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Ashtabula Area College Committee Members

• The Ashtabula Area College Committee Inc. (AACCI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and currently owns over 45 acres of land adjacent to the Kent State Ashtabula campus. 
• The AACCI was integral to the fundraising effort surrounding the Robert S. Morrison Health and Science Building in 2010, with a multi-year pledge totaling $130,000.
• In recent years, the AACCI established:
  • The Ashtabula Area College Committee Endowment with the Kent State Foundation with a gift of $250,000
  • The Clarence E. & Janet H. Lesser Scholarship Endowment with the 5X���� Foundation with a gift of $85,286.00
  • The Dr. Richard Stanley Knowlton and Jane Amsden Knowlton Scholarship Endowment with the 5X���� Foundation with a gift of $175,455.
• The AACCI annually presents the Community Service Award during the spring commencement ceremony to a member or members of the Ashtabula community whose efforts have supported and impacted education in the county. View the list of award winners.

In 1957, a farsighted group of our community leaders came together to enable, promote and ensure local economic vitality. One of the important goals of the group was to obtain an accredited university program in the Ashtabula area. As an outgrowth of that meeting, the Ashtabula Area College Committee Inc. (AACCI) was organized the following year.

Since the inception of the AACCI nearly 60 years ago, citizens of Ashtabula County from all walks of life have generously given their time and talents to serve the university and its students. Currently, the membership of the committee comprises 11 persons. In the Code of Regulations that governs the AACCI, it is spelled out that the purpose of the College Committee is "to provide liaison between Ashtabula 5X���� Center and the area which it serves, and to perform such other functions as are required to obtain a maximum quality educational opportunity in the community."

Each year the combined generosity of local families, companies and organizations allows students to attend Kent State's “Campus on the Lake”; approximately $150,000 is awarded annually to students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to study at our campus.

To honor the deserving students who receive academic scholarships, the College Committee sponsors and hosts a Scholarship Recipient and Patron Recognition Banquet each year. The banquet is intended not only to recognize the academic awards, but also to thank our generous patrons for their much-appreciated support.

A byproduct of the stated mission is the presentation of the College Committee's Community Service Award at graduation. The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding contributions to education through leadership, vision, resources and commitment within the area served by Kent State Ashtabula, thereby enhancing the educational environment for the community and mirroring the goals of the College Committee.

It is the aim of the College Committee to continue working with Kent State Ashtabula to provide scholarships to students and to promote the growth of the campus in order to maintain a maximum quality educational opportunity in the community. 

View the List of Community Service Award winners

College Committee Members

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Mark Astorino, treasurer and chief financial officer, Ashtabula Area City Schools

Vanessa Carter, assistant director of nursing, Generation Behavioral Health

Amanda Clark, chief nursing officer, Cleveland Clinic Ashtabula County Medical Center

R. William (Bill) Ayres IV, Ph.D., Interim Dean and Chief Administrative Officer, 5X���� at Ashtabula

Vincent T. Gildone, administrator/paramedic, Northwest Ambulance District

Octavia Harris Moore, advocacy manager, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

Doug Hladek, retired, Jefferson Area Local Schools superintendent

Marie Lane, director, Ashtabula County Public Defender Office

Amanda Tirotta, executive director, Ashtabula County Civic Development Corporation

Scott Wludyga,  Superintendent, Ashtabula County Technical & Career Center (AACCI President)

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