Impact Report
Discover how your generosity has created student opportunities at Ashland.
A Letter from the President
Greetings from Ashland University! When we think about how to answer the question, “Why Ashland?” we turn first to our mission statement, which says in part, we deliver a “Transformative learning experience, shaping graduates who work, serve and lead with integrity.” In addition, we are proud of the fact that we teach our students “How to Think, Not What to Think” and they experience “Accent on the Individual” every day here on campus. This combination of powerful commitments make Ashland University stand out among the many other higher education options. These are the reasons why students continue to choose AU as a place to spend their formative years. These are the reasons why many of you continue to invest in AU, ensuring that our mission thrives well into the future.
We continue to work hard to keep an Ashland education affordable and accessible. By supporting academic and co-academic programs, you help our students on the path to discovering their careers and preparing them to become valued employees and world leaders.
Our beautiful, 125-acre campus continues to undergo a radical transformation through the current campus beautification project, which has seen more than $20 million in private investments. Resident halls, walkways, bridges, common areas, auditoriums and other areas have had significant upgrades. The new Library Café opened the week of Homecoming 2023 and is a unique gathering space for not only our students, faculty and staff, but also the Ashland community.
In addition, after two years in development, we were excited to launch a new academic program this fall–a bachelor’s program in industrial and system engineering, housed in the Dauch College of Business and Economics. Because the demand for industrial and system engineers is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations, this new degree expands our academic offerings and also gives us the opportunity to consider related degrees in the future.
Friends and donors just like you continue to respond to our students’ needs and we are grateful for your extraordinary support. Your generous donations will continue to attract students to Ashland, along with top-notch faculty and staff. Our people are the key ingredient for a thriving strong campus community.
Thank you again for your ongoing support of Ashland University. We are excited to provide this annual update on how fundraising is transforming Ashland University’s students every day. Go Eagles!
Dr. Carlos A. Campo
President of Ashland University
Fiscal Year Overview
June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2023
Contributions
Total: $26,487,809
The generosity of our community continues to make a difference in students’ lives. Contributions for the last fiscal year totaled $26,487,809, allowing us to continue providing transformational experiences and opportunities that fuel our students’ growth, preparing them for lifelong success.
Annual Giving
Total: $7,896,084
Our approach to annual giving prioritizes the interests and passions that matter most to our donors. As a result, the last several years have seen an increase in new donors giving toward the Ashland Fund and other areas of greatest need to ensure our students have the full Ashland experience during their time here. Your support for specific programs, student organizations and initiatives is changing lives, individual by individual, every day at Ashland.
Why I Give
My motivation in giving to the Ashland Fund and Student Emergency Fund stems from wanting to help students reach their dreams and allow them to experience the Accent on the Individual that Ashland truly provides. These funds go to where it is most needed to assist students. Especially those experiencing financial challenges to complete their education.
I feel blessed for the encouragement and support I received from the entire Ashland community when I was a student. I am glad to give back so the students of today and tomorrow can share that same positive experience and develop lifelong relationships.
The environment offered at Ashland University prepares students to become productive citizens and leaders in whatever career field they choose to pursue. These funds help pave the way for their successes.
Brad Gerth
Class of 1983
Grants
June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2023
(Awarded)
Total: $4,165,409
The relationships we build and sustain are crucial to our success. We depend on the commitment of the 63 external partners and 110 faculty and staff who assist in writing, leading and implementing grants and grant-funded programming.
Grants are key to ensuring successful outcomes across every department on campus. The research our students do right now will lead to discovery and innovation. Opportunities to solve real-world challenges will equip them for entrepreneurial and collaborative endeavors. Their hands-on experience in healthcare will save lives.
A brighter future starts today.
Engaging
Dr. Amy Klinger,
Professor and Director of the Educational Leadership Program
Faculty Impact Story
Ashland University has partnered with Columbus City Schools to improve school leadership, thanks to a generous grant from the Wallace Foundation. The foundation's Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI) aims to create a pipeline of school leaders who can advance equity in their districts. Columbus chose Ashland and The Ohio State University as partners due to Ashland's reputation for producing excellent principals. The grant spans five years and has led to significant course development and resource influx at Ashland.
