Grand Valley Scholarship Dinner gives students chance to meet donors

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Despite the downturn in many areas of the economy, donors and friends of Grand Valley State University have increased their commitment to scholarship support for students.

Grand Valley’s annual Scholarship Dinner is set for today, March 31, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids. Media coverage is encouraged.

Gifts to scholarships at Grand Valley for this fiscal year total $4.11 million, up more than $1.1 million compared to last year at this time.

More than 650 people are expected to attend the dinner. The event is an annual highlight for university friends and the campus community, as many student scholarship recipients meet the people who started or contributed to their specific scholarship.

Each year, the event highlights a particular area. This year, members of the Berkowitz family will be honored for establishing the Hyman H. and Greta M. Berkowitz Scholarship Fund. Established in 1990, the scholarship provides financial help for students who are disabled. In the past 10 years, more than 140 students have benefited from it.

President Thomas J. Haas said scholarship donors have helped provide access to higher education for students, and, in turn, helped boost the workforce. “Higher education is our society’s best lever for a better future,” he said. “Its return on investment far surpasses what students can earn with a high school education. Our future knowledge economy will depend on intelligent human capital, and as a university, we can’t provide that without help.”

Other scholarship facts:

• Twenty new scholarships were created this year, extending last year’s record when Grand Valley also received 20 new scholarships.

• Eighty percent of Grand Valley students receive financial aid.

• Nearly 1,000 Grand Valley students benefit from private scholarships annually. The university offers more than 230 endowed and annual scholarships.

• One scholarship was established by students for students. The Student Legacy Scholarship is entirely student-driven; the first student recipient was named.

• The John and Marjorie Shepard Communications Scholarship, established in the couple’s memory, supports students in the School of Communications. John, a longtime trustee of the Grand Valley University Foundation, owned and operated several radio stations, including WLAV-FM, and helped to establish WOOD-TV 8 and WOOD-AM.

• The First Generation Urban Schools Scholarship will help students from urban areas who are the first in their families to attend college. Jeanne Arnold, vice president for Inclusion and Equity, helped create this scholarship.

• The Todd J. Jager Graduate Athletic Training Award was created in memory of the university’s athletic trainer, Todd Jager. It will help graduate students who are majoring in athletic training continue their studies.

• The Kurt Kimball Scholarship was established by friends and colleagues of former Grand Rapids city manager Kurt Kimball, who retired in December. It will benefit graduate students in the public administration program.

For more information about the Scholarship Dinner, contact Briette Bryant, scholarships and fellowships manager for University Development, at (616) 331-6000 or [email protected].