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The gift is intended to support the College of Communication’s growing curriculum of educational programs and initiatives, technological improvements, teaching fellows and scholarships.

The Scripps Howard Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The E. W. Scripps Company.

"This is a landmark day in our long and successful partnership with Ohio University,” said Kenneth W. Lowe, president and chief executive officer for Scripps. “With this important gift, it’s our intention to provide the university’s College of Communication with the resources it needs to build on its excellent reputation as a leading academic destination. Together, Scripps and the university are investing in the future of our industry by providing quality higher education for tomorrow’s media and communications professionals.”

In accepting the gift, Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis said he will recommend to the Ohio University Board of Trustees that the college be renamed as the Scripps College of Communication.

“The generosity of the Scripps Howard Foundation and The E. W. Scripps Company, which are long-time friends of the University, is a transformational gift for our College of Communication,” McDavis said. “Together, we have the opportunity to lift our College of Communication to its highest level of excellence.”

Since funding its first scholarship in 1966, Scripps Howard Foundation’s total support of Ohio University has grown to about $20 million. The Foundation had provided about $5 million of funding to the College of Communication through 2005, including its continuing support of the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism.

“Our relationship with the university has a bright future,” said Judith G. Clabes, president and chief executive officer of the Scripps Howard Foundation. “This money will go totally for programming and value-added support for an already quality communication college and will make a difference in perpetuity at the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University.”

The Foundation, Ohio University and Scripps will celebrate the gift and long-time partnership at an all-day event on the university’s Athens, Ohio, campus on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

About Ohio University

Chartered in 1804, Ohio University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Students come from every state in the union and 100 different countries. Presently enrolling more than 29,000 students on the Athens campus and five regional campuses, Ohio University offers 285 undergraduate majors through 10 academic colleges and the Center for International Studies. The University also offers master’s degrees in nearly all areas, 20 doctoral degrees, and a doctoral degree in osteopathic medicine.