2023 Impact

Each year, endowed funds help create meaningful possibilities for students and faculty by supporting scholarships, faculty development, academic programs, and more. These transformative opportunities empower students and faculty to pursue their passions and enjoy an Ohio Wesleyan experience that is unique to them.

Endowed Funds in Action

Eliana Harshbarger '24
Communication and English double major

As a first-generation college student and a recipient of an endowed scholarship, Eliana (Ellie) Harshbarger is proud of the opportunities she has at Ohio Wesleyan. She is also grateful to OWU for the flexibility to develop her interests. "When I first arrived at OWU, my plan was to teach," Ellie says. "But then I switched to Communication and English creative writing. My scholarship really has allowed me to thrive and also to be in leadership positions. It's a bigdeal."

Ellie is the current president of Delta Zelta and also served as the social external chair. She is membership director of Panhellenic Council and has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware. Ellie's communication skills earned her real-world work experience as an intern on the Clinical and Public Health Communication Team at the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. Ellie's leadership and communication opportunities will prepare her as she pursues a career in communication. "I am grateful for my scholarship, and it has been an extra push for me to do what I'm doing. I'm proud to be a first-gen example to my younger siblings, and all of my OWU experiences reaffirm that I am on the right path in my life."

Chelsea Vadnie, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology,
David O. Robbins Neuroscience Program

Chelsea Vadnie joined the Ohio Wesleyan faculty in 2020. "I jumped at the chance to apply to OWU because my career goal was to obtain a faculty position that involved a substantial teaching responsibility at a primary undergraduate university, and the description of the needed courses perfectly fit my interests," says Chelsea.

Chelsea's research focus is on understanding the roles of stress and 24-hour biological rhythm, circadian rhythm, disruption in regulating translationally relevant behaviors using mouse models. In fall 2023, she was able to take a scholarly leave for her research as the first recipient of the Ed Miller Endowment for supporting science faculty. "I was especially thrilled to learn that the Ed Miller Endowment would support a scholarly leave," she says. "This opportunity will help me further develop as a neuroscientist and will allow me to contribute to my field and share my scholarship with the OWU and greater scientific communities. I am grateful."

The Ed Miller Endowment supports Chelsea in combination with her fourth-year sabbatical, which allows her to work in Dr. Colleen McClung's lab at the University of Pittsburgh, where Chelsea is investigating approaches to manipulate the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) to treat psychiatric disorders and other diseases using cutting-edge neuroscience tools.