Ashland University is a mid-sized, private, non-profit university that is located in Ashland, Ohio, United States, the university consists of a 135-acre (0.55 km²) main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. It was founded in 1878 and is affiliated with the Brethren Church. Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of the educational and social environment of the university.

The university offers 73 undergraduate majors and nine pre-professional programs. The majors include toxicology/environmental science and entrepreneurship, which are unusual for an institution of its size. In addition, it offers most traditional liberal arts majors as well as a wide range of majors in business and education. The education program, which offers pre-K through doctorate level courses, is one of the largest among independent and state institutions in Ohio. Academic programs are enhanced by an Honors Program and the John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs.

The university consists of four Colleges—the College of Arts and Sciences, the Schar College of Education, the Dauch College of Business and Economics, and the Schar College of Nursing—and a large Graduate School offering degree programs in Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master of American History and Government (MAHG), Master of Education (M. Ed.) and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) programs. In addition, Ashland Theological Seminary, a division of Ashland University, offers a doctor of ministry degree as well as a number of master's degrees.

Dwight Schar is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of NVR, Inc., a Fortune 500 company that is the third-largest home builder (by revenue) in the United States. He currently serves as the company's Executive Chairman and Chairman of Executive Committee. He is also a part-owner of the Washington Redskins football team, and the former Finance Chairman for the Republican National Committee. Schar is also a managing partner with Dan Snyder at Red Zone Capital, which owns Dick Clark Productions, Johnny Rockets Restaurant and Red Zebra Radio Stations. He lives in McLean, Virginia and Palm Beach, FL.

Dwight Schar grew up in rural northeast Ohio and graduated from Norwayne High School in 1960. He then attended Ashland University (then Ashland College) in Ashland, Ohio, where he majored in education. After graduating from Ashland in 1964, Dwight began teaching, and on the weekends, he had a job selling homes. Schar soon left teaching to pursue a career in home building. In 1980, Schar founded his own company, NVHomes, which eventually acquired his former employer, Ryan Homes, in 1987; the company was thus renamed NVR. Today, NVR is the corporate umbrella under which NVHomes, Ryan Homes, Fox Ridge Homes, Rymarc Homes, and NVR Mortgage operate.