ASHLAND, Ohio – Earlier this week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state’s $75 million biennial budget bill, clearing the way for significant funding for three Ashland University projects.
Receiving the go-ahead was $487,925 for the Jack Liebert Military and Veterans’ Resource Center project; $654,250 for the University’s Correctional Education and Expansion program; and $591,750 for the Ashland University Center for Addictions.
“Ashland University has demonstrated an exemplary track record of service and commitment to not just its students but the entire community of Ashland County,” Sen. Mark Romanchuk of Ohio’s District 22, said. “I am proud to have helped secure the additional funding necessary to expand the Ashland University Correctional Education Expansion Program, the Ashland University Military and Veterans Resource Center and The Ashland Center for Addictions Project.”
The Veterans’ Center --- or “The Jack” – also received funding from AU alumna and Board of Trustees’ member Deborah Liebert Karl. Located in the former Brethren headquarters on College Avenue, it is designed to be a home base for Ashland’s student veterans. The building includes conference spaces and offices for the veterans services director and support staff, along with a lounge where veteran students and staff can share a sense of camaraderie.
Ashland University’s Correctional Education program is the longest-running and largest of its type in the country,established in 1964 at the Ohio State Reformatory and now serving more than 4,000 students each semester with college curriculum. The programs are offered to justice-involved adults in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Under the Obama Administration, AU was selected to participate in the second-chance Pell grant, which has allowed the program to grow even further.
The Center for Addictions is housed in the Department of Psychology. Its focus is on developing continuing education units, training and certificate programs, and associate and bachelor’s degrees. These programs prepare professionals and train educators in the counseling field to meet the changing state requirements for addiction counseling.