Ashland University in Ohio has announced a $10 million grant from Bob and Jan Archer in support of student scholarships.

Most of the largest one-time gift in the university's history will fund four-year scholarships for Ashland students, including those enrolled in the Ashbrook Center program and Ashland Theological Seminary. The Archers' gift also will provide support for student-retention initiatives, athletics, marketing, and capital improvements.

In 2020, the Archers, neither of whom graduated from the university, established the Archer Challenge Grant, which provided a 1:1 dollar match for donations up to $1 million in support of capital improvements and deferred maintenance issues; this year, the couple has pledged a $2 match for every dollar donated up to $2 million. In recognition of their longtime support, the university will name the campus library after the Archers.

"Bob and Jan Archer have seen the potentially negative consequences of COVID-19 and risen to meet that challenge and help our students through this difficult period," said AU president Carlos Campo. "The Archers' commitment to provide scholarship money for our students reflects their ongoing support for higher education and the Ashland community. Bob and Jan are truly a renaissance couple, with interests ranging from the symphony to athletic events, and they are helping to foster a renaissance of sorts for our campus as well."