Each of UC's 2,600 endowment funds has its own story and makes its own impact. Each one supports a specific scholarship, professorship, research project, or other program; and, ultimately, UC’s mission.
From helping a student afford to attend college, to sponsoring a lecture series that inspires a future career, to developing a life-saving drug, to exonerating an innocent life...their missions are varied and their stories and impacts reach far and wide; and it's the privilege of the Investment Office to work ambitiously day-by-day to drive investment gains in order to maximize those impacts.
Two programs we're particularly proud to support through the endowment are the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP) and the Gen-1 Impact House. These programs are making an immeasurable impact thanks, in part, to the perpetual gifts which helped to establish and continue to provide funds for each endeavor.
The goal of the Ohio Innocence Project is to exonerate every wrongly-convicted Ohioan. Harnessing the energy and intellect of UC law students as its driving force, OIP seeks to identify inmates in Ohio prisons who are actually innocent of the crimes they were convicted of committing. Since its founding in 2003, the Ohio Innocence Project has helped 42 individuals obtain their long-sought freedom.
We are their last hope. Someone to advocate and believe in them and fight for them when no one else will.
Mallorie Thomas Former OIP Fellow
Gen-1 is a groundbreaking UC program and the nation's first living-learning community to focus on first-generation college students. The Gen-1 Program was established in 2008 and is a living and learning community that shepherds Pell-eligible, 1st generation college students helping to ensure academic success through high-intensity advising, academic courses, and co-curricular experiences. One such measure of success is Gen-1's 92% 1st-to-2nd-year retention rate — well above the national rate of 62%.
March 30, 2026
The University of Cincinnati College of Law will be rededicated as the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law at the University of Cincinnati.
March 24, 2026
The Hoffman Honors Scholars (HHS), a prestigious undergraduate scholarship program, has hosted a series of events during the 2025-26 academic year — exploring emerging AI tools, technologies and futures.
March 17, 2026
Quantifying the impact that University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science emeritus professors Randy Allemang, BSME ’72, MS ’73, PhD ’80, and Dave Brown, AE ’61, MS ’63, PhD ’76, had on the field of structural dynamics is a tall order.
March 5, 2026
When University of Cincinnati student-athlete Ligia Williams, CECH ’25, takes the court, she knows she’s not alone. Behind her stands a dedicated mentor who believes in her potential — alumna Cindy Coggins, CECH ’73.
February 16, 2026
A $3 million gift from the estate of Barry Mitchell, CEAS ’82, will benefit the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). This donation will establish the Barry L. Mitchell Endowed Chair and Barry L. Mitchell Music Endowed Scholarship Fund at CCM.
February 12, 2026
The University of Cincinnati reached $346 million in sponsored research awards in fiscal year 2025, up 6.6% increase over the previous year. Additionally, funding for clinical trials at UC climbed, with $88 million in industry-sponsored awards and $33 million in federally sponsored awards.