Bowling Green State University has announced that it will be the recipient of more than $120 million in scholarship funding from The Thompson Foundation. The money will expand the existing Thompson Working Families’ Scholarship program, which has already awarded over $24 million in scholarships to 2,200 deserving recipients.
The Thompson Foundation was created by donors Bob and Ellen Thompson in 2014. In announcing his continued support of BGSU and its students, Bob Thompson said, “Ellen and I are pleased to support BGSU students who have financial need and are willing to work hard at a university that has proven its ability to support them and match these scholarship dollars.”
The expansion of the existing scholarship program is expected to benefit 4,000 additional recipients by the year 2035.
University President Rodney K. Rogers expressed his gratitude to the Thompsons and went on to say, “Throughout the past 10 years, we have worked diligently with the Thompson Foundation to pressure-test and grow this first-of-its-kind public-private partnership aimed at accountability in achieving student success. This is absolutely an innovative concept of philanthropy based on outcomes, with all parties – BGSU, the individual student and the Thompson Foundation – having a shared responsibility in achieving success.”
Scholarship recipients are expected to complete a certain number of community service hours in addition to maintaining a high GPA. For the academic year 2022-2023, Thompson scholars completed over 26,500 community service hours, cumulatively.
BGSU is known for its high-quality distance education options. U.S. News & World Report has ranked its online bachelor’s degree programs among the top 60 nationwide. Here at CVO, we’ve highlighted Bowling Green State among the top 50 Affordable Online Colleges and Universities in the US.
The Thompsons are considering an additional donation of $30 million to keep the scholarship program running beyond the year 2035.
Sources: WTOL11—BGSU Announces Largest Donation in University History, Major Expansion of Scholarship Program