COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University will be able to build on current outreach and engagement initiatives and encourage the creation of new programs across the university, thanks to a $265,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Karen Bruns, leader of OSU Cares and Outreach/Engagement, said the grant will bring Ohio State to a higher level of involvement within the communities it serves and closer to its goal of being a national leader in outreach and engagement.

"Outreach and engagement programs represent that aspect of teaching that enables learning beyond the campus walls, that aspect of research that makes what we discover useful beyond the academic community, and that aspect of service that directly benefits the public," Bruns said. "All this is certainly reflective of Ohio State's rich tradition of teaching, research and service."

A portion of the grant will be distributed in the form of seed grants to units and departments across campus based on proposals for programs in their areas, Bruns said. The remainder of the funds will provide for a university-wide conference on the benefits of outreach and engagement and other similar programs targeted at the university population, she said.

Ohio State began focusing financial support and increased energy on outreach and engagement in 1994 under the leadership of then President E. Gordon Gee and Executive Vice President and Provost Richard Sisson. Under the leadership of President William E. Kirwan and through his involvement with the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-grant Universities, outreach and engagement has been identified as one of four strategic objectives for the university.

The President's Council on Outreach and Engagement also has sponsored an Outreach and Engagement Leadership Symposium, implemented the Roads Scholars Tour, and awarded Outreach and Engagement Seed Grants.

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