A 1971 graduate of ϳԹ and his wife, in appreciation of his outstanding experience at IUP, has established a scholarship for students who qualify for the IUP's Sutton Scholarship program, with preference for students studying in IUP's Eberly College of Business and Information Technology.
IUP alumni John Laudeman and his wife, Dorothy, formerly of Harrisburg and now residing in Conway, South Carolina, recently gifted IUP $25,000 to establish the John R. and Dorothy J. Laudeman Sutton Scholarship.
The Sutton Scholars program recognizes students with high academic performance. It is funded by the Foundation for IUP and gifts from alumni, friends, and employees of IUP.
Laudeman, a business management graduate, had a 35-year career as a certified public accountant in Harrisburg following his graduation from IUP.
“I cherish my four years at IUP, the great professors, the lifelong friends I met there, and the whole campus experience,” he said. “At this point in my life I felt it was time to give back to my alma mater and help other students to fulfill their dreams.”
IUP's Eberly College of Business and Information Technology has a long tradition of training individuals for successful careers in both business and information technology. The Eberly College has approximately 25,000 alumni, many of them in high-level positions in major corporations and accounting firms.
The Eberly College is accredited by AACSB-International, the premier accrediting body for collegiate business programs worldwide.
“Our graduates are extremely loyal, and consistently tell us that the education they received here prepared them for a lifetime of success,” Robert Camp, recently retired dean of the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology, said. “We are very grateful for their ongoing support of our university and especially the financial help that they provide to our students.”
IUP alumni, employees, students, and friends understand and appreciate the impact that the university has had on their lives, and they actively want to pay it forward, IUP Vice President for University Advancement Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna said.
“Gifts like these are truly special because they demonstrate how much alumni value the difference that IUP has made in their lives, and how much they care that future students have the same outstanding opportunity,” she said. “We appreciate each and every gift; donations like this help to ensure that students today and tomorrow will have the resources to thrive.”
Because students and families are facing unprecedented financial challenges during these uncertain times, scholarship support is especially critical, Osseiran-Hanna said.
“The need for financial support has become more urgent than ever before. Fortunately, the IUP family continues to be incredibly generous through scholarships like the one funded by the Laudemans, as well as helping our students who face unforeseen circumstances, like the IUP Emergency Response Fund, which provides financial help to students who have been impacted by the pandemic. This fund, at almost $250,000, is the result of almost 600 gifts from alumni, employees, current students, and friends of the university.”
The gift to establish the John R. and Dorothy J. Laudeman Sutton Scholarship is part of IUP's $75-million Imagine Unlimited Campaign, which will enable IUP to step forward as a national leader by transforming the student experience through scholarships, program enhancements, and new and modernized facilities.