Estate of Clarissa Ann Howard donates $569,000 to Central Ohio Technical College’s nursing program

Central Ohio Technical College has received a donation from the estate of Clarissa Ann Howard in the amount of $569,000. The gift is designated to benefit the school’s nursing program, of which Howard played a significant role in helping to establish. Howard passed away earlier this year at the age of 94.

According to an article on Central Ohio Technical College’s website, John M. Berry, PhD, the president of the school, shared his gratitude to Howard and all she has done, and will continue to do thanks to her endowment, for the institution. He said, “We are beyond grateful for Howard’s unwavering loyalty and dedication to our college’s mission, from our conception, our present and now our future. With Howard’s generosity, COTC will continue our own legacy of positively influencing communities and impacting lives for decades to come.”

Howard was a graduate of The Ohio State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a nurse at Licking Memorial Hospital, where she worked for four decades. Her career at Licking Memorial Hospital was marked with several honors that showed her commitment to and passion for nursing. Throughout her life, she received the Licking Memorial Health Systems’ (LMHS) President’s Award, the LMH Development Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Park National Bank Difference Maker Award, the Licking County Family YMCA’s Woman of the Year recognition, and was the namesake of the LMHS Clarissa Ann Howard Nursing Award for Clinical Excellence.

When Central Ohio Technical College was founded in 1971, Howard played a large part in founding the nursing program. She was determined to help create the program that would send qualified nurses to Licking Memorial Hospital through a talent pipeline of sorts. In 2022, she received the Legends of Loyalty Award from Central Ohio Technical College in recognition of her impact on the school. She was also inducted into the The 1971 Legacy Society.

The 1971 Legacy Society is a society for individuals who have planned gifts within their wills and estates for Central Ohio Technical College. Howard is among 22 members of the society, as currently listed on the society’s webpage. Membership in the society includes invitation to annual events and recognition in the school’s annual Impact Report.

The funds Howard has left to the school will be used to maintain the nursing program, ensuring her legacy for years to come.

For more information about Central Ohio Technical College, visit the school’s website.