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LIFT = LIFELONG INVESTMENT AND FUTURE TRANSFORMATION

LIFT helps students access a transformative college education, navigate challenges on the path to degree completion and, as graduates, engage their communities, the region and our world through their lives and careers. Your investment in ²Ø¾«¸ó financially impacts our university today, and it enables the creation of an educated, socially engaged workforce necessary for the region’s continued economic growth and development.

Traditionally, first-generation students (students whose parents have not graduated from college) face several barriers to achieving a dream of college completion. We know that 85 percent of all full-time ²Ø¾«¸ó undergraduates (6,931) receive some form of financial aid, and looking specifically at our 2018 entering class of full-time freshman students (1,946) we see that:

We have a responsibility to reduce barriers to higher education for these students. The LIFT Scholars Program will allow us to create additional need-based scholarships with very specific requirements that provide a support structure in which students can develop academic, financial and personal plans that help them graduate; and create personal and professional networking connections that support and encourage them. 

Goal: Ensure that ²Ø¾«¸ó graduates are prepared for meaningful lives and fulfilling careers.

In order to retain this financial aid, each scholarship recipient is required to:

• Meet with UCAP staff to develop a written plan outlining goals and strategies for successful degree completion
• Attend peer networking and/or tutoring sessions, as recommended by UCAP
• Meet with appointed academic advisor once a semester for academic and personal support
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher after sophomore year
• Meet with his or her donor annually for professional support and networking

Lifelong Investment and Future Transformation Scholarship Program

LIFT is a scholarship program to support ²Ø¾«¸ó’s student population that is the highest risk of not completing. The program is designed to support students that demonstrate significant financial need or are a first-generation college student.

$2 million has been committed to support LIFT Scholars as a matching gift to double the impact by encouraging other donors to invest in ²Ø¾«¸ó students’ success. Gifts will be matched in a 1 to 1 ratio. Once all commitments are realized this will create $4 million in student support.

In order for gifts to receive matching funds it must:

• $50,000 minimum commitment
• $500,000 maximum commitment
• Gift must be for a scholarship for a student(s) that demonstrates financial need, as determined by the ²Ø¾«¸ó Office of Financial Aid, or are a first-generation college student
• Gift can be committed for no longer than a five year period
• Donor can stipulate one degree requirement or one sport program requirement
• Gifts will be matched in the order by which final gift agreements are fully executed until all matching funds are committed

Example:

Victoria Viking makes a $100,000 commitment to support a scholarship for nursing students demonstrating financial need. Ms. Viking commits to pay the gift in annual installments of $20,000 in years one through five.

This commitment will be matched by the LIFT Fund to create four (4) annual scholarships of $5,000. In years one through five, these LIFT Fund scholarships will be awarded working with the office of financial aid and in accordance to the scholarship agreement and university policies.

Beginning in year one, Victoria Viking’s original gift will be invested to create a permanent endowment in her name based upon the original scholarship guidelines. The Victoria Viking Endowed Scholarship will then be awarded in year six (6). The amount awarded from this endowment will be determined by the annual endowment spending rate determined by the ²Ø¾«¸ó Foundation. Ms. Viking or other donors will have the ability to increase these awards by continuing with an annual gift to support the scholarship directly, or by adding to the endowment.