Fayette

Scholarship recipients, donors, sponsors meet at Fayette campus dinner

At a special recognition dinner Oct. 7 at Penn State Fayette, scholarship recipients and scholarship donors and sponsors got to meet, many for the first time.

Penn State Fayette Chancellor Emmanuel I. Osagie explained, "Penn State Fayette awards nearly $416,000 in student scholarships each year. Of that amount, 93 percent is funded by private philanthropy. The idea of hosting a scholarship donor dinner with 318 students that received scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year was something we could not pass up."

Lori Omatick, director of Development at Penn State Fayette, observed, "The evening provided an opportunity for scholarship donors and sponsors to learn how their generosity directly helps Penn State Fayette students, and the scholarship recipients were able to get to know some of the individuals that help make their education possible."

More than 200 students, family members, donors and sponsors attended the recognition dinner. During the program, recent scholarship awards were announced for 79 students. Three new scholarships established this year were recognized: the Wolford Swimmer Trustee Scholarship, the Centra Bank Trustee Scholarship and the Advisory Board of Penn State Fayette Trustee Scholarship.

Ashley Wadsworth, recipient of the Centra Bank Trustee Scholarship, relocated to Uniontown last year from New Jersey to help a close family member in a time of need. A new Penn State Fayette student majoring in business, she spoke at the dinner explaining how scholarship awards helped her. "The Centra Bank Trustee Scholarship made it possible for me to attend Penn State because I did not meet Pennsylvania residency requirements, even though I graduated from a local high school." Wadsworth also received an Eberly Family Scholarship in Business. She has plans to open her own bridal boutique when she graduates with her business degree.

Scholarship donors and sponsors who also spoke at the dinner included Carolyn Blaney, representing the Eberly Family Scholarship and the Eberly Family Scholarship in Business; Sally Spegar, representing the Uniontown Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship; Terry McMillen, representing the Terry E. and Denise E. McMillen Award in Engineering; Ed Franczyk, representing the Centra Bank Trustee Scholarship; and Wayne Port, representing the Advisory Board of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus Trustee Scholarship and the Port Family Scholarship.

The Scholarship Donor Dinner will become an annual event at Penn State Fayette.

 

Penn State Fayette student Ashley Wadsworth talks about how scholarships help her attend Penn State. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated November 18, 2010

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