Penn State Behrend to Host Annual Scholarship Luncheon
College on track to award more than $1 million for third consecutive year
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host its annual Scholarship Luncheon this Saturday, September 27. Approximately 600 people are expected to attend.
The luncheon, which gives students the opportunity to meet and thank the benefactors of their private scholarships, is being held on the 60th anniversary of the first day of classes at Penn State Behrend—September 27, 1948. This year, the luncheon is part of the festivities of Penn State Behrend’s 2008 Parents and Families Weekend.
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| J. Scott McCain |
The guest speaker for the luncheon will be J. Scott McCain, owner and president of Erie Concrete Steel and Supply Company, which was founded by his father. As both the treasurer and a board member of the McCain Foundation, J. Scott McCain played a key role in the establishment of the McCain Family Foundation Trustee Scholarship at Penn State Behrend.
He is a longtime member of the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows and serves on its Board of Directors. McCain also serves on the City of Erie’s Enterprise Zone Loan Review Committee, the incorporators of both Hamot Medical Center and Saint Vincent Health System, and is a past president and current board member of the Buffalo regional chapter of the Metals Service Center Institute. An Erie native, McCain graduated from Strong Vincent High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in finance from Penn State University Park.
To date for the 2008-09 academic year, the college has awarded 423 Penn State Behrend-specific scholarships, which total $917,636. With this, the college is on track to award in excess of $1 million for 2008-09—the third year in a row.
In 2007-08, the college awarded 596 Penn State Behrend-specific scholarships totaling nearly $1.1 million. In 2006-07, Penn State Behrend exceeded the $1 million mark for total scholarship money awarded in a single academic year for the first time, distributing $1,044,592.
“Penn State Behrend has a diverse student body on a numbers of fronts,” said Chancellor Jack Burke. “First, almost 40 percent of our students are the first generation in their families to attend college. Plus we attract students from not only northwest Pennsylvania, but also from 26 countries and 26 states and territories.
“Our students are working hard to attain their educations,” Burke continued. “Scholarships play a critical role in their ability to pursue higher education and become productive members of our nation”
The $1 million totals comprise a range of Penn State Behrend-specific scholarships, such as Trustee Matching Scholarships, endowments and annual gifts; the Chancellor’s Scholarship Program, which recognizes academically gifted students regardless of need; study abroad monies; and a host of academic-, leadership-, merit-, and need-based scholarships. These $1 million figures exclude state and federal financial aid.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 34 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,600 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams and 19 intramural sports.
Penn State Behrend is named in recognition of a donation by Mary Behrend, widow of Ernst Behrend, who founded the Hammermill Paper Co. in Erie in 1898. The Behrend family lived on the 400-acre Glenhill Farm, which is the core of the Penn State Behrend campus today. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.