MAIER FOUNDATION AND CONCORD UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION RENEW PARTNERSHIP FOR PATHWAYS SCHOLARSHIP
CONTACT:
Sarah M. Pritchett
Office of Advancement
PO Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712
(304) 384-6312, news@concord.edu
www.concord.edu
After 4 p.m.
pitzer@concord.edu
Office: 304-384-5211
Cell: 304-320-6405
Jan. 11, 2021
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Maier Foundation and the Concord University Foundation have renewed a partnership that provides the Pathways Scholarship to Concord students. The scholarship is geared towards retention efforts with the goal of helping students finish their degree programs.
Established in 2016 at Concord, the Pathways Scholarship was first awarded to CU students for the 2016 – 2017 academic year with 35 students each receiving $2,000 scholarships. To date, 175 students have been assisted through the scholarship program and $350,000 has been distributed.
Over the last five years, the scholarship was made possible through a 2:1 challenge grant. The Maier Foundation provided 50 percent of the $60,000 matching funds raised annually by the Concord Office of Advancement through donor contributions.
The new partnership is a dollar for dollar match with the Maier Foundation matching the CU Foundation’s $60,000 annual amount of donations. Through the partnership, $100,000 will be distributed as scholarships each year and $20,000 will be placed in an endowed fund for future use.
For the 2021 – 2022 academic year, the Pathways Scholarship will be offered to 50 students. They will each receive a $2,000 scholarship, with $1,000 awarded per semester.
“The Maier Foundation’s primary mission is to support higher education for West Virginia students,” stated Brad M. Rowe, President of the Maier Foundation, Inc. “Our board was excited to fund need-based scholarships to support talented students at Concord University. In a time of increasing college costs, private scholarship support is critical to increasing college access.”
“We are thrilled to be able to renew this partnership with the Maier Foundation and offer even more students a scholarship to keep them in college. So many students will drop out because of finances. It is always exciting to offer students an opportunity to help alleviate some of the burden associated with tuition. We can’t thank the Maier Foundation and the private donors involved in this enough,” said Alicia Besenyei, Vice President for Advancement.
“The Pathways Scholarship program has been an amazing opportunity for students on our campus,” stated Dr. Sheila Womack, Director of Student Success. “We have seen great success among the recipients of our first four cohorts, with 87 recipients earning degrees and several more still working towards theirs. The success rate of these students is well above our institutional average, and goes to show that helping students meet their financial needs goes a long way towards their academic success.
“We are grateful that our students have this opportunity and excited to continue the program with the generous support of the Maier Foundation,” she said.
The deadline for Pathways Scholarship applications is Thursday, April 15, 2021. Students applying for the scholarship must complete an application by the deadline and meet the following criteria:
- Recipient must be a rising or current Concord University sophomore, junior or senior.
- Recipient must be a West Virginia resident.
- Recipient must have a minimum 2.0 Concord University cumulative GPA.
- Recipient must have financial need as determined by the Concord University Financial Aid Office.
- Recipient must have a completed FAFSA on file for the next academic year.
To apply for the Pathways Scholarship and for additional information, please visit https://www.concord.edu/pathways. More information is also available by calling 304-384-6311.
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Persons with disabilities should contact Nancy Ellison, 1-304-384-6086 or 1-800-344-6679 extension 6086, if special assistance is required for access to an event scheduled by the University on campus.
