Ohio Northern University

In track and field, individual effort is paramount, but the team provides momentum.

At Ohio Northern University, this sentiment plays out at every meet, and more recently on a grander scale, when committed alumni banded together to fully endow the University’s track and field fund and rename it after a beloved coach.

Bolstering the fund provided a way to not only honor the contributions of Jason Maus, but to support future generations of Polar Bear track and field athletes, said Brett Neff, BSCE ’93. He and his spouse, Jodi (Feasel) Neff, BSPh ’93, generously gave the lead gift to fully endow the fund, requesting its renaming to the Jason Maus Track and Field Endowment Fund.

Track and field director Maus has built a powerhouse program in the Ohio Athletic Conference and mentored hundreds of talented student-athletes during his 17 years at ONU. He is ONU’s all-time winningest coach in men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, achieving an impressive 2,595-723-7 record for a winning percentage of .782.

📲 Read more about Coach Maus' achievements and what inspired the Neff family's generosity: https://bit.ly/4vJpkfo

A future-focused plant researcher, Ohio Northern University alumnus Eric Schultz, BS ’11, Ph.D., leads a small team of scientists and engineers focused on improving the efficiency, quality, and safety of agricultural and food production systems.

Since 2017, Schultz has been a principal investigator at Corteva Agriscience in Johnston, Iowa, heading a crop phenotype team that tests new plant products in controlled environments and early-stage field trials.

He credits ONU for allowing him to deeply explore his interests and giving him a solid foundation for graduate school. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he engaged in two summer internships, one with the Boyce-Thompson Institute at Cornell and one with Harvard, both in the plant field.

📲 Read more about Eric's award-winning work and more photos: https://bit.ly/4wN7KrS

Working with former members of the armed services who received a less than honorable discharge is not for the faint of heart. For Ohio Northern University alumna Dania Lofton, JD ’15, each day brings new challenges along with opportunities to make a difference.

As an administrative attorney with The Veterans Consortium, a veterans legal aid nonprofit in Washington, D.C., Lofton spends her time combing through thousands of pages of legal documents, interviewing clients, and helping veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors fight for the dignity and benefits they have earned.

Lofton credits ONU’s Pettit College of Law with providing a foundation that supports her demanding and meaningful work today. Her time at ONU Law honed her analytical thinking, discipline, and deep respect for the practice of law.

📲 Read more about Dania's work with veterans: https://bit.ly/4vnFHhP