Scholarship Luncheon Connects Friends
Every one of the hundreds of members of the Rider community who donates to the University scholarship fund certainly has his or her own motivation for doing so. And while their reasons for philanthropy vary with each individual, the dividend is always the same – their gift provides a Rider student with an opportunity to succeed, making each gift more personal than monetary. On April 30, the beneficiaries of this generosity were given another opportunity – to meet and thank the very people who provide the funds for their scholarships.
The Fourth Annual Scholarship/Stewardship luncheon was held in the Cavalla Room, as 220 people gathered to celebrate everything that these scholarships represent – opportunity, generosity, student achievement, pride and hope. Jonathan Meer, vice president for University Advancement, opened to program by sharing exciting news about the Broncs baseball team beating George Mason University, who was ranked 29th in the nation. As Meer articulated, overcoming the odds to beat a team with the best home record in Division I takes a total team effort. Similarly, providing $34 million in scholarship aid cannot be accomplished with the hard work and support of the many dedicated Rider staff whom Meer then acknowledged, including those from Student Financial Services, University Advancement and the president’s senior staff.
Meer then introduced President Mordechai Rozanski, who offered his thanks and congratulations to the donors. “Your support is transforming lives and opening doors of opportunity for our students. And, in these very challenging financial times, your continuing support is greatly appreciated more than ever,” Rozanski said. “Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to dramatically increase the amount of scholarship support we will be awarding to our deserving students next year. Next year, Rider will be awarding $3.9 million more in financial assistance than we did this year – an increase of 11.5 percent.”
Rider senior Timothy Torres was then presented with a Phi Sigma Nu Fraternity Ring belonging to one of Rider’s most generous alumni, Patrick Ciambelli ’42, whose name, along with that of his beloved late wife, Rose, adorns the Admissions building. Pat Ciambelli, who was unable to attend the lunch, was a member of Rider’s soccer team and an Accounting major, and he has generously supported accounting students through a scholarship in his name. Ciambelli wanted his Phi Sigma Nu fraternity ring to be passed down to an accounting student who received the Phi Sigma Nu Fraternity scholarship this year. The scholarship was created to honor those members of the fraternity who served their country in World War II, Korea or Vietnam, especially those brothers who gave their lives for their country.
Following lunch, attendees heard a personal and emotional tale from Patricia Buchholz Guth ’81, a donor who, with her friends, endowed a scholarship to honor Mary Yolanda Dowling, a close friend she met while attending Westminster Choir College. Dowling died tragically on September 11, 2001, while trying to help her colleagues escape the South Tower of the World Trade Center. “Once we, her friends, came to grips with Yolanda’s death, it didn’t take long to figure out how best to honor her,” Guth said. “Westminster was her dream, and though she was never able to complete her education there due to financial constraints, perhaps – in her name – we can help others realize their dream of a Westminster education.”
The recipient of the Yolanda Dowling Scholarship, Jodi Zhao, clearly moved after hearing Guth’s story of Dowling’s heroism, relayed her own appreciation for the opportunity to learn music at Westminster. “When I found out about her brave deeds in the World Trade Center, I felt both awe at the beauty of her kind act and grief at her loved ones’ loss,” Zhao said. “My very presence here is proof that her name and memory are still helping others. The scholarships that I received went beyond my expectations in generosity and value. They have enabled me to place all my energies into studies and music practice. Because of people like Ms. Dowling and her loved ones, I can buy new music books and the occasional ice cream without working late-night shifts.”
Guests were then treated to three magnificent opera performances by Westminster students Sarai Johnson, Crystal Charles, Aaron Blankfield and Antonia Mendezona who performed selections from Madama Butterfly, La Fille du Regiment and Candide under the music direction of assistant professor Daniel Beckwith.
Meer was clearly pleased with the success of the event. “We are thrilled with the response to this year’s luncheon,” he said. “There are few better experiences for a university administrator than being able to see generous donors get to know the worthy scholarship recipients they support. In many ways, this has been a very difficult year for many of our donors, given the challenges of the economy and the stock market. I think our scholarship luncheon gave donors the opportunity to focus on something very positive that they've been able to accomplish this year, notwithstanding other difficulties, and they jumped at the chance.”
