7 Creative Ways to Fund Student Scholarships
There are at least seven ways alumni and other contributors have established scholarships at Arcadia University during its history. These creative approaches are being renewed during At Home & In the World—The Campaign for Arcadia University.
1. Commemorate a Milestone Event
When it's time to commemorate a milestone event, incorporating a named and endowed scholarship into the planning gives the event added significance. More than 20 years after Glenside celebrated its Centennial (1988), Arcadia student Amber Guzzi '12 is benefiting today from the Glenside Centennial Scholarship established by the Glenside Chamber of Commerce during that anniversary celebration. Class Reunions also are special opportunities for creating endowed scholarships, such as the one established by the Class of '68 on its 40th anniversary. Student Katie Commender '12 is the recipient of its first scholarship award. Named and endowed scholarships also are perfect for celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and retirements.
2. Create a Living Tribute
It's often difficult to know how best to commemorate the life of a family member or close friend who has passed away. It can be particularly difficult when the loss is a student or young adult. Family and friends of the late Jill Sisenwine Berger, a physical therapist who taught doctoral students at Arcadia University, have found solace in creating a named and endowed scholarship fund. "Jill was compassionate, professional, decisive, intelligent and ethical," says her mother, Phyllis Sisenwine, a master certified coach and speaker. As the University's 2007 Outstanding Faculty Award recipient, Jill was recognized for her gift of educating her patients and students. On Feb. 7, 2009, Aaron H. Thrush '09D.P.T. was the first student to receive the Jill Sisenwine Berger Physical Therapy Award.
3. Say Thank You for a Quality Education
"I feel very fortunate to have received my undergraduate education at Beaver College," says Annette Schaffer Eskind '49. "My Beaver College education led to graduate study and a master's degree in Social Work. I was casework supervisor at Jewish Family Service of Nashville and held numerous volunteer responsibilities in the community. For nine years, I was a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education and founded the Metropolitan Nashville Public Education Foundation. The Eskind Endowed Scholarship at Arcadia University allows me to express appreciation to my alma mater and is an opportunity to help students pursue their aspirations." Jennilyn Brass '10 is this year's scholarship award recipient. Established with $25,000 during the 1990s, the Annette Schaffer Eskind '49 Endowed Scholarship, which was valued at more than $45,000 during the past fiscal year, has awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships.
4. Benefit a Specific Field...Invest in Tomorrow's Leaders
In the field of forensic science, the name Dr. Fredric Rieders is synonymous with excellence. Founder of NMS Labs, the Forensic Science master's program at Arcadia University, and a foundation that has encouraged hundreds of high school students to succeed in the sciences, the late Dr. Rieders was dedicated to building leadership in forensic science. "If you are truly passionate about your profession, you will volunteer your time to teach and donate funds to scholarships that will help the next generation's leaders catch that passion for your field," says his son, Dr. M. Fredric Rieders '80, who with his brother, Eric, continues this legacy and serves as adjunct faculty to the master's program established by their father. Fredric has established the Rieders-Breyer Endowed Scholarship, in honor of his father and Dr. Arthur C. Breyer, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Physics.
5. Provide Annual Scholarship Awards
State Sen. LeAnna M. Washington recognizes the importance of a college education. "It is yours for a lifetime. Without an education, life's opportunities are limited," she says. To give deserving students an opportunity to complete degrees and expand their career options, Sen. Washington is helping to remove some of the financial obstacles of attending Arcadia University. With a state grant of $100,000, the new Commonwealth Scholars program is opening the doors to a University education to 10 low-income, first generation students from Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. Also funding generous scholarship awards each year are the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust and Comcast Foundation.
6. Help Students Today while Funding Tomorrow's Endowment
In a pioneering approach, the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation not only is helping mature women with annual scholarships, but also is funding an endowment at Arcadia to benefit students well into the future. The Foundation, which has supported 387 scholarships at Arcadia University since 1981, decided in 1997 to add an endowment challenge component to its annual grants that will fund scholarships for mature women in perpetuity. From an initial gift of $3,000, this Newcombe Endowed Scholarship fund has grown—thanks to annual Foundation grants, matching contributions, and careful investing—to its current value of $130,000. According to Dr. Thomas Wilfrid, Executive Director of the Newcombe Foundation, "The Newcombe Endowed Scholarship fund represents a partnership among the Foundation, the University and other donors to provide much-needed assistance for women who strive to complete an undergraduate degree while addressing other challenges in their personal and professional lives."
7. Make a Planned Gift
Elaine Schermerhorn Dennis '57 says, "I've always wanted to set up a scholarship fund, but I wasn't in a position to make a large outright gift." (See story on page 4.) She discovered a way to make her dream of an endowed scholarship a reality with a charitable gift annuity. Planned gifts, such as charitable bequests and naming Arcadia University as the beneficiary of insurance policies and retirement assets (IRAs and 403(b)s), have made it easy for friends of Arcadia to endow scholarships.
Discover the joy of creating your own endowed scholarship fund. See a list of named scholarships at www.arcadia.edu/namedscholarships. For more details, contact a member of the Advancement staff at 215-572-2945.
