Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

In the fall of 2016, seven students were enrolled in the inaugural year of the UD Sinclair Academy. Maria Loyd ’19 was one of them. “The Academy was the best thing to ever happen to me,” she said. In fact, her experience helped inform her intended career path. “I have a passion for the UD Sinclair Academy and wish to work with transfer students one day,” she said. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs at UD to make it happen.

Loyd attributes much to the Academy, and she is certainly not alone. In fact, through fall 2021, 490 students have enrolled — a massive jump from the original cohort of seven — all gaining access to an affordable, seamless pathway from Sinclair Community College to the University of Dayton. 

Why such growth? A tremendous record of student success, innovative leadership and avid support from a handful of passionate donors have propelled the initiative forward. And, chances are, this is just the beginning.

Thanks to One Day, One Dayton donors, the UD Sinclair Academy is taking another huge step forward, hiring a director of recruitment and admission for community college partnerships. The position is completely funded through One Day, One Dayton donations — namely gifts to the UD Fund — and will enable the program to branch out in a dramatic way.

Beyond strengthening the already solid partnership with Sinclair and furthering the Academy’s reach across the greater Dayton region, the position will help initiate a similar partnership with Columbus State Community College, greatly opening access to the University of Dayton for Columbus-area students. 

“This position will help to build the pipeline of students for the new Columbus State Community College partnership, through collaborating with various Columbus-area school districts and college access organizations, along with connecting current Columbus State students to the program,” said Cody McMillen, executive director of recruitment and admission for transfer and strategic partnership programs. 

Thanks to the donor-funded position, McMillen and his team have ambitious goals for bringing more students like Loyd into the Academy and the Columbus State program, targeting both programs to account for 5% of new enrollments to UD in the fall of 2022. 

Overall, the University has seen a 100% increase in financial aid requests compared to pre-pandemic requests, so widening access through these programs and others is a top University priority — and our donors are proving to be reliable partners in this mission to open our doors to more students of great promise but limited financial resources. 

“The UD Sinclair Academy is truly changing lives in Dayton,” said McMillen. “We are excited to expand into Columbus and thank donors for helping us take that leap.”