BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) – Bowling Green State University leaders are announcing the largest financial contribution in the university’s history and the largest gift dedicated to student scholarships in Ohio’s history Thursday morning. Watch the announcement here live.
BGSU and the Thompson Foundation announced on May 2 that Bob and Ellen Thompson intend to give $121 million to scholarships at BGSU. There is also a possibility they will give an additional $30 million, which would extend the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program past 2035. This means, in total, the Thompsons will contribute $150 million to student scholarships, the largest contribution in BGSU history.
The Thompson Working Families Scholarship Program is a public-private partnership that has already impacted thousands of lives and after Thursday’s announcement, the impact will continue for generations to come.
According to BGSU, the program, which began in 2014, combines Thompson Foundation financial support with matching university dollars and gifts from donors. The program is expected to create nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in scholarships by its completion in 2035.
The university says scholarship recipients, also known as Thompson Scholars, receive $11,000 each academic year which covers much of the cost of tuition. They also must commit to completing other requirements, which include required community service hours, maintaining academic progress and covering the remaining cost of attendance.
The Thompsons were on campus Thursday as the donation was announced.
“To them, it isn’t about the money, it’s about the lives changed,” Dr. Rodney Rogers, the president of the university said.
After successful careers, the Thompsons wanted to reach back to a place that helped shape their lives. They are both BGSU graduates. Bob Thompson received a scholarship to play football at BGSU but said he never played. Bob Thompson said that although he never played, the coach made sure the scholarship continued. That act of kindness years ago paved the way for Thursday’s gift.
“It’s all surplus money, so we thought let’s do things for others at the place that helped get us where we’re at,” Bob Thompson said.
The Thompson Working Family Scholarship Program started in 2014. When it comes to funding it, there are several layers. It combines money from the Thompson Foundation with matching university dollars and gifts from other donors. The students also pay some of the tuition along with community service hours.
“We found that if you just write a check for the whole amount, people don’t appreciate it as much as if they participate,” Bob Thompson said.
The scholarship program has already helped 2,200 students. With Thursday’s announcement, that number is expected to climb to 6,200 students.
“Very moving, it was good to hear all that. You think you’re doing the right thing, but to hear it expressed in such a sincere way was moving,” Ellen Thompson said.
“At the end of my first year, I didn’t know if I’d be able to come back to school because I couldn’t pay for it. I either needed another scholarship or a miracle and I got both because I got the Thompson Family Scholarship,” Nykera Gardner, a student who received the scholarship said. “To be able to see them and meet them and shake their hands and thank them in person, I felt like I was meeting celebrities, campus celebrities, my celebrities.”
Watch the full announcement event in the video below.
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