A historic $1 million gift to Hendricks Chapel will assist students experiencing financial hardship and ensure access to academic enrichment opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them, announced Hendricks Chapel Dean Brian Konkol.
The gift, from a 鶹ƵUniversity alumnus and his wife who wish to remain anonymous, will launch the Hendricks Chapel Student Opportunity Fund. Konkol says the gift appears to be the largest single gift ever made to Hendricks Chapel.
The new endowment fund, which will be administered by the dean of Hendricks Chapel, will complement the University’s established network of financial aid and social support. The fund is designed to help cover the financial gap for students having difficulty covering their basic needs or unanticipated costs, freeing them to better focus on their coursework and maintain their academic progress. Categories of support may include food, clothing, emergency travel, emergency healthcare expenses, and other nonacademic expenses.
“This extraordinary expression of generosity speaks to the vital and multifaceted role the chapel plays in campus life,” says Konkol. “I am grateful to the donors for this historic gift, for the good that will immediately come out of it, and for the invitation it extends to others to contribute in a way that expands student wellbeing for generations to come. As a student-centered global home for religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical life, we are committed to fostering and supporting an inclusive and accessible campus community of possibility for a richly diverse student body. We are excited to expand our efforts far beyond the physical walls of the chapel, in order to help create and sustain a learning environment where the pursuit of excellence is supported through the expansion of opportunity.”
Since its dedication in 1930, Hendricks Chapel has defined and embraced its role as the physical and metaphorical “heart” of 鶹ƵUniversity. In addition to serving as a spiritual home for a diversity of communities and programming, a key aspect of its service includes a pantry stocked with food and personal care items, in addition to a system of financial loans and grants, all of which draw visits from an assortment of students each academic year.
According to a recent study by Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, researchers found that 36 percent of students at 66 surveyed colleges and universities do not receive enough to eat, and a similar number lack a secure place to live. By building upon the existing programs designed to support those in need, the new student opportunity fund will expand efforts to support and prepare students as engaged citizens, scholars and learners in a changing global society.
In addition to meeting basic needs, the new fund will help to defray costs of out-of-classroom opportunities—such as study abroad and unpaid summer internships—to students for whom such programs and enrichment experiences might otherwise be out of reach.
“鶹ƵUniversity has a richly diverse student body that cuts across the full socioeconomic spectrum,” says M. Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience. “It’s a big part of what makes us such a vibrant campus community. And we are committed to ensuring that every student in pursuit of educational and personal excellence, particularly those from underrepresented communities, has the social support and academic opportunities needed to succeed at 鶹Ƶand beyond. This includes making sure their basic needs are met and that they have access to the kind of signature learning opportunities that will prepare them to thrive as citizens, leaders and professionals in today’s global society. This fund will be an important resource for helping our students achieve their full academic and personal potential.”
Others can donate to the endowment in order to build and sustain the fund for future generations of students.
For more information on how to make a gift to the Hendricks Chapel Student Opportunity Fund, contact David Wishart at awishart@syr.edu or 315.443.2766. For information on how to apply for aid from the fund, contact Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz at rrkantro@syr.edu or 315.443.5127.
