Malone University Recipient of Herbert W. Hoover Foundation Grant

The grant, submitted by faculty in the Department of Natural Sciences, will continue the strategic support provided by the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation to Malone’s Marine Biology program.

In addition to integrating watershed health activities into curriculum, Malone’s program hopes to provide local and far-reaching opportunities to show students how healthy watersheds at the local level lead to healthy oceans globally. 

“With the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation’s ongoing support we can continue to connect our students in Stark county with wider issues associated with ocean health,” said Jason Courter, associate professor of Biology. 

Specific objectives funded by the grant include: conducting four watershed-related projects with local conservation partners, taking ten Malone students to south Florida to work with the University of Miami Shark Research and Conservation Lab as well as the Rescue a Reef Program, and the non-profit Debris Free Oceans, hosting a community event in Stark County to teach about ocean health, providing at least six students with a “Herbert W. Hoover Student Conservation Fellowship” to help with costs of completing conservation-related internships, a goal in accordance with Malone’s Pendle Hill Pledge, and providing six Malone students with the opportunity to complete their SDI Open Water SCUBA Certification, overseen by Steven Lane, assistant professor of Biology. 

“We are deeply grateful for the ongoing financial support we receive from community partners, which allows Malone students to experience meaningful enhancements to our academic programs,” said Christina Schnyders, interim provost. 

With the support of the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation, Malone has been able to provide many of these same opportunities in the past, and now with the addition of SCUBA certification this grant will help Malone’s Marine Biology program produce students who are competitive applicants for marine-related jobs.