The Inaugural Clifford E. LePage Scholarship Celebration
Chapter & Alumni News
On a sunny and hot Sunday afternoon on July 24, 2016, brothers of the Gamma Delta Chapter of Sigma Nu gathered to celebrate the beginning of a wonderful initiative, the inaugural celebration of its newly founded Clifford E. LePage Scholarship.
The Clifford E. LePage Scholarship Fund was established in 2014 through Stevens Institute of Technology. Currently, it consists of two yearly scholarships. One $1000 scholarship that any current brother is eligible to receive and one $500 scholarship that only new brothers who were initiated in the previous two semesters are eligible for. Brothers submit applications to the Alumni Executive Board who review and choose the scholarship recipient based on academics, activities at Stevens, and involvement in Sigma Nu.
One of the many benefits of having this scholarship as part of the Stevens Endowment is being able to take advantage of opportunities, such as matching programs. With the help of the matching programs, as well as the extreme generosity from the alumni, this scholarship fund has exceeded $30,000 in just two years! This is an incredible accomplishment. With this rapid growth, the distribution of funds will be re-evaluated for the scholarship in the future and will be able to help even more brothers finance their education.
A goal of the alumni leadership is to have this scholarship become endowed, which would essentially help the fund grow itself. The minimum for this is a $75,000 fund which we are well on our way toward achieving.
To celebrate the great success of this scholarship, an esteemed alumnus brother, and Stevens Board of Trustee member, who was a key contributor in initiating this scholarship, offered to host a celebration BBQ at his beautiful home in New Jersey. There was delicious BBQ food and drinks for all as everyone caught up with old friends, met new ones and enjoyed the gorgeous day.
Both the host and the current Commander spoke to the group about our many successes up to this point and the plans for what is to come.
As the event was coming to a close, talks were already underway for how the event could improve for summer 2017. The invitation list consists of any brother who has made a donation to the scholarship. The Gamma Delta chapter continues to grow and exceed expectations year after year. The alumni have recognized that and are doing their part to help contribute to the success.