Donation sets stage for Cincinnati State ‘Founders Days’ events

September 9, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2014

CONTACT
Robert White
Media Relations/Communications Coordinator
(513) 569-4775 (office)
(859) 468-6640 (cell)
robert.white@cincinnatistate.edu

As Cincinnati State prepares to celebrate next week the 45th anniversary of its founding, it today
announced the establishment of an endowed scholarship fund in honor of the late Hal G. Funk.

Mr. Funk is considered to be one of the original founders of the college. The estate of his widow, Bonnie
Funk, recently made a $200,000 gift to the college in his memory.

Mr. Funk served as a as a faculty member, cooperative education coordinator and supervisor of the
evening college as a part of Cincinnati Technical College. The Hal G. Funk Memorial Fund scholarship
will support engineering students from Cincinnati State’s Center for Innovative Technologies. His name
will be recognized along with those of other founders on a historic marker which will be dedicated on
campus Sept. 18, marking the opening of a series of Founders Days events geared toward alumni, the
community, businesses and the goal of raising money for student scholarships.

The institution known today as Cincinnati State Technical and Community College has its roots in the
Cincinnati Cooperative School of Technology within the Cincinnati Public Schools system. Its main
campus in Clifton began in what was once a CPS high school (actually, two of them, Central High School
and Courter Tech High School).

The college was officially chartered by the Ohio Board of Regents in 1969 as an independent, degree-
granting institution that emphasized technical education and a strong focus on cooperative education. It
won full accreditation by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges in 1976. Today’s
Cincinnati State retains those elements, and a decade ago added a community college component to
meet the needs of students bound for baccalaureate degrees as well as employer demands for associate
degree graduates with liberal arts as well as technical competencies.

Here is the lineup of Founders Days events:

 A marker dedication and luncheon afterward on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the
Main Building Conference Center. (This event is not open to the public, but media coverage is
welcome.)

 A President’s Gala on Friday, Sept. 19 from 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at the Summit Restaurant,
which is part of Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute in the Advanced Learning &
Technology Center on the Clifton campus. (This is a fundraising event, by invitation.)

 An Alumni Open House and Community Barbeque on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
at the Clifton campus. This is open to the public and features tours, live music by The Simply Dan
String Band, and a free Barbecue lunch provided by Eli’s BBQ, Pontiac BBQ, Gramma Debbie’s
Kitchen and Cincinnati Job Corps. The new Founders Marker will be on display for viewing.

 A luncheon for lifetime members of the Cincinnati State Alumni Association from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Summit Restaurant.

 The annual Scholarship Golf Classic at Western Hills Country Club on Monday, Sept. 22, which
features a luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m., a scramble start at 1 p.m. and a dinner afterward.
Proceeds will go toward scholarships for Cincinnati State students.

For more information please visit www.cincinnatistate.edu/about-cs/cincinnati-state-foundation/founders-
days or contact the Cincinnati State Office of Development at (513) 569-1494 or
www.foundersdays@cincinnatistate.edu.

ABOUT CINCINNATI STATE
Cincinnati State (www.cincinnatistate.edu) enrolls approximately 10,400 students and offers more than
130 associate degree and certificate programs in business technologies, health and public safety,
engineering technologies, humanities and sciences and information technologies. Cincinnati State has
one of the most comprehensive co-op programs among two-year colleges in the U.S.

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