Bowling Green State University has received a record scholarship commitment from two alums.
Bowling Green State University announced on Thursday that the Thompson Foundation will expand its support of an existing scholarship program, helping create a fund that may reach a total of $250 million dollars for student scholarships at the university.
Combined with their prior scholarship support, Bob and Ellen Thompson intend to increase their contribution for scholarships at the university to $121 million, with the possibility of giving an additional $30 million to extend the program past 2035. If fully realized, the new commitment will mean the Thompsons will have contributed $150 million to student scholarships at BGSU.
According to a university news release, the contribution is the largest in the University’s history, the largest single gift designated for student scholarships in the state of Ohio and one of the largest non-endowed scholarship programs of its kind in the nation.
“This is a generationally defining gift for thousands of students who might not otherwise be able to earn a college degree,” said BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers. in the release. “As a public university for the public good, access to higher education is at the very core of our mission, and we are incredibly grateful for the Thompsons’ unprecedented generosity in supporting student scholarships at BGSU. The impact of this gift is truly immeasurable.”
Bowling Green State University alumni Bob and Ellen Thompson created the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program in 2014, with the intent to help students from working families overcome financial barriers to higher education.
The first cohort consisted of 15 students, but over the last decade at BGSU, the scope of the program expanded thanks to more support from the Thompsons, matching gifts from other donors and additional support from the university itself.
Up to this point, 1,910 students have received Thompson Working Families scholarships at BGSU. With the new support, it’s anticipated that more than 6,200 BGSU students will receive Thompson scholarship support, from the program’s inception through 2035.
Thompson Scholars receive $11,000 each academic year, covering much of the cost of tuition but still requiring a financial investment from them as they work toward their degrees. Thompson Scholars must also meet certain scholarship requirements, such as maintaining academic progress and completing required community service hours.
“When we first created this scholarship program, we wanted to make sure the dollars were put to good use with accountability throughout the entire process,” Bob Thompson said, in the release. “BGSU has proven this accountability approach works, and we are excited to publicly express our intentions to expand and extend this program into the next decade. Ellen and I are pleased to support BGSU students who have financial need and are willing to work hard at a university that has proven its ability to support them and match these scholarship dollars.”
“We recognize not all universities would be willing to accept the accountability metrics our agreement with the Thompsons requires, but we absolutely believe it is our responsibility to ensure our students are successful and each and every dollar is put to good use,” President Rogers said.
Bob Thompson and Ellen Bowen both earned education degrees from BGSU in the 1950s. After graduation, they worked as teachers, and Bob later enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as a pilot in the Korean War. After that, the Thompsons started several successful businesses, including one of the nation’s leading asphalt and paving companies.
The Thompson’s prior gifts to Bowling Green State University include funding for the construction of a student union, named the Bowen-Thompson Student Union in their honor. In recognition of their support, the university awarded honorary degrees to the Thompsons in 2006, and in 2016, it gave them the University’s Lifetime Achievement Award, its highest honor.