The Alumni Association Student Grants

The first known form of aid given to Lehigh students was established by the Alumni Association. The board of the Association approved the Alumni Student Grants in June of 1939, which were to be effective for the next academic year. Funds for these grants would be solicited from alumni donations. The purpose of these grants was to “encourage and assist the ablest and most promising secondary school graduates to enter and continue their education at Lehigh University” (“The Alumni Student Grants”, 1939). The alumni in the Association pushed for these grants so they could help young men attend Lehigh who otherwise would be unable to enroll for financial reasons. Candidates for these grants would be sought out by a committee appointed by the President of the Association. The committee would select candidates from recommendations by both alumni and regional clubs; it was expected that these students would be of very high caliber.