The Gerber Grand Challenge for Philanthropy has attracted millions of dollars in donor support and is making Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible a success.
Making Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible for students
How your donation benefits students. Click for full size.
Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible, the college¡¯s new financial aid program, is doing exactly what its name suggests. The program enables Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for qualifying students. Since being launched two years ago, it has made Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø accessible to 339 high-achieving students from families with high financial need.
¡°Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible is making a difference in the lives of students and making a difference for Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø,¡± said Executive Vice President Kent Barnds. ¡°This innovative program is providing excellent students with a transformational liberal arts education. There are many people to thank for the success of this initiative, beginning with Murry Gerber.¡±
Gerber, a 1975 Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø alumnus, committed $40 million to increase endowed scholarship support and pledged to match dollar-for-dollar donors who want to join him in keeping Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø accessible. Through the Gerber Grand Challenge for Philanthropy, Gerber wants students like himself ¡ª high-achievers from families with high financial need ¡ª to be able to experience the academic and extracurricular opportunities that Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø offers.
Diego Vazquez '27
The Gerber Grand Challenge, which funds Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible, is attracting millions of dollars in donor support, making Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø possible for students like Diego Vazquez ¡¯27. The average grant per student to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need is $7,551.
¡°The Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible funding was an important reason for my final college decision,¡± said Vazquez, a biology major from Earlville, Ill. ¡°While it was always at the top of my list, the funding made choosing Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø that much easier.
¡°I chose Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø for the great academics and the ability to play sports. I wanted to go to a smaller school that still provided me with opportunities to be involved in many things while preparing for my career.¡±
A total of 1,817 gifts in the amount of $19.1 million have been made to support Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible. Since March 2022, the match money raised/committed through the Gerber Grand Challenge has established 100 new endowed scholarships for qualifying students.
Longtime Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø supporter Axtell Kramer, a 1962 Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø alumnus, made a multi-million-dollar gift in memory of his wife, Marie. Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible is important to Kramer because without the scholarships he and Marie received as undergraduates, neither would have been able to attend college.
¡°Axtell is one of many donors who have taken advantage of the Gerber match and who understand the importance of the doors Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Possible opens,¡± said Vice President for Advancement Jon Enslin. ¡°The generosity of Å·ÖÞ±ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø alumni and supporters is unquestionable. Alumni of this school love this place more than any other school that I know.¡±