APRIL 2005

CAMPUS NEWS

Students, Donors Come Together at Annual Celebration of Scholarships

Michael Meneer '04 and Philomena Jurey

Nearly 250 students, donors, faculty, staff, and AU administrators gathered on Wednesday, April 20 in the Mary Graydon Center’s University Club for the eighth annual scholarship luncheon. The special event allows students to meet and thank the generous alumni and friends behind their scholarships – and donors to meet the students reaping the rewards of these gifts. Scholarship recipients from freshmen to graduate students attended the event, wearing their medals proudly.

Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson opened up the celebration with a short welcome. “This is always a very special event because it brings together talented and grateful students and some of the people who have made it possible for these students to pursue their dreams,” said Hanson.

Elizabeth Swibel, '98, '05, and SOC Professor Wendell Cochran

This year’s guest speaker was Elizabeth Swibel, SOC/BA '98, SPA/MPA '05, recipient of the Susan Dweck Scholarship. Swibel talked about her experience at AU and her career at the Anti-Defamation League, where she began as an intern and is now director of Grants and Foundations Relations, raising more than $6 million dollars annually.

Swibel thanked the donors in the audience for their continued generosity to the university and its students. “I am eternally grateful for the scholarships I received from AU, which have allowed me to accelerate my career and launch my own nonprofit.” Swibel is currently establishing Project FLEX (Fitness and Learning Exchange), which will donate fitness equipment to underserved recreational centers or public housing communities in Washington, D.C., and provide fitness and health training to their residents.

Stephanie Bier '06 and Joshua Foster '06
photos by Jeff Watts

She also expressed her gratitude to AU "for going beyond a traditional curriculum and helping me to solve problems not only in the classroom, but also in my community. If it were not for my scholarships, I would not have been able to work part time, concentrate on my studies, and launch my own nonprofit,” she said.

Swibel closed with a quote from Anne Frank: “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Scholarship donors reflect this sentiment, having bestowed their generosity upon the students, whose “moment is now,” she noted.

The afternoon concluded with a special musical performance by cellist Stephanie Bier CAS ’06, recipient of the AU Music Scholarship, and guitarist Joshua Foster CAS ’06, recipient of the AU Music Scholarship and the David W. Wainhouse Memorial Scholarship. Bier, a triple major in music, international studies, and French, and Foster, a double major in music and audio technology, accompanied each other with an unusual yet melodic cello-electric guitar duet, playing jazz and classical selections.           

-Ashley Ferrell, ‘07

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