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DONOR SCHOLARSHIPS How they work, who they benefit, and how to start one
Donor Scholarships
How they work, who they benefit, and how to start one
As the average student loan debt continues to rise, Mount Saint Mary College is committed to providing an affordable education that is accessible to all. One essential way the Mount is supported in this effort is through Donor Funded Scholarships.
Whether a donor wants to establish a permanent endowment fund or make an immediate impact with their donation, Donor Funded Scholarships significantly impact Mount students.
With an endowment fund, the corpus of the endowment is used to generate interest, and the interest is awarded in student scholarships. Although these funds take one year to begin accruing interest, scholarships will be awarded in perpetuity. For donors who want to start supporting students immediately, a non-endowed scholarship fund can be created. Take the Susan Webster Nee Scholarship, for example.
After his wife Susan Webster Nee ‘89 passed in April of 2020, John Nee established the Susan Webster Nee Scholarship Fund in memory of his beloved wife. With the world reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, John wanted to lighten the financial burden for Mount students immediately, so he chose to create a non-endowed fund and the first scholarships were awarded in spring 2020.
Scholarships make a significant difference for students while giving donors the opportunity to recognize their own passions and interests. When creating a Donor Funded Scholarship, donors can make the fund more personal by naming the scholarship and setting specific requirements students must meet to receive the scholarship.
For example, Susan was a student in the Mount’s Division of Natural Sciences, so the Susan Webster Nee Scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior student with demonstrated financial need, majoring in Natural Sciences.
Meeting a certain GPA and living in a specific geographic location are other common requirements. Donors also have the flexibility to choose whether the scholarship is recurring for the same student(s) or is awarded to a new student each academic year.
Both current and incoming students can easily apply for all donor scholarship opportunities with one online application. The Mount’s Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid receives the completed applications, gives each student a number for anonymity, and then
determines which scholarships they are eligible for based on each scholarship’s unique requirements.
From there, all final decisions are made by the Donor Scholarship Selection Committee, which is made up of one donor representative; Fr. Gregoire Fluet, campus chaplain and director of Campus Ministry; Nikki Khurana-Baugh, Vice President for Advancement; as well as one Mount faculty and one staff member.
With so many deserving students, the selection process is not easy. In the 2021-2022 academic year, more than 300 students applied for 64 donor scholarships. Selecting which students would be awarded each scholarship took the committee more than 15 hours of Zoom meetings.
Paul Daubman, the donor representative on the 2021 selection committee, noted that selecting the scholarship recipients was a task riddled with difficult decisions.
Daubman said the essays written by each candidate describing their achievements, needs, and goals were “shared personal stories of unbelievable dedication to humanity, society, and career commitment. Many narratives depicted difficult individual and family sacrifices with histories of struggle along with amazing success.”
He added, “The process was very tough but rewarding. I wish we had 300 scholarships!”
With a typical annual named scholarship donation beginning at $5,000 and an endowment fund donation starting at $25,000, Donor Scholarships often make a substantial difference in the lives of the students who receive them.
Samantha McGregor ‘19 was the 2018 recipient of the Dr. Lucy DiPaola Memorial Scholarship. Upon receiving this funding, she said the scholarship “has been an indescribable blessing. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to continue my education at Mount Saint Mary College.”
Supporting scholarships
If you’re passionate about supporting students with a specific academic interest, meeting certain academic qualifications, from a specific region, or with certain characteristics (first-generation, adult learners, student parent, etc.) and want to create a scholarship named in honor of or in memory of a loved one, faculty member, mentor, or friend, please consider setting up a Donor Scholarship at the Mount.
For those who are unable to create a named scholarship, contributions can still be made to the Mount’s Donor Scholarship Fund, which collects donations of less than $5,000. This general fund supports students who are on the brink of dropping out of the Mount due to financial struggle. Thirty students have been granted funding from the Donor Scholarship Fund.
Lizzy Dillon ‘22, of Milford, P.A., was in her junior year as a Nursing student when she received support from the Donor Scholarship Fund.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dillon’s parents owned three thriving businesses, which provided sufficient income for the family of 11. However, throughout the pandemic they were forced to drastically scale back, causing financial hardship.
Dillon, the first in her family to go to college, found herself contemplating whether she could return to the Mount, go to community college, or take a gap year.
“Ultimately, I knew I wanted to stay at the Mount and complete my nursing degree and begin the career and life I always wanted,” Dillon said.
After reaching out to various departments and explaining her situation, Dillon learned that she was eligible for support from the Donor Scholarship Fund.
She added, “This scholarship was an answer to prayer and allowed me to stay at the Mount. Thanks to the many generous donors that made my scholarship possible!”
To be selected for this scholarship in memory of such a respected and beloved educator is an honor. I am eternally grateful for this amazing opportunity!”
Samantha McGregor ‘19, 2018 recipient of the Dr. Lucy DiPaola Memorial Scholarship.
