June 13, 2025, Press Release from the University of Northwestern Ohio:
LIMA, Ohio – The University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) is proud to announce a new partnership with the American Rally Association (ARA). Beginning in 2025, UNOH will become an Official Educational Partner of the ARA. This collaboration opens a new lane of opportunities for students, offering immersive, real-world experiences in one of the fastest-growing motorsports in the country.
“We’re incredibly excited to partner with the American Rally Association,” said Dr. Jeffrey A. Jarvis, UNOH President. “Our students are passionate about motorsports, and this partnership provides them with unprecedented opportunities to engage in every facet of rally—from the service park to the podium, and everything in between.”
As part of the partnership, UNOH will gain access to digital and visual assets, including video, photography, and behind-the-scenes content, for use in student recruitment and marketing efforts. The university will also be prominently featured on the ARA website and across its social media platforms, further showcasing UNOH’s nationally recognized programs in High Performance Motorsports, Automotive, Diesel, and related fields.
The ARA is currently developing a nationwide volunteer recruitment and training platform designed to support its growing schedule of events. UNOH will play a key role in the platform’s launch, with student involvement anticipated at the 2025 Southern Ohio Forest Rally in mid-June. Students will collaborate with ARA officials, teams, and drivers, gaining hands-on experience in technical operations, logistics, business management, and IT systems used in competitive rallying.
“UNOH students have already shown incredible initiative and enthusiasm for the sport,” said ARA Series Manager, Preston Osborn. “This partnership allows us to build a stronger, more skilled rally workforce and gives students the tools to turn their passion into a profession. It’s a partnership that fully aligns with our mission to grow the sport of stage rally in America.”
The partnership is a direct result of student-driven interest. In 2024, UNOH formally launched the UNOH Rally Club after students expressed a desire to connect more deeply with the rally racing community. Throughout the 2024 ARA season, club members volunteered as crew members for a variety of teams, and their ranks have only increased during the first half of the 2025 season. The new agreement formalizes and expands those efforts, laying the foundation for long-term collaboration.
With rally events taking place in diverse and challenging environments across the country, UNOH students will have the opportunity to travel, train, and contribute at both grassroots and professional levels.
“This is more than just motorsports—it’s an educational experience that touches engineering, event production, digital media, marketing, business management, and more,” said Osborn. “UNOH is the perfect partner to help us shape the future of American Rally.”
For more information about the partnership and how students can get involved, visit www.unoh.edu or www.americanrallyassociation.org.
About ARA: The American Rally Association (ARA) is the largest rally organization in the United States and promotes the country’s only cohesive, nationwide competition for the sport of stage rally: The ARA National Championship Presented by Kubota. Synonymous with extreme-sports-stars-turned-rally-champions—such as Ken Block, Travis Pastrana and Brandon Semenuk—ARA rally, sanctioned by USAC, provides a direct link to pure automotive adventure: a top-speed race against the clock on real roads specifically chosen to challenge production-based cars and world-class drivers on diverse surfaces that include snow, sand, gravel, dirt and tarmac. To learn more about the ARA and its partners, go to www.AmericanRallyAssociation.org
About UNOH: Founded in 1920, the University of Northwestern Ohio is an entrepreneurial, not-for-profit, university located in Lima, Ohio. The university is comprised of five colleges: the College of Applied Technologies, the College of Business, the College of Health Professions, the College of Occupational Professions, and the Graduate College. The University is recognized worldwide as a leader in Automotive, Diesel, and High Performance Motorsports Technology education. UNOH also offers world-class degree programs in Business, Health, Marketing, Information Technology, Robotics, and many other fields of study. UNOH has educated students from all 50 states and 81 countries, and currently has nearly 3,000 students enrolled from 48 states and 40 countries. The University of Northwestern Ohio also offers a variety of athletics, including men’s and women’s basketball, golf, bowling, soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s baseball, women’s softball, and six co-ed motorsports teams. For more information, visit www.unoh.edu
