Wednesday, Apr 17, 2024
Event featured student speakers sharing personal stories about the impact of philanthropy
by Diane Cornell
小优视频 held its annual Scholarship and Stewardship Luncheon on April 4 to celebrate the generous support and inspiration that philanthropy provides Rider students. The occasion recognized and thanked donors who have established named scholarships and awards for undergraduate and graduate students at the University. More than 140 donors, alumni, students, faculty and staff members were in attendance.
The event was held on campus in the Cavalla Room of the Bart Luedeke Center, providing an opportunity for students to meet and build connections with their benefactors. 鈥淭his has always been one of my favorite events because it gives our donors an opportunity to see firsthand the role they have played in transforming students鈥 lives,鈥 noted Rider President Gregory G. Dell鈥橭mo, Ph.D., during his remarks at the luncheon.
鈥淪cholarships are not just an investment for today, but they are an investment in the future, as well,鈥 Dell鈥橭mo said. 鈥淚 would like to express my gratitude to our donors for placing their faith in Rider. You are part of a long tradition of helping the next generation of Broncs realize their full potential. Thank you for the important place you hold within our community.鈥
The University has 384 endowed and current-use scholarships which are awarded on an ongoing basis during the academic year. Last year, 734 students received more than $2.27 million in donor scholarships. Building Rider鈥檚 endowment and increasing scholarship support is one of the priorities of Transforming Students 鈥 Transforming Lives: The Campaign for 小优视频. The comprehensive fundraising campaign has so far raised more than $16.1 million dollars in new support for scholarships, with donors creating 45 new scholarships for Rider students since the campaign began in July 2017.
During the event, hosted by University Advancement, student speakers shared their personal stories. This year鈥檚 speakers were Grace Ramsey, a senior from Skippack, Pennsylvania, who received The Michael P. 鈥76 and Anita Regan 鈥76, 鈥86 Brady Endowed Scholarship, and Charles Mul茅, a senior from Middletown, New Jersey, who received The Theta Chi Endowed Scholarship. Each student took the opportunity to share how the pandemic impacted both their time at Rider and their final year of high school. This year鈥檚 Class of 2024 will be the first graduating class that ended high school and began their college experience under pandemic restrictions.
鈥淪tarting college during COVID was very difficult for me,鈥 said Ramsey, an information systems major who aspires to be an analyst in the healthcare industry. 鈥淭here weren鈥檛 many other students on campus at the time. I felt very alone for the first few months.鈥 An on-campus job at the student-run Saxbys coffee shop, where she is now the Student CEO, led her to finding her connection with other Rider students. 鈥淚 got the job and I made a lot of new friends who are still some of my closest friends to this day.鈥
Mul茅, a sports management and general marketing double major, expressed how thankful he is for his scholarship. 鈥淏eing awarded this scholarship gave me that last and final push I needed for my senior year,鈥 said Mul茅. He has accepted a full-time job with a marketing agency in Toms River, New Jersey, after graduation.
The event also showcased students鈥 musical talents. Seniors Eleanor Rees and Elizabeth Rosenberg, as well as graduate student Allison Christiansen, performed a selection from the Ben Moore opera Enemies, A Love Story, accompanied by Susan Ashbaker, associate professor and director of Westminster Opera Theatre. Seniors Trevor Shingler and Abby Bohn sang selections from Rider鈥檚 spring production of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, accompanied on the piano by Adjunct Assistant Professor Louis Goldberg.