Ohio State remembers diversity advocate, donor Missy Weiler

Mariyam Muhammad
Thu, 04 Mar 2021 01:29:24 +0000
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Weiler, known for her work in diversity, equity and inclusion at Ohio State, in Columbus and as a financial-aid provider to many students of color, passed away Feb. 4 at the age of 84. Credit: Courtesy of the Ohio State College of Education and Human Ecology

Missy Weiler was quiet, but her contributions to Ohio State spoke volumes.?

Weiler, known for her work in diversity, equity and inclusion at Ohio State, in Columbus and as a financial-aid provider to many students of color, passed away Feb. 4 at the age of 84.?

Weiler and her husband, Bob, supported educational causes centered on advancing historically underrepresented minorities and other economically disadvantaged individuals for many decades, according to a February Office of Diversity and Inclusion press release.?

Beyond the financial support Weiler granted, those who knew her said she was a powerful force, leaving a mark wherever she went. James L. Moore III, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and longtime friend of Weiler, said although she was physically small and introverted, she had an immense heart.

“Missy Weiler was an angel,” Moore said. “She treated me like family, embraced me and is representative of the kind of love that I came from. The love was sound, unconditional and never-ending.”

Weiler believed in the power of service and was the longest-serving volunteer in Columbus City Schools for more than 40 years, serving as a tutor and mentor to children, Moore said.?

The Weilers funded multiple scholarship programs in Columbus and at Ohio State.?

In 1988, the couple helped start the I Know I Can scholarship fund, which offers scholarships and programming for Columbus City School students and graduates to help them attend college. The Weilers’ donations also established the Weilers Scholars Program in 2013, which covers tuition for Black men in the College of Education and Human Ecology who study teacher education, and the Dr. James L. Moore III Scholars Program in 2018 to cover room, board and other expenses for students transferring from Columbus State Community College.

Nimensio Johnson, a fourth-year in STEM education and mathematics, is a recipient of the JLM3 Scholarship and Weilers Scholarship, which he said completely paid for his education. He said it was inspiring to see someone with so much wealth act so humbly.

“She was quiet, but when she spoke, you knew she was going to say something smart,” Johnson said. “The way we always wanted to thank her for what she gave us, but she kept saying she wants us to pay it forward.”

Moore said if a person walked into a room and saw Weiler, they wouldn’t be able to tell she had given so much money to the school, and she wouldn’t have let them — that was Weiler’s humility despite all that she had given, Moore said.

“Biologically, she may be no longer with us, but sociologically, her spirit, tenacity, smile and contributions live forever,” Moore said. “And they live forever through me, as well as the young people she had the pleasure to impart her own wisdom into.”