Vice President for University Advancement Jonathan Meer announced on Jan. 28 that the effort to raise student scholarship funds for Together We Can: The Campaign for Scholarship had reached 80 percent of its goal with $12.2 million in gifts and pledges committed to date.
“Exceeding the $12 million mark—which was the original target suggested by our campaign consultant a year ago—gives us a lot of momentum as we begin the spring semester,” said President Grey Dimenna. “While this is an important and exciting milestone, we still have a lot of work to do,” he added.
Dimenna noted that reaching and exceeding the $15 million goal will enhance Monmouth’s ability to continue to attract highly qualified students from economically, geographically, and culturally diverse backgrounds.
Currently, 30 percent of students qualify for need-based, federally-funded financial aid at Monmouth.
In the most recent academic year, more than $66 million in institutional scholarship assistance was awarded to Monmouth students from all sources. That represents an 11 percent increase from the prior year and a 99 percent jump from a decade ago.
The scholarship campaign has engaged a team of volunteers representing varied constituent groups on campus; parents, alumni, representatives from each academic area, faculty, retired faculty and staff, students, trustees, and former trustees. The effort is co-chaired by trustees and scholarship benefactors Valerie Montecalvo and Carol Stillwell. Montecalvo is also the parent of an alumna.
Meer said that the momentum of the campaign was the result of members of the Board and the volunteers who have helped to secure significant gifts in support of Monmouth students. “Every contribution, large and small, helps us reach our goal. I look forward to broader campus participation as we head toward June 30 and the end of the campaign,” he said.
Together We Can: The Campaign for Scholarship includes all gifts and pledges made to scholarships from July 2017 through June 2019. To learn more about the campaign or to contribute, visit monmouth.edu/together.