Ursinus Given $11M for New Scholarship Program

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Ursinus College.

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 middle-income 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, room and 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-it-forward" 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.

About Ursinus College

One of the nation’s "Colleges that Change Lives," Ursinus College is a highly selective, residential college with 1,500 students.

About the Abele Family Foundation

The Abele Family Foundation was established by Joan and Will Abele to support the visions of young leaders to impact their communities through the provision of comprehensive scholarships that increase affordability and access to a college education.

Ursinus College Opens New $29M Science Center

Photo by Dan Z. Johnson

The new Innovation and Discovery Center at Ursinus College is now open.

v Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Ursinus College.

A new era for science education and undergraduate student research at Ursinus College is underway.

The college’s $29 million Innovation and Discovery Center (IDC) was dedicated on Saturday, Oct. 27 during a special public event celebrating the new interdisciplinary facility which, for the first time in the college’s history, combines science, policy and entrepreneurship under one roof.

More than 300 people, including members of the Ursinus and neighboring communities, as well as public officials and elected state leaders, gathered for the official grand opening. Joe DeSimone, CEO and co-founder of leading technology manufacturer Carbon and a 1986 graduate of Ursinus College, delivered remarks during the dedication.

“The IDC is where a lot of things are coming together, where disciplines are converging,” DeSimone said. “Solutions to some of the most complicated problems we have today involve disciplines coming together. We do that well here at Ursinus, where a broader contextual understanding—a quest—happens. That’s where the frontier is now.”

DeSimone, globally recognized for his achievements in developing and commercializing advanced technologies in several cutting-edge fields such as 3D printing, precision medicine, nanoparticle fabrication and green chemistry, discussed “the power of innovation” and related how Ursinus’s IDC is a game-changer in preparing liberal arts students for jobs in these fields.

The dedication was presided over by Rob Wonderling, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia and chair of the Ursinus Board of Trustees. Remarks were also delivered by Sen. John Rafferty and Rep. Ryan Costello.

The IDC is intentionally designed to boldly reflect the college’s liberal arts legacy and further empower its faculty to educate future leaders in science and other professions as they prepare for the careers of the future. It includes collaborative spaces to further cultivate the concept of a shared, common experience, as well as technology-enhanced active learning classrooms; flexible laboratories that are easily configurable to suit specific needs of a research project; and open meeting and work spaces that bring together students and faculty from every discipline.

“The IDC truly is a building of the future,” Ursinus President Brock Blomberg said. “Not only does it have a contemporary look, but it fosters science learning across disciplines, something that is essential to our changing world. It is a place where students can learn traditional concepts of biology, while also thinking about ethical practice, policy and the greater good.”

The IDC leads the way in how a new generation of liberal arts undergraduates pursues scientific knowledge.

“For many years, Ursinus has been recognized as a college with an uncommon strength in the sciences amplified by its liberal arts context,” Blomberg said. “The IDC enables us to further embrace that identity—providing new equipment and facilities that advance science education from a distinctly liberal arts perspective.”

The IDC houses Ursinus’s Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good, which provides opportunities for students to become civically engaged scientific leaders, and the U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies, which encourages students to exercise innovation, leadership, imagination and creativity.

The dedication event included building tours, where Ursinus alumni discussed the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to a liberal arts education. A portrait of the late Ursinus President Bobby Fong, a passionate advocate of the liberal arts and learning across disciplines, was unveiled on the first floor of the IDC.

The IDC is supported by funds from the college’s Keep the Promise comprehensive campaign. The 42,500-square-foot facility is located on the Ursinus campus off Main Street and Ninth Avenue and physically connects to previously separate science buildings, Pfahler and Thomas halls.

One of the nation’s “Colleges that Change Lives,” Ursinus College is a residential undergraduate liberal arts college with 1,500 students that is widely recognized for its first-year Common Intellectual Experience. Founded in 1869, Ursinus provides a rigorous curriculum that re-envisions a liberal education and presents students with an inquiry-driven academic experience.

Ursinus’s $100 million Keep the Promise campaign culminates during the college’s sesquicentennial anniversary in 2019-20. The tree-lined, 170-acre campus is located 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Collegeville, Pa.

Ursinus Opens New Local Scholarship Program

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by Ursinus College.

Strengthening its commitment to access and affordability for students, Ursinus College has established the Abele Foundation Scholars Award, which provides financial assistance to students from low- and middle-income families from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

The first eight scholarships were awarded to seven incoming first-year students and one continuing student.

Funded with generous support from Will Abele, a 1961 Ursinus graduate and member of the Ursinus board of trustees, and the Abele Family Foundation, the Abele Foundation Scholars Award provides high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need $10,000 in financial aid after all other gift aid has been awarded to each student.

The aim of this pilot program is to increase access and affordability of an undergraduate liberal arts education. In addition to the $10,000 in financial aid, the scholars receive funding for “startup” costs such as the purchase of a laptop or required books; academically enriching pursuits such as internships, summer courses, or academic conferences; and assistance with student debt upon graduation.

“My wife, Joan, and I are thrilled to assist these talented students as they pursue an Ursinus College education that prepares them to be leaders of the future who live the values of integrity, persistence and empowerment and who understand the importance of paying it forward to others,” Abele says.

Abele scholars will be expected to maintain consistent academic progress; become an active member of the college community by participating in on-campus experiences and internships; and attend programs sponsored by the Abele Family Foundation.

Consistent with the values of the Abele Family Foundation, the scholars will have expressed interest in the U.S. constitution, the economy, history and government of the United States through coursework in these three disciplines.

“One of Ursinus’s top priorities is to attract and retain the best students for our institution,” President Brock Blomberg says. “It is our goal to not only bring them to our college, but to provide the academic support and guidance that allows them to flourish during their four years here. We cannot achieve that without taking bold steps to increase access and affordability so that we can offer the best and brightest students a clearer pathway to Ursinus. This is yet another innovative way that Ursinus is ensuring that any student who wishes to attend Ursinus not only has a means to do so, but will thrive while here. I extend my sincerest thanks to Will and Joan and the Abele Family Foundation for making this pilot scholarship program possible.”

Named as one of the nation’s “Colleges that Change Lives,” Ursinus College is a highly selective, residential college with 1,500 students that is widely recognized for its Common Intellectual Experience. The tree-lined, 170-acre campus is located 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Collegeville, Pa.

Polarization in Politics? Who Knew?

Fuzzy Photo by Evan Brandt's iPhone

The panelists in the "Polarization in Politics" forum at Ursinus were, from left, Montgomery County Commissioners Chairman Josh Shapiro, Democrat, former chair of the PA Democratic State Committee T.J. Rooney; Chester County Commissioners Chairman Ryan Costello, Republican; and former chair of the PA Republican State Committee, Alan Novak.

So not that we need any politicians to tell us that politics is polarized, but in a thoughtful, civil forum Wednesday night at Ursinus College, four politicians did talk about why politics can't be more thoughtful and civilized.

Below are the live Tweets your favorite blogger issued from the forum. Know that there are several mistakes contained in the live Tweeting which were subsequently corrected in the Storify that appears below.

No excuses, just regrets for the errors.