UF Receives Big Financial Gift For Scholarships

The American Electric Power Foundation has presented the University of Findlay with a big financial gift that will be used for student scholarships.

Details are in the following media release from the University of Findlay.

The University of Findlay is pleased to announce that a financial gift in the amount of $500,000 has been provided by American Electric Power Foundation for three scholarships that will provide much-needed aid to students pursuing rewarding, service-oriented careers.

The scholarships include:

-The American Electric Power Foundation Endowed Scholarship in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math/medicine) Education Fund, which will go to a student who is enrolled in accounting or finance, or any programs within the Colleges of Health Professions, Pharmacy or Sciences.

-The American Electric Power Foundation Findlay Forward Scholarship for Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, which will impact eight to 15 students annually over five years.

-The Business Affiliates Scholarship Program, which provides critical financial support to UF students with financial need who either graduated from a Hancock County high school or who are currently employed by a Hancock County business.

AEP is pleased to provide such funding, which supports one of the Columbus, Ohio-based companys central tenants of community involvement, said Dale Heydlauff, AEP Foundation president.

Education is the essential precursor to change, to growth, and to innovation, Heydlauff pointed out during todays private gift announcement ceremony on campus. He concluded that scholarships such as those being funded at UF by AEP are therefore critical due to higher education costs that are requiring students to manage greater debt loads after graduation.

UF Senior Gabbi McCracken, an Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability student, thanked the AEP Foundation for its philanthropic efforts. Because of similar assistance provided by the company and others with a similar altruistic ethos, she said she will be graduating with debt thats very manageable. Offsetting McCrackens expenses have been Business Affiliates scholarships and academic scholarships she has earned.

Nathan Tice, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, added that AEP Foundations donation will help the University improve upon an already stellar academic offering of programs and courses that focus on STEM learning. Thanks to UFs emphasis on collaboration and community impact, successes such as cancer research, work that combats intergenerational poverty, and astronomy events at Newhard Planetarium for participants of all ages are already having positive effects, he maintained. This generous gift is going to help us do this even better, he said.