9 minute read
Transforming Lives
Expanding Educational Opportunity for Men of Color
What if you could transform the life of a student?
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To help a young man find purpose. To find his voice. To achieve his full academic potential. To make a difference.
You Can.
Over the past 20 years, Saint John’s University has made significant strides to diversify its student body. In 2005, roughly 4 percent of the student body were students of color and another 4 percent were international students. The percentage of first-generation college students (those who are the first in their family to attend college) had steadily declined to 6 percent. Since that time, the composition of the student body has changed dramatically. Presently, roughly 22 percent of our enrollment is men of color and/or international students, and approximately 26 percent of our students are first-generation. The key to this growth has been a substantial investment in scholarship support for those in need, especially first-generation college students and students of color.
Since 2000, donors have established nearly 50 scholarship funds at Saint John’s to provide generous scholarship support for students with financial need, with a preference for students of color and/or those who are the first in their family to attend college. These endowed scholarship funds now total nearly $18 million, with over $4.7 million in scholarships awarded since 2002. In addition, benefactors have committed another $12.5 million in estate gift commitments designated to these existing scholarships. As a result, Saint John’s total cash and pledges targeted for this scholarship purpose exceed $30 million. Here are a few examples of these scholarship funds:
First-Generation Scholarship Funds
First-generation students are the first in their families to attend college. They are the fastest-growing segment of the traditional college-age population, both regionally and nationally. They are highly concentrated among students of color, and many are new immigrants to the United States.
Saint John’s is committed to recruiting first-generation college students. We are actively recruiting first-generation students from Minnesota and from communities across the country, such as Newark, New Jersey; Immokalee, Florida; and Los Angeles, California, to name a few.
The First Gen Scholarship program was established in 2010 with a generous grant from the Eugene and Mary Frey Family Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation.
Now called First Up, this threepronged program is aimed at 1.) recruiting first-generation college students, 2.) awarding them financial aid, and 3.) providing them with the academic and student support services that they need to thrive at Saint John’s. Scholarships have been awarded to a wide variety of students with surnames like Yang, Sura, Martinez, Cheung, Schultz, Zuniga, Chavez, Garcia, Bell, Duran, Bouddhara, Kelly, Thao and Gray. Graduation rates for these students have been strong – over 75 percent, which is remarkable for first-generation college students.
Intercultural LEAD Fellowship Program
The Intercultural LEAD Fellowship program provides support for talented first-generation students to build on the leadership skills they are already demonstrating within their high schools and home communities.
Unique to SJU/CSB, Intercultural LEAD (Leadership, Education and Development) is a program of firstgeneration college students from many different backgrounds. The recipients represent many cultures, races and ethnicities; promote equality and the ideas of diversity and civic stewardship; aspire to be academic leaders in college;
and attend national and international leadership conferences.
Aidan McCall Scholarship Fund
In 1992, Br. Dietrich Reinhart established a scholarship fund at Saint John’s in honor of Fr. Aidan McCall ’50, an African monk at Saint John’s Abbey. The fund was created at the encouragement and support of alumnus Mark Froeba ’84 to support students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education, particularly those of African-American heritage. Two other alumni – Lewis Nixon ’71, who was then the General Counsel of the Chicago Department of Housing and Urban Development and was named “Black Lawyer of the Year” in Chicago, and Gerald Sullivan ’84 – were instrumental in the establishment of this fund.
Fr. Aidan was born of African American parents in Washington, D.C. He was dedicated to his profession as a teacher of classical languages, enjoyed his work as a faculty resident, served the University as Dean of Students (196873), and was deeply involved in student concerns, especially students of color. On January 31, 1991, Froeba wrote to Fr. Don Lemay: “My recollection, Fr. Don, is that Saint John’s has had only limited success in attracting African American undergraduates. Perhaps it would make sense to direct the purpose of the fund either to paying for increased efforts to recruit these students or to provide scholarships so that these students would be better able to make a decision to attend Saint John’s.”
In memory of George Floyd In response to the tragic killing of George Floyd, alumni and friends established the Racial Justice Scholarship Fund at Saint John’s University. “We call upon our alma mater to establish a memorial scholarship to George Floyd that will promote the educational promise of aspiring young Black American leaders,” wrote a group of Saint John’s University alumni advocating the scholarship. Citing the inspiring words of Nelson Mandela – “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – alumni urged Saint John’s to take “actionable steps to fight systematic racism in all its forms.” The purpose of this scholarship fund in memory of George Floyd is to help students with a commitment to the common good through social and racial justice. Scholarships are awarded to those who have been historically economically disadvantaged, with a preference for African American young men.
