Southern Vermont College Receives $250,000 Axinn Grant for 10 Community Service Scholarships
December 21, 2007
(BENNINGTON, Vt.) – The Donald E. Axinn Foundation of Jericho, N.Y., has awarded Southern Vermont College a $250,000 grant to fund the creation of 10 scholarships for prospective first-year students who will have demonstrated a commitment to community service at the time of their application to college.
Beginning with next year’s fall term, each of the Axinn Community Leadership Scholars will receive $7,500 per year for their four years at Southern Vermont College. "This remarkable gift will benefit SVC in many ways,” commented SVC President Karen Gross. “It will enable us to recruit, retain and ease the financial burden of students who can improve our community and our world. We appreciate the extraordinary generosity of the Donald E. Axinn Foundation and look forward to welcoming the Axinn Community Leadership Scholars into the SVC community. Their presence will support the values Joan and Donald Axinn represent: commitment, caring and service.”
Although SVC has a small student body, 75 percent of its students engage in community service. According to the SVC Office of Civic Engagement, during the 2005-2006 academic year, for example, students logged more that 4,000 hours of community service in the Bennington area. They pursued activities in the fields of criminal justice, human services, psychology and health care. SVC will be featured in a new publication called Beyond the Books which recognizes colleges with strong community service activities. President Gross sits on the Executive Committee of Vermont Campus Compact, an organization dedicated to expanding service-learning opportunities on college campuses.
The Axinns have been longtime supporters of Southern Vermont College. Last year, in recognition of his support, the college named one of its five academic divisions The Donald Everett Axinn Division of Social Sciences.
A former dean at Hofstra University and the recipient of five honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Southern Vermont College, Donald Axinn is a person with wide and diverse interests. In addition to being a real estate developer in Long Island, he is a published novelist and poet, as well as being an avid aviator and sportsman. He has written eight volumes of poetry (some of which are translated into Spanish), and his essays have been published in the New York Times, Newsday and poetry journal “Antaeus.” His novels include “The Ego Makers” and “Spin,” which was also made into a feature film.
Founded in 1926, Southern Vermont College offers a liberal arts education with 19 academic degree programs and NCAA Division III athletics to more than 400 students. The college recognizes the importance of educating students for the workplace of the 21st century and for lives as successful leaders in their communities. SVC provides a personalized approach to learning, including academic support services, in a safe, environmentally respectful and supportive community. The college is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
For more information about the Axinn Community Leadership Scholarships and how to apply, please call the SVC Office of Admissions at 802-447-6304.
