Riversville Foundation to fund African American scholarships

The Riversville Foundation of New York will fund three academic scholarships annually for African American students at Elon University. Recipients must be African American students of sophomore class standing, have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA following their freshman year, and have demonstrated outstanding leadership and campus engagement during their freshman year. The scholarship is known as The Riversville Foundation Annual Scholarship Fund.

Representatives of the Foundation toured the campus on Wednesday, Sept. 13, meeting with President Lambert and other University officials to discuss the University’s institutional priorities of diversifying the campus community and reducing financial barriers to higher education. Pictured at right are Larry Vellani, director of foundation and corporate relations at Elon, and Riversville Foundation representatives Mary Lou and Art Thivierge.

A committee chaired by Susan Klopman, Vice President for Admissions and Financial Planning, has chosen students for the scholarships based upon the Foundation’s strict guidelines of financial need, as well as demonstrated leadership ability, participation in extracurricular activities and community service. Scholarships will be renewable for the junior and senior year at Elon, provided the student maintains full time academic status, earns at least a 3.0 GPA in each semester and continues to contribute as a leader to the campus community.

This academic year The Riversville Foundation is supporting sixty-one outstanding African American undergraduate students at eleven instructions of higher education throughout the Eastern United States. The Foundation also supports a variety of philanthropic endeavors, including academic scholarships. The private foundation was formed in 2001.