Images Tom W. Davis

Businessman Tom W. Davis has made a $35,000 investment in The Ohio State University Office of Student Life's Buckeye Leadership Fellows program. The donation will enable the program to use technology to help students develop their leadership skills and sponsor five student positions in the privately funded program.

Davis is chairman of United Pool Distribution, a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. He has also supported Ohio State students by providing significant funding for scholarships and facilities such as the Tom W. Davis Climbing Center and the Tom W. Davis Special Events Gym.

A portion of his investment will be used to purchase iPads for each student in the Buckeye Leadership Fellows program. This is the second year in a row that Mr. Davis has sponsored the devices.

"Mr. Davis clearly understands the importance of supporting and investing in the next generation of leaders. His gift allows us to weave cutting edge technology into the program, thereby getting us closer to our goal of becoming one of the most innovative leadership development experiences on a college campus," said BLF Director Eddie Pauline.

An iTunes U course for the BLF program has already been created in partnership with Ohio State's Digital First initiative. The course, which is accessible through the iPads, will house reading materials, productivity apps, videos, and other interactive tools that will help the students be more successful inside and outside the classroom.

The Buckeye Leadership Fellows program is a comprehensive approach to developing undergraduate students into leaders. The focus is on helping students develop a deeper understanding of who they are, what they are capable of, and offering practical evidence to support those realizations. This unique approach utilizes Ohio State alumni and other community leaders in designing and actively participating in the program.

Upon completion of the first year of the program, the students will have developed a robust personalized development plan that is filled with insight from the various professional world challenges that they will have participated in throughout the year. In addition, they will have built strong connections with alumni and community leaders and have a better sense of what their goals are and how to accomplish them. Fellows are expected to stay engaged with the program after graduation.

For more information, contact Eddie Pauline, director of Buckeye Leadership Fellows, at (614) 247-6620 or Pauline.2@osu.edu

Contact:

Dave Isaacs

614-292-8424

