Clarissa Ann Howard estate donation supports nursing program

Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) was recently the recipient of a gracious donation from the estate of Clarissa Ann Howard, one of the founding pillars of COTC’s nursing program and a longtime nurse at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH). 

COTC’s president John M. Berry, PhD, received the check for $569,000 from the college’s first business officer and a retired LMH administrator Robert McGaughy in July. Demonstrating her unwavering dedication to the nursing profession and the education of future nurses, Howard designated a significant portion of her estate to fund the nursing program at COTC several years ago, ensuring nursing education will thrive in the future. This endowment ensures that students past, present and future continue to further Howard’s legacy and that they’ll understand the impact of her steadfastness and dedication to the nursing profession.

Howard, a lifetime Newark resident, passed early this year at the age of 94. She had a long-standing legacy with COTC. When COTC was chartered in 1971, she played a key role in the development of COTC’s nursing program. She wanted to ensure a steady pipeline of registered nurses to meet the workforce needs of the hospital. She was later included in the 1971 Legacy Society. Howard also received the Legends of Loyalty Award in 2022, which identifies and recognizes the recipients’ dedication and commitment to the college, and their significant impact on the history of the college.

After graduating from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Howard began a nursing career at LMH that spanned four decades. In 1990, she was honored with the Licking Memorial Health Systems’ (LMHS) President’s Award for outstanding service to the hospital and the community and the LMH Development Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Other achievements and recognitions include being the namesake for the LMHS Clarissa Ann Howard Nursing Award for Clinical Excellence, being named the Park National Bank Difference Maker and the Licking County Family YMCA’s Woman of the Year.

“We are beyond grateful for Howard’s unwavering loyalty and dedication to our college’s mission, from our conception, our present and now our future,” said COTC president John M. Berry, PhD. “With Howard’s generosity, COTC will continue our own legacy of positively influencing communities and impacting lives for decades to come.”