Edinboro University receives $679,000 from ChairScholars Foundation

ChairScholars Foundation, Inc. recently presented Edinboro University with a $679,639 gift in recognition of the University's longstanding commitment to providing access and opportunity to students with disabilities.

The funds will provide scholarships to Edinboro students with significant financial needs and major physical challenges.

Guided by the philosophy that "no physical impairment should deter a motivated mind," the ChairScholars Foundation provides scholarships for college and vocational training to low-income students with severe physical disabilities. Dr. Hugo A. Keim, a retired spinal surgeon, and his wife, Alicia, established the Florida-based foundation in 1992. Since then, the foundation has aided more than 1,000 students nationwide.

"Scholarships are transformational," said Marilyn Goellner, Vice President for Advancement at Edinboro University. "They inspire and motivate our students to succeed – in and out of the classroom – and ultimately, to succeed and make a difference in their communities. Without this kind of assistance, many students would not have the resources to attend college."

In 2014, Dr. and Mrs. Keim made Edinboro University a special partner in their work with an initial donation of $500,000. A second $500,000 gift in 2017 and the recent award brings total contributions to Edinboro University from the ChairScholars Foundation to more than $1.6 million.

"We are incredibly grateful to the foundation for creating the ChairScholars Foundation Scholarship at Edinboro University," said Goellner. "Through their continued generosity, Dr. and Mrs. Keim have made a profound impact on students at Edinboro and across the United States."

Since the inception of the ChairScholars Foundation Scholarship fund at Edinboro University, $189,000 has been awarded to 29 students with physical disabilities.