Upcoming fundraising event to benefit a KSU student

Olivia Young

Kent State University Libraries will host its second annual fundraising event for the 2014-2015 Legacy Scholarship.

The 2014 Legacy Scholarship Dinner will be in the Kent State Student Center Ballroom at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.

James Bracken, dean of the University Libraries, said they raised $25,000, the minimum amount needed to create an endowment, which can then be used to give a $1,000 scholarship to a student every year.

Bracken said they gave a $1,000 scholarship last year, and he hopes to raise another $25,000 this year to give another scholarship.

Senior early education major Carissa Deeds was the recipient of the 2013 scholarship and will be the guest of honor for the 2014 Legacy Scholarship Dinner.

“It was really meaningful to me. My college education is really important, too, but it’s financially strenuous,” Deeds said. “The scholarship was extremely helpful to pay for some of my tuition.”

The event will have performances from the School of Music and the School of Theater and Dance, along with food and dessert stations. Event attire is suggested.

“We try to treat our students well. We wish we could pay them more, but we can’t,” Bracken said, “but we can do things to give them scholarships.”

According to the official website, students eligible for the scholarship include Kent Campus students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors who demonstrate financial need and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Preference will be given to students who work in the University Libraries.

There are three components to the application process for the scholarship, which include an application cover sheet, an unofficial transcript and an essay. The students with the top essays will then be invited for an in-person interview with the University Libraries Scholarship committee.

“The interview allowed us to actually meet the possible winner and hear them share their thoughts and to make sure we understood what they had communicated in their essay,” said Paul Fehrmann, the scholarship committee chairman. “The applications were great this past year.”

Event tickets are $75 per person, which includes the cost of entertainment, all prepared foods and a full bar.

To order tickets or donate, visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashnete/selfserve/BrowseCatalog.aspx

Contact Olivia Young at [email protected].