Berks County Scholarship Initiative

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Income disparity continues to grow in the United States. In the last eight years, families in the top 5 percent of the income distribution have seen their family income grow relative to inflation. All other families have seen their incomes either hold stagnant compared to inflation or decrease. The unemployment rate among college graduates is lower than high school graduate rates. Higher education is the single greatest factor in raising one’s socio-economic status.

Why now at Albright?

Albright provides a high-quality education with strong foundations in the liberal arts, combined with the skills of the professions.  This is an important and impactful education for success in life and careers in the 21st century.

Albright has a longstanding commitment to educating students of academic promise. Along with that Albright strives to meet the financial needs of deserving students. These complimentary goals cost money. Gifts to establish scholarship funds will enable
Albright to hold strong to its tradition of providing the advantages of an exceptional education without incurring extreme debt.

Reading, Pa., is rated one of the poorest cities in the nation. This particular region of the country has suffered like many rust-belt cities from the departure of manufacturing, leading to loss of jobs, low income, and particular need on the part of local students for
financial aid.

Thirty-eight percent of the Reading population lives below poverty and 13 percent of the Berks County population lives at poverty level or below. If Albright College is to fulfill its desire of educating students of promise, we need look no further than our own backyard for those we espouse to impact.

The Berks County Scholarship
Initiative seeks support to:

Establish 20 new scholarships that will provide Berks County students greater access to Albright College.

NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS –
providing immediate impact

Your scholarship will be awarded the next academic year once the first fund payment is received and the pledge is in place by May 31.

Commitment:
From Donor: $13,000 ($3,250/yr. for four years)
Total Impact for Berks students: $13,000
Annual Support available to Berks students: $3,250 per academic year

Endowed Scholarships –
a legacy of access

Through an endowed scholarship fund, your gift will be awarded two academic years after the endowment is funded at $25,000. The draw of the endowment will be awarded each year in perpetuity in support of students from Berks County.

Commitment:
From Donor: $25,000 ($5,000/yr. for five years)
Total Endowed Fund: $25,000
Estimated Annual Support available to Berks students with a 5 percent Endowment
Draw: $1,250 per academic year

Scholarships can be named in honor or in loving memory of someone special, for example, The Susan ’84 and David ’84 Jones Berks County Scholarship.