is a powerful way to ensure we can expand the unique, world-changing opportunities that can only happen at Ashland University.
Type
Minimum Gift
Estimated Annual Impact
Endowed Chair
$2,000,000
$100,000
Endowed Professorship
$1,500,000
$75,000
Endowed Faculty Fellowship
$500,000
$25,000
Program Endowments
Whether you want to provide professors with equipment for research, eager students with opportunities for cultural exploration, or pathways for students to find their life calling, program endowments make a difference for specific endeavors. This type of endowment supports the long-term viability of special programs across campus.
Each year, faculty and staff initiate innovative and captivating programs which open new doors for our students.
For example, the College of Arts & Sciences has an endowed fund for student research in the sciences. Funds from this endowment provide educational opportunities for students involved in undergraduate research projects in the natural sciences. Some examples of how funds from this program endowment can be used are: stipend support, travel for conferences, materials for presentations, research supplies and equipment.
Funding through an endowment provides innovative programs with needed longevity and stability, so our students now and into the future will continue to have world class opportunities.
Type
Minimum Gift
Estimated Annual Impact
Endowed Provost Innovation Fund
$500,000
$25,000
Endowed Lectureship
$250,000
$12,500
Endowed Research Fund
$250,000
$12,500
Endowed Student Program Fund
$100,000
$5,000
