W. Joe DeMiero, Dean Joseph Aoun and Henry Winkler

College Pays Tribute to Scholars and Donors

By Eva Emerson

When USC College Dean Joseph Aoun felt the heft of the printed program at this year’s Scholarship Recognition Luncheon, he recognized it as a sign of success. Thicker than the one produced last year, the substantial booklet listed a score of newly endowed scholarships, the result of the College’s concerted efforts to expand support for student awards and aid.

“I’m pleased to say that our scholarship program is growing,” says Aoun. The scholarships and fellowships, which now total 270, provide critical support for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of disciplines and from a wide range of backgrounds. Speaking at the February event, Aoun congratulated the young scholars who received the awards and thanked the College alumni and friends whose donations have so generously funded the scholarships.

The annual spring luncheon provides an opportunity for recipients to meet donors and for the two groups to share their life stories and aspirations. Undergraduates W. Joe DeMiero and Laura Balcerzak spoke about their studies and thanked the donors. Philosophy student DeMiero was the recipient of a Jessie Ingram Endowed Scholarship. Balcerzak, who combines her studies of chemistry with art history, won a J. Wesley Robb Endowed Scholarship in Human Values.

Keynote speaker Henry Winkler, the Emmy Award-winning producer, director and actor who played Fonzie on the television show “Happy Days,” also shared some personal anecdotes with attendees.