Dominion Resources has awarded $215,000 in grants to colleges and community colleges in Ohio. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 will support programs in conservation, alternative energy, environmental and technical studies and minority retention programs.

"Dominion is privileged to support college-level learning," said Virginia M. Board, president of The Dominion Foundation. "We are particularly interested in funding action-oriented projects that produce results in energy conservation, preservation of the environment and programs that prepare a workforce that is knowledgeable about changing aspects of the energy arena."

The grants were made through The Dominion Foundation, the company's charitable arm.

The following grant recipients received their awards at the University of Akron:

Baldwin-Wallace College in Cuyahoga County was awarded $20,000 to support the Sustainability Plan Clinic. The clinic trains faculty and student consulting teams to work with local small businesses to improve their "triple bottom line" (people, profit and planet) practices and performances.

Kent State – Tuscarawas was awarded $30,000 to develop and implement a Bachelor of Science degree in Green and Alternative Energy to provide comprehensive quality education and training on green and alternative energy at the college level.

Lakeland Community College in Lake County was awarded $30,000 to create a new Applied Associate of Science degree and certificate program in geospatial technology. The grant will provide the necessary hardware and software to support student programs.

Marietta College in Washington County was awarded $25,000 to purchase, install and implement a wind turbine system which will enable students to observe, demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of wind as a renewable energy resource in their local community.

The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges, Inc., in Franklin County was awarded $30,000 to support the Minority Retention Program which aims to improve minority retention and graduation rates at OFIC member colleges and universities.

The University of Akron in Summit County was awarded $25,000 to develop a Corrosion and Reliability Modeling and Simulation Lab where students will learn how to manage corrosion, increase safety and reduce the costs of corrosion effects.

University of Dayton in Montgomery County was awarded $15,000 to launch a new undergraduate concentration in Electrical Energy Systems and develop laboratory facilities to train students to address the growing needs and demand for electricity.

The University of Findlay in Hancock County was awarded $10,000 to develop innovative resource conservation and sustainability measures through behavior modification to reduce their energy consumption and create a net-zero electrical energy home for the everyday American.

Zane State College in Muskingum County was awarded $30,000 to purchase a process control trainer for use in the instrumentation course currently being developed. Students will better understand operating and maintaining equipment for safe, reliable and accurate measurements in exploration, development and distribution of natural gas.