Endowment will fund SCS scholarships

The Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco has awarded $1 million to the School of Continuing Studies to endow need-based scholarships for Richmond-area residents returning to college.

The funding comes with an additional grant of $50,000, enabling the school to begin offering the scholarships this fall to non-traditional students with at least a five-year cumulative gap in their educations. Return on the endowment will begin funding scholarships in 2009-10.

The scholarships will be available to persons pursuing undergraduate degrees who are 25 to 50 years old demonstrating academic promise and financial need.

“Financing is often the most significant barrier faced by adults returning to school,” said Jim Narduzzi, SCS dean. “This gift will eliminate that barrier for a significant number of students in the metropolitan area.”

The gift doubles the amount of assistance the school will be able to provide to adult students. “The scholarships will allow adult students to complete their educations and still contribute to the workforce,” said Narduzzi.

Narduzzi said Richmond is one of only 64 institutions that have received support from the Osher Foundation for reentry scholarships and one of only 16 to receive an endowment gift.

The foundation previously gave the school two $50,000 grants for reentry scholarships.