The Ohio Controlling Board has approved a $197,741 grant to Lakeland Community College as a part of the fiscal year 2025-26 Campus Safety Grant Program. According to officials, Lakeland is one of 28 institutions of higher learning in the state to receive a total of the $7.5 million funding cycle, which was funded with support from the Ohio Legislature in House Bill 2 of the 135th General Assembly. Additionally, the Ohio School Safety Center, an Ohio Department of Public Safety division, reviewed the campus safety grant applications in consultation with the Ohio Department of Higher Education. To be eligible for grant funding, colleges and universities conducted a security and vulnerability assessment to identify areas in need of safety enhancements. Since its creation in 2021, approximately $17.5 million in funding has been awarded through the program, with previous rounds of grant awards announced in August 2021 and November 2022. Gov. Mike DeWine created the Ohio School Safety Center in 2019 to assist local schools, colleges and universities, and law enforcement agencies to prevent, prepare for and respond to threats and acts of violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions-based approach to improving school safety. Lakeland President Sunil Ahuja, expressing gratitude to the state for its support, detailed plans for the funding. “The money we applied for, in particular, we’re looking at enhancing physical security aspects in terms of camera upgrades, radio communications systems, so the police department has proper coverage across campus, and electronic access controls on doors,” he said. “This will improve facilities in addition to investing in campus infrastructure for our students and staff, notably, aging systems,” Ahuja added. “This is a great opportunity for the college and with these funds, we’ll be able to address these issues over the next few months.”