Rhodes earns college campus safety grant award from state

LIMA — Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education Randy Gardner has announced that Rhodes State College is a recipient of the Campus Safety Grant in the amount of $161,200.

“On behalf of the State of Ohio and the Department of Higher Education, I want to congratulate Rhodes State College on being awarded a capital Campus Safety Grant,” Gardner wrote in a letter to the college. “Your engagement in the Campus Safety Grant Program will help improve the overall physical security and safety of public campuses throughout Ohio.”

Gardner explained in his letter that the grant is “jointly administered with the Department of Public Safety and is believed to be the first statewide program of its kind in Ohio history.” Gov. Mike DeWine hugely advocated for the new funding and the General Assembly supported the program in the latest capital bill.

“We applaud Gov. DeWine for his advocacy of this statewide Campus Safety Grant Program,” said Dr. Cynthia Spiers, president of Rhodes State College. “His support shows a clear focus on ensuring safety at Ohio’s college campuses. This grant will help Rhodes State make several critical security improvements for the safety of our students and employees. On campus, the grant funding will be used to purchase electronic locks for exterior and interior doors for three of Rhodes State’s primary buildings on its main campus and for enhanced radio communication between the new Borra Center for Health Sciences downtown location and the college’s main campus.”

The electronic locks will bolster the college’s preparedness by allowing college personnel the ability to instantaneously lock down buildings in case of imminent threat.