Ursinus gets $11M for new scholarships
Ursinus College has received the largest single private gift in its 150-year history, a gift that will fill the financial gaps confronting many students from low- and middleincome families, even those already receiving significant scholarship support for tuition.
Philanthropists Joan and Will
Abele, Class of 1961, through their Abele Family Foundation, donated $11 million to support the long-term sustainability of the Abele Scholars Program, which provides students with $53,000 in funding intended to address the costs of a college education beyond tuition, roomand-board, and assist with student debt upon graduation.
While colleges nationwide have emphasized the recruitment of first-generation and low-income students in the past few years, much has been written about the financial and social challenges these students often still have once they arrive on campus.
This scholarship is intended to provide more comprehensive support to these students and
give them full access to the opportunities that all schools hope to provide.
Abele Scholars receive $40,000 over four years. In addition, each scholar receives $2,000 for “startup” costs such as the purchase of a laptop or required books; $3,000 for academically enriching
pursuits such as internships, summer courses, or academic conferences; and $8,000 in loan forgiveness.
Too often, additional expenses such as these keep a full college experience out of reach for some students and lessen their ability to take advantage of opportunities that will help them advance after graduation.
The Abele grant is also
a “stackable” scholarship that can be awarded in addition to other scholarship aid. The Abele program will fund approximately 18 new students a year, as well as provide specialized programming and advisor support.
A pilot version of the Abele program has been in effect at Ursinus for a year, so there are current students benefitting from the scholarship
The “stackable” scholarship and curriculum enrichment program is designed to be awarded on top of other financial aid and will support students every year from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland at Ursinus College.
“Ursinus’s Abele Scholars Program has provided standout students with the resources required to reach
their fullest potential and become responsible, contributing citizens, all while strengthening Ursinus’s commitment to access and affordability,” Ursinus College President Brock Blomberg said.
“This generous gift from the Abeles and the Abele Family Foundation ensures that we will be able to continue to provide this critical support for the next decade and beyond, providing eligible students with a clear pathway to a successful undergraduate career,” he said.
“The Abeles are tireless champions of Ursinus and we’re grateful for their extraordinary support of the college and its students,” Blomberg said.
In addition to financial need, the scholars must demonstrate academic potential and a record of leadership and civic engagement. Abele Scholars participate in tailored programs and receive advisor support to prepare them for professional, academic and civic success after graduation from Ursinus.
As an alumnus and member of the Ursinus College Board of Trustees, Will Abele and his wife, Joan, have supported Ursinus philanthropically for 50 years.
“For Joan and me, giving back to the college is critically important. This is about more than giving students an advantage. It’s about giving them opportunity,” Abele said.
The Abele Scholars Program is currently in its second year of operation and includes two cohorts totaling 24 students. Approximately 18 first-year students are being targeted for each new cohort, selected annually by a committee of Ursinus faculty, staff, alumni and Abele Family Foundation representatives, who ultimately establish each year’s cohort.
Fittingly, the $11 million pledge comes during the college’s 150th anniversary year and officially carries Ursinus over its $100 million goal in its Keep the Promise comprehensive campaign. It was announced Friday, on Benjamin Franklin’s birthday, to acknowledge a “pay-itforward” pledge that each Abele Scholar makes when selected for the program.
The pledge excerpts a 1784 letter from Benjamin Franklin to Benjamin Webb, in which Franklin declined repayment for a loan and instead encouraged his recipient to “pay it forward,” a mentality that helped to define Franklin as the “founding father” of American philanthropy and organized public aid.