WKU has received a new commitment for student scholarships from Dr. Robert Schneider and his wife, Virginia Schneider, of Crossville, Tenn.
Dr. Robert Schneider and his wife, Virginia, have made a gift to WKU to create scholarships in education and agriculture. (WKU photo by Clinton Lewis)
According to Kathryn Costello, WKU’s Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, the Schneiders recently gave $160,000 to create scholarships in education and agriculture. Dr. Robert Schneider served as a faculty member in WKU’s Agriculture Department for 19 years, and Virginia Schneider received her Ed.S degree at WKU and taught for 19 years in the Bowling Green City Schools. The gift was made from their Individual Retirement Accounts and also satisfies their required minimum distributions.
“Student scholarships are one of the most important priorities in WKU’s New Century of Spirit Campaign,” Costello said. “The University is engaged in a strong competition with its peer institutions to recruit the nation’s top scholars, and we are committed to providing competitive student scholarships, fellowships and awards to recognize the academic achievements of its best and brightest applicants. In addition, needs-based scholarships and awards must be made available to deserving students. We are grateful that the Schneiders have chosen to create scholarships that honor the fields in which they served.”
Dr. Schneider said he and his wife had very rewarding experiences in the Bowling Green community and believed it was logical to return some of their earnings to the community in which they were earned.
“We both feel scholarships are a form of proactive charity rather than reactive, and prevention is normally better than correction or curing,” he said. “Both of us come from families who value education and recognize that education is one of the best ladders to health, happiness and success. We also recognize that the education a child receives is very much related to the education his or her children will attain, and thus, this has the potential of starting a continual chain of educational attainments for generations and generations. I have referred to it as being the same as dropping a pebble into a still body of water and watching the ripples extend outward, never knowing where the impact may end.”
Contact: Kathryn Costello, (270) 745-6208.