New Scholarship Targets the Unexpected Financial Challenges Affecting Many Students

The adage that the “best-laid plans often go awry” applies not just to college students’ academic plans, but to their financial ones, too. A group of alumnae from the ’60s have announced the launch of a new scholarship to address the unexpected crises that often threaten to upend a student’s undergraduate career.

The new Provida Futuri Endowed Scholarship fund will provide additional support for students who have experienced a sudden unexpected challenge to their family’s circumstances — for example, a loss of employment or the death of a family member — that can drastically affect their ability to continue at Pitzer.

“Not every student’s undergraduate years are smooth and unaffected,” said Pitzer Trustee Louise Thornton ’68, “and my classmates and I recognized this and wanted to do something tangible to address it.”

Pitzer sophomores through seniors will be eligible for the new scholarship, which will become available once the endowment is complete. Support is being sought in the form of gifts of cash, stock, donor-advised funds, and other planned-giving vehicles involving bequests. Fundraising is already off to a solid start with a significant planned gift for the endowment.

Specific levels of funding for student applicants will be determined on an individual basis and all applicants will be reviewed annually. An important feature of the Provida Futuri Scholarship is that it won’t affect a student’s previously determined financial aid package. In other words, receiving this additional aid won’t translate into losing other forms of financial support.

“Our Women of the Sixties group is thrilled and excited about this,” said Yulanda Davis-Quarrie, assistant vice president of Advancement, “and we welcome anyone else who wants to join them in creating a terrific new financial safety net for students now and in the future.”

Interested in supporting the Provida Futuri Endowed Scholarship?
Contact Yulanda Davis-Quarrie