November 19, 2009: News & Views

OWU Establishes Alumni Referral Award
Prospective students can receive a $500 award to their financial aid package

Each alumni-referred student who enrolls at OWU for the fall 2010 semester will receive a $500 Alumni Referral Award as part of his or her financial aid package. “We’re excited about this new aspect of OWU’s Alumni Referral Program,” says Associate Director of Alumni Relations Ed Lenane. “There are already other, more intangible benefits of being referred to Ohio Wesleyan by an alum. So this award adds a bonus to those other benefits.”

Drew Thawley ’97 knows just how beneficial an alumni referral can be. As a student at Wilton High School in Connecticut, he was recruited by George Sternad ’48, who referred Thawley to OWU. “George was the guy at the southwestern Connecticut recruiting dinner who wore the red blazer and the OWU Bishop tie,” Thawley recalls. “He recruited me from high school, arranging my college campus visit, spoke to the soccer coach on my behalf, and visited me personally at my house.”

Thawley’s connection to Sternad remained throughout the former’s OWU years as well as after he graduated. Thawley joined Sternad as a volunteer recruiter and even accompanied Sternad on a fishing trip to Canada. “We discussed OWU non-stop,” says Thawley. “It was on this trip to Canada that I learned the value of asking good questions of my elders, and then sitting back and truly listening to their replies.”

“Drew and George are one of the best examples of how alumni referral can turn into a mentorship and friendship,” Lenane says. “Our greatest wish is that alumni feel inspired by their own OWU experiences to refer students who they think might be a good fit for the University. The referral award was established to highlight the connection between our alumni and new students.”

To receive the referral award, a student must be referred by an alumni of Ohio Wesleyan prior to January 30, 2010 and prior to the student being admitted. A referral cannot be submitted by an alum for his or her children. “But grandparents can refer their grandchildren,” says Lenane. Other guidelines include:

• The student must be a first-year, full-time undergraduate student, attending OWU for the first time.
• The award is good for the first year only and is non-renewable.
• The recommended student must meet University admission acceptance standards.
• The recommended student must complete the Free Application for Federal student Aid (FAFSA).

– Ericka Kurtz