The Newark campus' scholarship fund drive received a $1 million boost from Park National Bank, including more than $300,000 from bank employees.
The bank and its associates donated that amount to the campus' Next Generation Challenge Scholarship Campaign, which local philanthropists Gib and Lou Reese will match dollar for dollar.
Read the articles in the Newark Advocate: http://bit.ly/p9V3XQ and in Columbus Business First: http://bit.ly/n4chI9
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Louella H. and J. Gilbert Reese
Granville philanthropists J. Gilbert and Louella H. Reese are calling the community to action with this $10 million challenge. This challenge will raise endowed funds to support scholarships benefiting students attending Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) and The Ohio State University at Newark in perpetuity.
The Reeses will match up to $10 million for all contributions made between April 30, 2010 and June 30, 2012 to support the growth of endowed scholarships for COTC or Ohio State Newark students. The challenge will match gifts dollar-for-dollar up to $10 million. Gifts can be made to the Newark Campus Development Fund (NCDF), a permanent, locally controlled endowment that provides funding for innovative projects and scholarships at COTC and Ohio State Newark as well as to COTC and Ohio State Newark directly.
“Gib and Lou have shown a commitment that is exemplary, and their historical efforts demonstrate the value of their leadership,” said William L. MacDonald, Ph.D., dean/director Ohio State Newark. “Private contributions are vital to providing access to higher education. Now, more than ever, access to higher education is critical not only to the future of our students but also to the future of our communities.”
COTC and Ohio State Newark will work collaboratively with NCDF to meet the challenge put forward by Mr. and Mrs. Reese and have outlined two major objectives:
“Mr. and Mrs. Reese continue to be key drivers behind our success,” said COTC President Bonnie L. Coe, Ph.D. “Their investment in the campus has transformed the lives of our students, their families, and the community at large.”
As co-located partners on the Newark campus, COTC and Ohio State Newark are committed to providing local access to quality education and to helping students enter and remain in school, despite significant financial obstacles. This endowment to support scholarships will ensure that current and future students will have access to higher education on the Newark campus.
“This investment is not only an investment in COTC and Ohio State Newark students, but in their families and the community as a whole. Through the J. Gilbert and Louella H. Reese Next Generation Challenge, doors will open for hundreds of young adults in our community, ensuring the financial assistance necessary to pursue their dreams” said William T. McConnell, NCDF Chair.
J Gilbert Reese is often referred to as one of the founding fathers of Ohio State Newark and COTC. He has dedicated nearly 55 years of service and leadership to the Newark campus. Mr. Reese, an Emeritus Trustee for both Ohio State Newark and COTC, chaired the campaign in 1966 to purchase land for Ohio State’s regional campus with a goal to raise $600,000; he raised more than $1 million. In 1971, he provided leadership in creating COTC, the technical college co-located on the Newark campus. In 1983, he partnered with Howard E. LeFevre to spearhead a community wide $2.5 million fundraising drive and founded the NCDF. He also served as honorary campaign governor and made a personal leadership commitment in an effort to raise more than $10 million to fund a new technology center at the Newark campus. The John Gilbert Reese Center opened in 2003, offering a variety of spaces, including a conference center, auditorium, classrooms, and café. He and his wife, Louella, funded the construction of the Martha Grace Reese Amphitheatre at the Newark campus and yearly the Reese Family funds the largest Fourth of July celebration in Licking County, bringing thousands of community members to the campus.