COTC Honors Wright’s Support of Technical Education
Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) recently presented its 2018 Legends of Loyalty Award to Ariel President and CEO Karen Buchwald Wright as recognition of her continued support of the school and education initiatives.
The school – a public two-year technical college located in Newark, Ohio, with extended campuses in central Ohio – has given the award annually since 2011 to people who have made a significant impact on the history of the college through service and support. With COTC, Ms. Wright’s support of education has helped build a facility and get more Knox County students the education they were seeking.
COTC’s Ariel Hall in Mount Vernon, Ohio, opened in 2012 after Ms. Wright's help that allowed the school to buy the vacated movie theater in downtown Mount Vernon. Today, it features two floors of classrooms and labs for a variety of different degree programs.
Beyond structures, Ms. Wright has also helped Knox County students attend COTC through the KBW Scholarship, which was created in 2012 after a large donation from Ariel Corporation and the Ariel Foundation (HYPERLINK). In 2018, the scholarship awarded more than $70,000 to Knox County residents working for a degree at COTC or Ohio State University at Newark.
The school also recognized the Ariel Foundation’s $30,000 match to endow the Officer Thomas W. Cottrell, Jr. Award for Character and Dedication to Public Service. The school created the Cottrell Award after Cottrell was murdered in the line of duty in Danville, a village close to Ariel’s World Headquarters. Today, that donation is helping the school provide an additional benefit to graduates of its Peace Officer Basic Training program.
“In addition to her incredible support of higher education brick and mortar projects in downtown Mount Vernon, Karen’s substantial investment in student scholarships is simply extraordinary,” said Bonnie Coe, President of COTC. “There is no doubt her incredible generosity and support have made a significant impact on COTC.”
Legends of Loyalty recipients are added to a growing plaque that hangs in the COTC President’s office, and a $1,000 scholarship is given to a COTC student in honor of each recipient.
COTC is a fully accredited, public college dedicated to providing technical education programs in response to current and emerging employment needs. The college is located in Newark, Ohio, with extended campuses in Pataskala, Knox, and Coshocton. Founded in 1971, COTC resides on a shared campus with Ohio State University at Newark and currently offers multiple associate degrees and certificate programs.
