$5 million gift supports University of Cincinnati regional colleges

An anonymous donor has made a $5 million gift to the University of Cincinnati to support its regional colleges, UC Blue Ash College and UC Clermont College. This generous donation will provide paid internships and co-ops, expanded career services offerings and more scholarship support for students at both colleges. Since 2018, this anonymous donor has given UC $7.26 million; earlier gifts were to UC Clermont. 

“This incredible act of generosity provides foundational support to our students and their future,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “We are truly appreciative of this visionary gift, which creates fundamental opportunities for our regional colleges to expand real-world learning and job coaching while also investing in research and innovation.”

The $5 million gift comprises $1.5 million of support for experiential learning in the form of paid internships and co-ops.

• At UC Clermont, it will endow the Cronin Career Scholars Fund, creating permanent funding for the college’s first paid internship program. The Cronin Career Scholars Fund was created by Dennis Cronin, DAAP ‘70, and provides students with vital hands-on experiences through internships with a wide range of community partners, from local nonprofits and businesses to Cincinnati Children’s.
  
  
• At UC Blue Ash, $500,000 will establish and endow a new UC Blue Ash Career Services Endowment Fund. This will allow the college to expand co-op opportunities for students, increase access to career coaching and career exploration, provide on-campus workshops and expand job search assistance, including resume review and interview preparation.

Both regional colleges are home to a career services office that aligns with the Bearcat Promise, a commitment to students to provide the people, tools and experiences they need to complete a degree and pursue a career after graduation.

“Students will benefit tremendously from the generosity of this gift and its elevation of career services,” said UC Clermont Dean Jeffrey Bauer. “Because many students rely on income from part-time jobs, they are often unable to participate in unpaid internships. These funds will eliminate the need for part-time jobs by elevating both programs with paid internships and co-ops.” 

$3.5 million from the gift will create new scholarship support for students at both campuses and contribute to faculty research support at UC Clermont.

• The new UC Clermont Leadership Endowment Fund will award scholarships to students with a preference for students committed to a student leadership position. This includes but is not limited to peer mentors, ambassadors and student government.
  
  
• At UC Clermont, the gift supports the existing Sophia Endowed Fund for Innovation. The fund is used in part for faculty-driven research, grant writing stipends and discretionary needs of the college as determined by the dean.
  
  
• An additional $500,000 establishes the Sophia Endowed Scholarship Fund for UC Blue Ash students to assist high-achieving students in need. 

“Career services and scholarship assistance are vital to student success at UC Blue Ash,” said UC Blue Ash Dean Robin Lightner, PhD. “This remarkable gift will open many more doors for students at our college, to allow them to get a degree with less financial burden and graduate ready to start their career.”