Cindy Rice, Director of Private Scholarship Development and Estate Planning Associate, coordinated the event, which originated in 1994 with 50 attendees – 12 of them donors. According to Rice, private scholarships currently total $10 million of the University’s endowment.  The donors present at the luncheon represented more than 75 of the 313 total scholarships, 247 of them are endowed.

Rice expressed her delight in this unique opportunity for students and their donors to interact face-to-face at the luncheon.  “Selection of the private scholarship recipients by the University Scholarship Committee occurs annually in January for the following academic year.  It is not until this luncheon that we see in one room many of the students whose lives our decisions affect.  More than 475 students were selected to receive a private scholarship for 2008-2009; however, not all of their scholarship donors were able to attend the Scholarship Appreciation Day.” 

For more information about private scholarships, please call Rice at 417-328-1838.

###

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

SBU’s Office of Marketing and Communications is available to news media 24 hours a day at (417) 399-7918. Visit the SBU Office of Marketing & Communications online at www.SBUniv.edu/news.