Westwood Fellows

New Program Makes Ohio Wesleyan a National Leader in Developing Broadly Educated, Specifically Skilled Community Builders

DELAWARE, Ohio- Ohio Wesleyan University today announced the creation of the Westwood Real Estate and Community Development Fellows Program at the university's 2025 Kickstart Ohio entrepreneurial conference and U.S. Entrepreneurship Competition, the largest such competition in Ohio and one of the largest in the nation.

The Westwood Fellows Program announcement followed a fireside chat with Apple Computer cofounder Steve Wozniak and Ohio Wesleyan President Matt vandenBerg, placing the news at the center of national attention for entrepreneurship and innovation in liberal arts education.

Andy Warnock, a 2006 OWU graduate, and Cole Antle, a 2021 graduate, have endowed the Westwood Fellows Program with a seven-figure gift, making them the youngest donors in Ohio Wesleyan history to give at this level. Their support provides the foundation for the university to launch this first-of-its-kind initiative, producing graduates who are broadly educated in the liberal arts and specifically skilled in real estate, development, and community impact.

"Higher education often promotes a false choice: Students think they must select between institutions that provide broad, humanizing liberal arts training and those that offer specialized, industry-specific skills," said vandenBerg, Ed.D. "The Westwood Real Estate and Community Development Fellows Program further amplifies Ohio Wesleyan's ability to produce graduates who are broadly educated, specifically skilled, and ready to lead, innovate, and create meaningful impact in communities from the moment they graduate. We are deeply grateful to Andy and Cole for their remarkable vision, leadership, and generosity."

The Westwood Fellows Program begins in fall 2026 with an initial cohort of five to seven students, expanding to nine to 15 by fall 2027. The fellows will participate in coursework, professional certification training, networking events, domestic learning trips, and real estate and community development case competitions. These experiences are designed to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and connections to drive meaningful social and economic impact immediately after graduation.

"During my time as a student at Ohio Wesleyan, I developed a love of real estate through a summer internship," said Warnock, a longtime investment banker with Lument and founder of the Westwood Collective, a boutique real estate investment and development firm in Hilliard, Ohio. "Over the past two decades, I've had the opportunity to contribute to dynamic changes in Ohio's real estate landscape. I want current and future Battling Bishops to get a head start on their own real estate journey, and the Westwood Fellows Program provides that unique exposure and curated curriculum."

Antle, the company's director of finance and property management, added: "I'm excited to partner with Ohio Wesleyan to give students a chance to explore the intersections of real estate, development, and community building. This program is truly transformative and sets OWU apart nationally."

Matt Vollrath, DBA, associate professor of Business Administration and faculty director of Ohio Wesleyan's Woltemade Center for Economics, Business, and Entrepreneurship, said: "Andy and Cole's leadership gift creates a unique opportunity for students to engage directly with complex, real-world challenges in community development. The Westwood Fellows Program establishes Ohio Wesleyan as a national leader in preparing graduates who are both broadly educated and specifically skilled to transform communities."

The Westwood Fellows Program is a new signature initiative of The Woltemade Center, OWU's hub for real-world business and entrepreneurship education. Students selected as Westwood Fellows will serve as the inaugural participants in a comprehensive pipeline designed to integrate liberal arts learning with tangible professional impact.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan University's Woltemade Center and the Westwood Real Estate and Community Development Fellows Program atowu.edu/Woltemade.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.