{"id":22181,"date":"2026-08-06T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/?p=22181"},"modified":"2026-08-06T08:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:35:13","slug":"donor-generosity-propels-elizabethtown-college-toward-historic-scholarship-campaign-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2026\/08\/06\/donor-generosity-propels-elizabethtown-college-toward-historic-scholarship-campaign-goal\/","title":{"rendered":"Donor Generosity Propels Elizabethtown College Toward Historic Scholarship Campaign Goal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etown.edu\/offices\/advancement\/scholarship.aspx\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-22186\" src=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2026\/08\/4371I.Social.Update-1080x1350.V2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"330\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2026\/08\/4371I.Social.Update-1080x1350.V2.png 1080w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2026\/08\/4371I.Social.Update-1080x1350.V2-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2026\/08\/4371I.Social.Update-1080x1350.V2-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2026\/08\/4371I.Social.Update-1080x1350.V2-768x960.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/a>To date, the campaign has raised more than $36 million toward its $40 million goal.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With generous gifts from a dedicated Blue Jay network of alumni, families, friends, employees, and students, Elizabethtown College is closing in on the $40 million goal of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etown.edu\/offices\/advancement\/scholarship.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Build Brighter Futures: The Scholarship Campaign for Etown Students, <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the most significant scholarship fundraising effort in the institution\u2019s history. To date, the campaign has raised more than $36 million.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cThe exceptional generosity of our Blue Jay community has brought us within reach of a historic milestone,\u201d Elizabethtown College President Betty Rider said. \u201cEvery dollar contributed through this campaign represents an investment in our students\u2019 futures and in the mission of our College. While we celebrate how far we&#8217;ve come together, our work is not finished. With continued momentum, we can ensure even more Blue Jays have access to the transformative learning experiences that define an Etown education.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/elizabethtown-college-launches-40-million-scholarship-campaign-to-support-student-aid\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">public launch of the campaign in April 2025<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, generous contributions have led to new endowed, annual, and estate legacy scholarships and high-impact learning funds, supporting students in reaching their full potential and making an Etown education accessible for generations to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since its launch, the campaign has been driven by a variety of initiatives and generous contributions, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Earlier this year, as part of the Build Brighter Futures campaign, Etown launched a new <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etown.edu\/offices\/advancement\/million-dollar-match.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Million Dollar Match<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to create 20 new $50,000 Signature Learning Experience (SLE) funds. Through a generous $500,000 challenge fund provided by donors, the initiative doubles new $25,000 SLE commitments, dollar for dollar, generating $1 million in new funding that will expand access to transformative learning opportunities. To date, 11 commitments have already been secured, bringing the initiative more than halfway toward its goal. Discover how you can double your impact today at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etown.edu\/offices\/advancement\/million-dollar-match.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> etown.edu<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Etown\u2019s community came together on March 24 for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/elizabethtown-college-receives-record-breaking-support-for-power-of-one-day\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a record-setting Power of One Day<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the College\u2019s annual 24-hour day of giving. The outpouring of generosity led to 2,400 donors helping raise an incredible $813,059 \u2014 the highest totals in Power of One Day history \u2014 supporting all areas of campus, including academic departments, athletics, and student programs. Nearly 200 donors directed more than $230,000 to scholarships, providing critical financial support that helps make an Etown education possible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lead donors provided a strong foundation by contributing $27 million in early support. Among them, alumnus Bob \u201974 and Karen Rigg helped launch the campaign with a transformative commitment, which established the Robert \u201974 and Karen Rigg Chester County Futures Scholarship and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2024\/04\/22\/elizabethtown-college-announces-rigg-family-chester-county-futures-scholarship-recipients\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ensured funding for multiple students<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> each year.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The Foundation for a Brighter Future<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blue Jays thrive through meaningful experiences and strong support, rooted in a student-centered education that delivers transformative outcomes in both career and life. These experiences align with the national<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etown.edu\/admissions\/big-six.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Big 6 model for success<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, where Etown graduates consistently outperform national benchmarks. While only 3% of graduates nationwide report experiencing all six Big 6 factors, approximately 42%of Etown graduates do \u2014 more than 14 times the national average.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Growing Etown\u2019s endowment, especially through endowed scholarship support of all kinds, will make a college education accessible and impactful for the next generation. Permanent funding is also key to the College\u2019s future. Scholarships provide crucial financial support and create lasting legacies honoring mentors, loved ones, or achievements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond making an Etown education more accessible, scholarship support enables students to pursue transformative experiences such as study abroad, faculty-led research, and internships that build skills, broaden perspectives, and open doors to future careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Scholarships in Action<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMy scholarships have given me the means to pursue my studies, my passion for basketball, and engage in self-discovery at a school that feels like home,\u201d Biology major <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/brighter-futures-in-focus-cadence-anderson-28\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cadence Anderson \u201928<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2025\/11\/19\/brighter-futures-in-focus-cadence-anderson-28\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read more about Cadence\u2019s Etown experience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEstablishing this scholarship was an opportunity to give back and provide an opportunity for future students to attend Etown. I always felt that many people took a chance on me or gave me an opportunity to succeed. Creating a scholarship with others who had a similar vision, desire, and experience opened the door to work collaboratively to provide a small scholarship for future students,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2025\/12\/02\/why-i-give-to-etown-scholarships-todd-eicker-95\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Todd Eicker \u201995<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, who led fundraising efforts to establish the Western Pennsylvania Educational Opportunities Scholarship, said. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2025\/12\/02\/why-i-give-to-etown-scholarships-todd-eicker-95\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read more about what inspired Todd to give back<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe scholarship I received has had a significant impact on my time and experiences at Elizabethtown College. That encouragement has motivated me to stay committed to my goals, work hard in my courses, and give back to the campus community,\u201d Finance major <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/brighter-futures-in-focus-max-lauver-26\/?doing_wp_cron=1784139926.9035360813140869140625\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max Lauver \u201926<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> said. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/brighter-futures-in-focus-max-lauver-26\/?doing_wp_cron=1784139926.9035360813140869140625\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read more about how scholarships are helping Max achieve his goals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Every Gift Makes a Difference<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supporting scholarships at Etown ensures future Blue Jays thrive in our relationship-rich environment, advancing Etown\u2019s mission to educate compassionate leaders and changemakers. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etown.edu\/scholarship\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Build a brighter future<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> by creating a scholarship or high-impact learning fund. Contact Institutional Advancement at ia@etown.edu or 800-877-9658 to learn more or create a scholarship today.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To date, the campaign has raised more than $36 million toward its $40 million goal. With generous gifts from a dedicated Blue Jay network of alumni, families, friends, employees, and students, Elizabethtown College is closing in on the $40 million goal of Build Brighter Futures: The Scholarship Campaign for Etown Students, the most significant scholarship [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":22182,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1338,1339,775],"tags":[2525,197,1350,2524,337],"class_list":["post-22181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics-and-research","category-alumni","category-campus","tag-build-brighter-futures","tag-elizabethtown-college","tag-etown","tag-scholarship-campaign","tag-scholarships","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22181"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22189,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22181\/revisions\/22189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}