Dr. Jack Burke, chancellor, (left) with Judy and John Cipriani on the deck of the Research and Economic Development Center. John Cipriani is the keynote speaker for the college's 2009 Scholarship Luncheon.

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, hosted its annual Scholarship Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 3. More than 700 people attended. The luncheon, which gives students the opportunity to meet and thank the benefactors of their private scholarships, was part of the festivities of the college's 2009 Parents and Families Weekend.

This year's guest speaker was John Cipriani, owner of Erie Specialty Products, a manufacturer of high volume precision screw machine products. In 2007, Cipriani and his wife, Judy, created the John and Judy Cipriani Trustee Scholarship at Penn State Behrend. Annually, their scholarship assists two undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need.

An Erie native, John graduated from East High School and earned an associate degree in engineering from Penn State Behrend. Judy, a retired teacher, graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

To date for the 2009-10 academic year, the college has awarded more than 500 Penn State Behrend-specific scholarships, totaling $1,066,000. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Penn State Behrend has awarded college-specific funding in excess of $1 million.

In addition, Penn State Behrend introduced The Future Fund Scholarship this year. The Future Fund Scholarship utilizes unrestricted gifts from donors to meet students' most pressing needs, particularly those that arise unexpectedly as a result of today's economy. Unexpected job losses and tight credit have limited student financing options. As a result, college officials chose to transfer unrestricted gifts made to the Future Fund and award student financial aid.

This story appeared in Penn State Erie - The Behrend College's online news pages (http://www.behrend.psu.edu/newscal/news/newsindex.htm).