Defiance College

Defiance

According to the school, Defiance College offers undergraduate students an engaged learning experience that is unique among colleges and universities. Defiance has made a name for itself as an institution educating students to become effective leaders within a democratic society. A culture of engagement melds the civic, academic, and cultural components of engagement into the student learning experience. Nationally recognized for its successful efforts to implement a model of civic engagement and service learning, Defiance is home to the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity, a unique research program serving as a focal point for teaching, service, scholarship, and action to improve the human condition worldwide. Through McMaster, undergraduate students regularly conduct original research in response to community-identified needs in high-need areas of the U.S. and the world. Students participated during 2008-09 in projects in Cambodia, Belize, New Orleans and Jamaica. Defiance’s Citizen Leader Program provides $2,000 tuition scholarships for new students who demonstrate a record of service in their communities. Citizen Leaders who distinguish themselves as emerging leaders are invited to become Bonner Leaders. This leadership program provides students with opportunities to professionalize their leadership skills, and deepen their understanding and practice of community engagement and democratic practice. Freshmen in the Citizen Leader program are also invited to participate in the new Hench Autism Studies Program, serving as peer mentors to high school-aged students with autism who are part of the on-campus initiative. The program, a collaboration of college and community resources, is a ground breaking, multi-faceted program designed to specifically address the late adolescent years and the transition of individuals with autism to adulthood. Students and faculty, particularly in the social sciences, have opportunities to interact with the Family Justice Center of Northwest Ohio, one of a handful of centers nationwide that is a partnership of local government, community and nonprofit partners offering a coordinated response for victims of domestic violence and their children. Majors at Defiance College that appeal to 21st century students include forensic science, Digital Forensic Science, and global and international studies. And, the College recently led a collaborative effort of education and health care in the region to create a nursing program for bachelor’s degree-seeking students.