The Popes’ Blessing Supporting Future Generations of Johnnies
These are the words of a humble, soft-spoken alumnus, Dick Pope ’58, after he and his wife Sandy made an extremely generous gift that raised their lifetime giving to Saint John’s to over $1 million and established the Dick and Sandy Pope Scholarship Fund for students with financial need.
The Popes were initially tentative about speaking publicly about their generosity. “This isn’t about us, and we don’t want or need recognition. But if by sharing our story this benefits Saint John’s and helps raise additional funds in support of student scholarships then, yes, by all means, you can share this news with others.
“I grew up on a farm near a small town, Cleveland, in southern Minnesota,” Pope said. “Our family had modest means, and if it wasn’t for the scholarship that I received I never would have been able to afford to come to Saint John’s. It changed my life.” Similarly, Sandy grew up in a small town (St. Peter) and attended Gustavus Adolphus College. “I was in ROTC and I also had a job on campus,” he said. “To save money I graduated in three and a half years.” Upon graduation from Saint John’s, Pope was hired by the high school class ring company Jostens. During his time at Jostens, Pope sold four of the first five Super Bowl rings, including the first two to Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. He also sold the first NHL Stanley Cup Championship ring to the Chicago Blackhawks. In 1979, Pope left Jostens and became an owner in what was then a small company named WinCraft, which was founded in 1961 to produce and sell “cheer products” to high schools. It still counts high schools among its customers, and its product line still includes pom poms and megaphones. Under Pope’s leadership, the company began to pursue pro and college sports licenses and grew substantially. Today, WinCraft is the leading
hardgoods supplier of sports memorabilia, selling over 30 product families to retailers, companies, schools and Internet consumers. It has sports licenses with the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA, MLS, NASCAR, World Cup, the Olympics and over 700 colleges. It has the licenses for all professional players and all college championship events, Division I through III. At any given time, WinCraft has between 550 to 700 employees in multiple states and sells tens of thousands of items.
WinCraft has received the Minnesota Governors Award for keeping jobs in Minnesota, and it has been selected as the Winona Business of the Year. WinCraft is also well-known as the supplier of the famous Minnesota Twins “Homer Hanky.” These accolades don’t mean much to Pope. He’s a quiet, unassuming man who goes about his business without fanfare or desire for public attention. “I owe a lot of credit to my wife. This was a true partnership,” Pope said. “She supported me, our family and our business every step of the way. “John Gagliardi used to tell me: ‘Dick, when it came to marriage, you outkicked your coverage,’ Naturally, I would reply that I sure did!” When asked about the secret of his success, Pope offers a very simple formula: “Produce an excellent product, deal with people with honesty, integrity and fairness and you will have a good business. When people try to do the right things for the right reasons, they usually work.” There are many life lessons to learn from Pope. Above all else, act with honesty and integrity. There are no shortcuts in business. Don’t compromise your values. Work hard. Hire good people. Treat them fairly and with respect. Your people are the key to your company’s success. According to his son-in-law, who worked at WinCraft, Pope places a premium on hiring employees with a strong work ethic … and he has a very simple way of spotting this trait: “If they know how to milk a cow, they’re hired!” This hiring practice should come as no surprise from a Johnnie who grew up on a farm. “My dad and mom are the most hard-working and generous people I know,” commented Lisa Pope, a 1983 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict. “It was important for them to be able to give back to an institution that has meant so much to our family.” In December 2020, WinCraft was sold to apparel-maker Fanatics. In addition to the being the industry’s largest hard goods licensee, WinCraft’s shipping and logistics channels will be extremely valuable to Fanatics’ e-commerce efforts. “The sale of my dad’s company, WinCraft, is quite an accomplishment, but bittersweet to leave behind after all these years,” Lisa Pope said. “He loved WinCraft and what he was able to build for his employees and the community, so for him, it never felt like work.” Bittersweet, surely, but oh so sweet for future Johnnies who will benefit mightily from the Dick and Sandy Pope Scholarship.
