By Nicole Briggs

Contributing Writer

The University has received a $1 million grant from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation to endow a scholarship program.

The Stabler Foundation is located in Harrisburg, Pa. and was established for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes. Generally, the grants are given only to organizations and institutions in central and eastern Pennsylvania. It is one of the largest scholarship grants the University has ever received from a private foundation and is one of four gifts at the one-million-dollar mark or higher.

“Scholarships are Bucknell’s top campaign priority, and we are extremely grateful to the Stabler Foundation for this gift,” University president John Bravman said. “The University is committed to making a Bucknell education accessible to the best students, regardless of family finances. Scholarship support helps many superb students to attend Bucknell and creates a vibrant campus community.”

More than sixty percent of students receive aid from the University.

“It is yet to be seen how exactly it will be used to benefit students, but it will definitely help us to give more Bucknell financial aid to students,” said director of financial aid Andrea Leithner Stauffer.

The University takes a big interest in the types of students it enrolls, striving for a diverse group of bright and talented individuals.

“Scholarship aid is critical to attracting gifted students regardless of each of their family’s financial situation. The Stabler Foundation’s endowed scholarship will contribute to Bucknell’s ongoing efforts to increase the diversity of our student body to better reflect the changing demographics of our state and country, helping us to provide an educational experience that will prepare our graduates to enter a rapidly changing workforce” said Kurt Thiede, Vice President for Enrollment Management.

The Stabler Foundation’s grant could lead to new scholarships and will count towards the University’s comprehensive campaign that began in 2007 with a goal of raising $400 million. The campaign has raised $175 million to date.

“The fact that the Stabler Foundation has fully established a new scholarship program in perpetuity speaks both to their generosity and their strong belief in the value of a Bucknell education,” said David Foreman, director of the University’s corporate and foundation relations.