Hiram College announces a $1.25 million gift from an anonymous donor to support need-based scholarships in the name of Galen J. Roush, a 1915 alumnus of the College. The gift will enable the College to offer scholarships to students who need financial assistance in rounding out their overall financial aid package.
The $1.25 million gift is the third received by Hiram College from the donor. The first, a $2 million gift in 2015 to create an endowed scholarship fund in the name of Roush, was the College’s first ever outright seven-figure gift. Following the initial gift, the College received an additional $665,000 in 2016 to support need-based scholarships.
“I am incredibly grateful that this donor has graced Hiram College with a third generous gift,” says Lori Varlotta, Ph.D., president of Hiram. “Gifts of this size and for this purpose allow Hiram to continue its 168-year history of transforming the lives of college students and preparing them for the many changes, challenges, and wonders they will encounter throughout their lives. I can’t think of a better time of the year or a more poignant moment in our history to accept such a wonderful gift.”
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hiram College in 1915, Roush went on to earn a Juris Doctorate from the Case Western Reserve University in 1922. He practiced law for several years, leaving the profession in 1930 to join his brother in establishing Roadway Express. The company became one of the nation’s largest motor freight carriers before merging with Yellow Transit Co. in 2003 and operating under the combined name of YRC Freight in 2012. In 1967, Roush founded the GAR Foundation, which has since awarded over $225 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that advance in the areas of education, basic needs and independence, arts and culture, and civic enhancement. The Foundation previously established an endowed scholarship at Hiram College in 1988 in his honor. Roush also served on the Hiram College Board of Trustees from 1950 until his death in 1976, and was one of the Charter Fellows of the Garfield Society of Hiram College.
As the cost of higher education increases, more students are looking for scholarships to help them finance a college education. Gifts like this make college financially feasible for students who may have once imagined a private liberal arts education as being beyond their means. Each year, Hiram College hands out over $5 million in need-based scholarships to students.
Hiram College continues to advance The New Liberal Arts™ initiative, while respectively rolling out Vision 20/20, a $40 million targeted fundraising campaign. The campaign identifies four key areas for funding support: Technology, Campus Improvements, Branding and Marketing, and the Comprehensive Academic Redesign. The goal is to raise $20 million in cash and $20 million in pledges by June 30, 2020.
Jennifer Schuller, vice president of development and alumni at Hiram College says, “Vision 20/20 is a timely and critically important short-term, focused campaign. But gifts outside the campaign—like this remarkably generous one from our anonymous donor—ensure the longevity of student support. This gift, and other endowed scholarships like it, provide students of today and tomorrow with the financial support they need to attend this top-notch college. Words are an inadequate expression of my gratitude.”
by Jenelle Bayus
