Bloomfield College receives a $1.5 million gift

January 15, 2010 - After seven years of offering scholarships to students at Bloomfield College, the Bestfoods Educational Foundation made its final grant of $1.5 million, the largest single gift ever received by the college, to establish the Bestfoods Educational Foundation Endowed Scholarship.

“Bloomfield College has a history of serving underrepresented students, many of whom rely on financial aid to attend the College,” says College President Richard Levao. “The Bestfoods Educational Foundation has historically demonstrated their confidence in our mission and our vision of academic excellence and has aided more than 1,000 students through their generosity.”

The Bestfoods Educational Foundation supported educational programs and scholarships offered by not-for-profit institutions and organizations that have shown success in building academic/literary skills through traditional or non-traditional means. The Foundation directed contributions where it believed they can make a difference, by enabling the implementation of new programs or scholarships or by the enhancement of existing ones, and where the Foundation’s support improved future opportunities for individuals to continue their education and receive scholarship aid.

Between 2002 and 2008 the Foundation provided $1.125 million for the Bestfoods Educational Foundation Scholarship at Bloomfield College.  This annual scholarship has assisted students with GPAs of least 3.0 who needed financial assistance to bridge the gap between their educational costs and their financial aid packages.

In 2004, the Foundation made a single grant of $65,000 for the Bestfoods Horizon Program, which was to provide graduate school test preparation and instruction, and career counseling through the Learning Resource Center.  The Horizon program was the impetus for the SAGE (Support for Achievement in Graduate Education) program and subsequently the new Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, a federally sponsored program designed to help low-income and/or first generation college students who express the desire earn their doctoral degrees. “Bestfoods provided the foundation of a continuum of advancement for students preparing for graduate school,” says Josephine Cohn, assistant vice president for academic development. “We have seen quite a number of our graduates continue their education as a result of these programs.”

Mr. Richard Bergeman, chair of the Foundation, says, “We have been consistently pleased with the work of Bloomfield College in providing financial support to its hardworking and deserving students to help them achieve success through a college education. In this economy, we know that students are in need now more than ever to reach their educational goals and we know this grant will make a difference.”

The total giving from the Foundation to the College is $2.69 million.