Presidential Scholars Program Permanently Endowed, University Announces

The University of Scranton’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, which sponsors one of the University’s most ambitious and prestigious scholarship initiatives, is now fully endowed with permanent support.

Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, made the announcement Thursday at the 25th annual President’s Medal Gala at Pier Sixty in Manhattan. The total amount of gifts and pledges comes to $30.2 million, Father Marina said. The event was first held in 2002 to establish and fully fund the endowment, among other goals.

The University’s Presidential Scholars Program awards four-year, full-tuition scholarships to incoming first-year students with outstanding high school records and notable community involvement.

“At its core, the Presidential Scholars Program is about expanding access to education,” Father Marina said. “Consistent with our Catholic and Jesuit mission, we believe that gifted and motivated students should have the opportunity to pursue an outstanding education regardless of their financial means. By securing a full endowment of this program, the University and its benefactors have invested in future generations whose young men and women will continue to have access to a life-changing education that forms the whole person.”

The milestone was achieved through the collective generosity of thousands of donors over the past 24 years. Since its inception, the program has supported hundreds of students.

“Each of the nine Presidential Scholars in the Class of 2027 came to Scranton with their own interests, goals and dreams,” Jillian DelBalso ’27 said at Thursday’s gala on behalf of the Class of 2027 Presidential Scholars. “Our experiences may not have all looked the same, but we share something important. Someone believed in what we could become before we even had the chance to fully discover it for ourselves. That is what the Presidential Scholarship does. It doesn’t just invest in a student’s education. It invests in their future.”

The President's Medal, presented at the gala to individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields while demonstrating extraordinary compassion for others, was awarded to Robert S. '68 and Marilyn A. Weiss. The Weisses' lifetime of philanthropy has included significant gifts that helped construct Weiss Hall, Weiss Field and the creation of the Robert and Marilyn Weiss Pediatric Low Vision Research and Training Suite.

A more detailed story about the endowment and this year’s President’s Medal Gala will follow. Stay tuned to Royal News for more.