Defiance College Spotlight

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. The College graduates students to lead distinctive lives in their chosen professions through a spirit of service by preparing them To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve.

Dr. Richanne C. Mankey officially began her presidency at Defiance College on January 1, 2016. In the 165-year history of the College, she is the 19th president and the first woman president. She graduated cum laude in psychology from Ohio Northern University; received her master's degree in social agency counseling from the University of Dayton; and earned her doctorate in adult education from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. Her career as a leader in independent higher education spans nearly three decades.

Dr. Mankey, please share why the Liberal Arts, independent higher education, and OFIC are valuable for the state of Ohio.

Institutions in Ohio, such as Defiance College, prepare an informed citizenry and future community leaders. Our students efficiently develop skills by succeeding in holistic ways through their Liberal Arts-based education. To do this, we collectively support students with a generous amount of financial aid from our operating budgets and great partnerships such as OFIC. Contributions from OFIC directly impact our students through aid and scholarships that we can offer. In addition to discipline based skills, the program described below helps students to be able to use and articulate the skills employers describe to us that they need: effective oral and written communication; teamwork and collaboration; critical and creative thinking; ethical judgment and decision-making; digital technology.

When comparing private, independent institutions to our public counterparts, we actually, by statistics, are more accessible to minority students and our overall graduation rates are higher. We know that employers are seeking our graduates because of their Liberal-Arts based skills, so we ultimately are an economic driver in Ohio.

What innovative programs or strategies has the Defiance College campus developed to prepare students for life after college?

We recently launched a new program for Career Readiness undergirded by a Liberal Arts-based education. The name of it is Jacket Journey (our mascot is the Yellow Jacket). It was developed from an inkling of an idea that came to me on the way home from the Midwest Roundtable on Talent. After discussing it with senior leaders, we invited every employee on campus – both faculty and staff – to help us understand what was good, of concern, ideas for enhancement, as well as possible unintended consequences. A Task Force then designed Jacket Journey based on campus ideas and feedback. The College established the Institute for Career Readiness and Life Long learning where Jacket Journey is housed; a professor of history, Dr. Jeremy Taylor, was promoted to Dean of the Institute.

Jacket Journey began with the entering Fall 2020 class. It is a comprehensive program that is required each of four years; one 1 credit per year is earned. This, alone, makes it unique. We have also designed into it "faculty immersions" in order that faculty are in direct contact with businesses/organizations. We believe that such direct contact brings a unique perspective about which skills will better prepare our students for the professional world. These immersions will be over two- to four-week periods so as to promote deeper learning about that organization.

There are five parts to the required, for credit Jacket Journey:

1. We established an Institute for Career Readiness and Life-Long Learning and selected Dr. Jeremy Taylor, History Professor, to be the Dean.

2. We will hold an Annual Employer Summit each May where employers and faculty will be able to interface and share learning, needs, and questions with each other.

3. We will have Faculty Immersion experiences (as explained above).

4. The program features Jacket Days – three days in January where students come together with faculty for three days of learning, fun, and experiential learning designed to enhance their preparation for the workplace. The inaugural J.Days in January 2021 were well evaluated by students (despite them being virtual).

5. For experiences that students attend that are determined in advance to enhance their learning about leadership and career, Jacket Points are awarded with unique prizes for different levels of earned points.

How is Defiance College continuing to engage Ohio employers and expand opportunities for students to develop their careers?

First, I'd like to note that our placement rate for the class of 2019 is 96.8%! We consider "placed" as first professional position or enrolled in graduate school.

Our Director of the Office of Career Development, Sally Bissell, continues to engage employers like she always did – just via video conferencing now. Career Development is now part of the Institute for Career Readiness and Life Long Learning. As we were engaging the Task Force with regional employers, Ms. Bissell and I, in partnership with the Defiance County Office of Economic Development, conducted focus groups about the concept, the current needs, etc. We give a big thanks to Jerry Hayes, retired Director, and Carla Hinkle at the Economic Development Office for their support and assistance in setting up those focus groups! The program was well-received, and we learned how we can better assist each other in the areas of need. The aim is to increase internship and other experiential opportunities for students as we move toward our 175th anniversary in 2025. Learn more about Defiance College.