Dr. Amy Klinger, Professor and Director of the Educational Leadership Program at Ashland, serves as the Grant Administrator. She notes that one of the most significant outcomes of the grant has been the removal of barriers for teachers who have the potential to be great principals but were hindered by financial constraints, time limitations or self-doubt. Dr. Klinger says, "We've worked to remove financial barriers, time and scheduling barriers. But the most significant of these obstacles has been helping teachers see themselves as the leaders that they are."
The grant, awarded in August 2021, has also improved Ashland's existing programs by extending benefits from the grant-funded program to other courses.
As Dr. Klinger says: "Because we did so much heavy lifting in the first year in designing this program, we're able to roll out so much of it to our existing programs, which improves the student experience at Ashland in major ways across the board."
This partnership exemplifies Ashland University's commitment to fostering exceptional leadership in education–along with its stewardship of the opportunities made available to ensure a brighter future for students and communities alike.
Who Ashland University Serves
2022-2023 Academic Year
The generosity of our donors is truly life-changing for each individual student we serve. Your gifts have a distinct and lasting impact on first generation and Pell eligible (low income) students, as well as those receiving an Ashland University scholarship.
Donors & Dollars Raised
As a university, our strength is deeply intertwined with the support we receive from a generous community that, every year, continues to give selflessly and consistently. As a close-knit community, what we’re able to accomplish together is rooted in the connections we forge and nurture. As an institution dedicated to enabling our students to explore their purpose and thrive within an environment focused on their personal growth, your engagement has unlocked new opportunities and paved the path to success in every aspect of students' lives.
Student Impact Story
Kara Lee was not your typical college student at Ashland. With a lifelong dream of earning her social work degree, when it came time to enroll, she was responsible for funding her education by herself.
The Thomas & Deidre Gregory ('81, '89) Endowed Scholarship helped make her dream a reality. Kara worked two full-time jobs, attended classes and raised her son, despite not having nearby family to provide support. Her final semester was especially exhausting as she worked more than 70 hours each week. But knowing just how close she was to her dream kept her pushing forward. Receiving the scholarship brought her one step closer to completing her degree and gave her one less thing to worry about as she prepared to graduate in May 2023.
To the donors of the scholarship she received, she wrote: "Your scholarship meant so much to me...due to your generosity, selflessness and financial support, I can graduate and live my dream of being a social worker. Thank you for making a difference in my life by helping to fund my education. I truly appreciate it more than words can express."
Dede Gregory, upon receiving Kara's letter, said: "This is what being a donor is all about. I'm so glad we can share in touching the lives of students and them being so appreciative."
Endowment
Total: $4,165,409
As we champion the immediate needs of our students through annual giving, we also uphold a steadfast commitment to their future through our endowment. This self-sustaining funding source, which generates investment income, represents our enduring promise to the generations to come. In 2017, we pledged to steward this fund with a long-term, conservative approach. This means that contributions to our endowment will not only create an immediate impact but will also continue to benefit students and our community for countless decades in the future.
Our endowment is a testament to our unwavering commitment to stewardship and the long-term prosperity of our educational mission.
The Impact of Giving at Ashland
It is an honor to serve my alma mater and its donors in my new role. I love this institution and the Ashland community and I can’t thank you enough for giving your time and finances in support of our students, faculty and staff.
Looking back at the 2022-2023 academic year, I am proud of all that was accomplished. The year started with many upgrades across campus. Students moved into a completely renovated Clayton Hall, they used a refurbished walkway over Claremont Avenue and enjoyed beautiful gathering spaces outside Convo. These are only a few of the many aspects of the ongoing Campus Beautification project.
During this time, generous donors like you also helped us to reach another incredible fundraising year. Your donations provided greatly for our students, including much-needed scholarships, help when unexpected needs arise in their lives and funds for them to attend and present at conferences within their field of study.
Donors impact the lives of our students every day.
Our commitment to Accent on the Individual remains the beating heart of Ashland University. Thanks to your financial support, we can continue to live into this ideal in new ways for each successive generation of Eagles.
In addition to their unwavering financial support, alumni and friends have given their time to assist Ashland University. Whether it is by mentoring students, presenting special lectures in the classroom, providing internships or writing a personal note to a prospective student, every gift of time is greatly appreciated.
I trust as you read through this report you can see how your support of Ashland University directly contributes to the well-being of our students today and into the future. Thank you again.
Go Eagles!
Jason P. Miller ’96
Vice President
Office of Institutional Advancement
