North Central State College was recently awarded a $50,000 grant to improve security measures around campus such as alarms, door locks, and more. The money comes from the 2022 Campus Safety Grant Program.
A $50,000 grant was recently awarded to North Central State College for security projects designed to increase the safety of staff and students on campus. Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine made the announcement.
North Central State is one of more than 30 higher education facilities in Ohio that received such a grant. In total $5 million in grant money for campus safety projects will be doled out.
The Richland Source quoted Governor DeWine on the grant, who said, "These funds will go directly toward helping our institutions of higher education become more secure. The importance of campus safety cannot be overstated, and Ohio is committed to supporting efforts that keep our colleges and universities safe."
The grant money comes from the 2022 Campus Safety Grant Program, which is funded by the Ohio Legislature through wording in Senate Bill 310 of the 133rd General Assembly. The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio School Safety Center was in charge of the safety grant applications in partnership with the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
The grant money will be used to pay for physical security enhancements like metal detectors, public address systems, alarms, door locks, and security cameras.
Randy Gardener, Ohio Department of Education Chancellor, spoke on the importance of these enhancements: “Part of preparing students for future success is ensuring they feel safe on their campuses. Through these grants, the DeWine-Husted Administration continues to focus on helping our colleges and universities provide for the safest learning environments possible.”
Higher education institutions who applied for this funding had to conduct a security and vulnerability assessment in order to see where safety enhancements were needed.
More information about North Central State College can be found at the school’s website.