"The Women’s Place was at risk of having to discontinue the awards after this year because of depleted funds," said Dr. Andreá Williams, director of The Women's Place. "Now, thanks to the generosity of our Buckeye benefactor, Alice Corbin, we can continue to support talented students and employees in pursuing their goals."
A proud two-time Buckeye graduate, Alice Corbin was an educator, local historian, bird lover, and pillar of her beloved community of Austerlitz in upstate New York.
Now she will also be remembered as a benefactor of The Women’s Place (TWP). Corbin, who sadly passed in May 2021, included The Women’s Place in her estate, leaving a legacy of supporting women’s advancement.
Received in 2023, Corbin's six-figure donation to TWP was fitting for a woman who spent her career in higher education. After earning her bachelor’s in 1956 and Master’s in 1960 from Ohio State, she served as a music supervisor, residence hall director, international student advisor, and dean of judicial affairs. An early advocate for equality in education, Corbin focused her master's thesis on whether living off-campus rather than in a residence hall impacted retention and graduation rates for women students. She examined options for safe, affordable housing that would allow off-campus students the benefits of the social development and academic support.
Her donation will support other higher education professionals who, like her, hold a deep commitment and dedication to helping students and advancing the goals of the university.
Funding from Corbin’s estate will go towards Critical Difference Professional Development grants, which award faculty, staff, and students up to $1000 each for conference expenses, certification and test prep, workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities and more. This year, the Critical Difference grant had 115 applicants, nearly double the number from last year, showing an increasing demand. Thanks to Corbin and donors like her, The Women’s Place was able to award 24 recipients.
From conference presentations about groundbreaking comprehensive cancer care, to supporting archival research that would allow students to dive into the unpublished works of Black feminist author Audre Lorde, this group of applicants was incredibly diverse.
"The Women’s Place was at risk of having to discontinue the awards after this year because of depleted funds," said Dr. Andreá Williams, director of The Women's Place. "Now, thanks to the generosity of our Buckeye benefactor, Alice Corbin, we can continue to support talented students and employees in pursuing their goals."
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