Hiram College is giving its students the boot — two boots, in fact.
The small liberal arts school in Portage County is partnering with Vasque, a division of Red Wing Brands of America, to provide a free pair of hiking boots to about 800 full-time traditional students in the next academic year.
Retail value: $169.99.
The giveaway — supported through a corporate gift from Red Wing and private donors — is part of the college’s new Tech and Trek program that merges classroom and experiential learning.
The hiking boots represent the Trek part of the program while Apple represents the Tech portion.
The four-year college in Hiram earlier this year announced it was giving an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and keyboard bundle to its full-time traditional students, faculty and staff.
“We’re honored to join forces with Apple in promoting mindful use of technology while learning about the world around us,” Joe Peters, head of marketing for Vasque, said in a prepared statement.
The Tech and Trek initiative is being funded through a $2.1 million donation, the largest single gift in the school’s history, from 1977 graduate Dean Scarborough and his wife, Janice Bini.
It’s not surprising that students are thrilled.
“An iPad and hiking boots are a unique combination, certainly,” sophomore Jayden Slovensky, an engineering major from Mantua who wears a size 11 shoe, said Thursday.
He added that the hiking boots will encourage him “to put the books down for awhile and enjoy the outdoors.”
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .