Veterans’ Endowed Scholarship to Grow From VFW Post’s Startup

Published 11.12.2015

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A $2,000 donation from a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post is providing the seed money for a scholarship fund that will eventually assist Pennsylvania College of Technology's veteran students and their children.

The contribution from LeRoy O. Buck VFW Post 7863 – facilitated by Michael D. Seitzer, a Veterans Affairs work-study student in the college’s Financial Aid Office – kicks off a three-year campaign to endow a newly established scholarship fund to aid those who have either exhausted their veterans' educational benefits and/or are in financial need.



LeRoy O. Buck Post 7863, Veterans of Foreign Wars, DuBoistown, has contributed $4,000 to Penn College in recent months, half of which will be used as startup funding for a veterans scholarship fund. Cementing the partnership are (clockwise from rear left) David Oliver, post commander; Chester M. Beaver, Penn College's veterans affairs coordinator; and Sarah E. Ruhlman and Jacob M. Heuman, two of the college's Veterans Affairs work-study students. (The third, Michael D. Seitzer, is not pictured.)“It is great to see members of the veterans community, both on and off campus, working together toward a common goal,” said Chester M. Beaver, veterans affairs coordinator. “With the help of some wonderful Penn College employees, we look forward to establishing a lasting reminder of what all of our veterans mean to this community.”

The VFW post contributed another $2,000 over the summer, split evenly between the Veterans Club and Omega Delta Sigma, the college’s new veterans fraternity.

The drive is expected to get a huge boost from a Penn College committee that shepherded the Mary Beth Saar Memorial Scholarship to full $25,000 endowment in fairly short order. That fund, which honors a member of the Financial Aid Office staff, met its goal in March and began helping students meet temporary financial emergencies this fall.

The campus group, representing the Financial Aid and Admissions offices, will now channel that energy to the veterans scholarship, continuing the popular Dress-Down February initiative that proved so successful in their earlier fundraising effort. For a contribution of $20 or more, college employees will be entitled to "dress down" every Friday in February (and, as a bonus, the first Friday in March).

“As employees of Penn College, we are pleased to assist those who have true need and those that seek financial resources to further their education,” said Dennis L. Correll, associate dean for financial aid/admissions. “By combining the efforts of employees and student organizations, we create synergy between the two and bring everyone together for a common cause.”

Based on the Saar success, the committee projects it can collect half the money in “dress-down” donations alone. It is anticipated that the balance will be raised by the veterans fraternity through organized events and outside donations.

Students interested in applying for any of the more than 200 scholarships administered by the Penn College Foundation may complete the online scholarship application.

For more information about making a gift to the Penn College Scholarship Campaign or establishing a scholarship fund to support the college and its students, email or call the Institutional Advancement Office toll-free at 866-GIVE-2-PC (866-448-3272).

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.