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Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations

Osher Foundation: Opening Doors, Changing Lives

 
"As a single mother of one son, I had no choice but to work a full-time job, and when necessary, a second part-time job, leaving my dream of a college education secondary to our basic needs. I knew an education was the best way to raise our living standard and create new opportunities that my clerical job could not provide."
Judith Donovan
 

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — The Bernard Osher Foundation provides critical support for students who have experienced an interruption in their education of five years or more and wish to resume their education.

Last year, the foundation provided grants of $50,000 each to UH Hilo, UH West Oʻahu and UH Mānoa with an opportunity to reapply for the 2008 - 2009 academic year.

Reentry students often experience special challenges and may need assistance with career counseling, familiarization with new information technology and balancing the responsibilities of families and employment. The Osher Foundation seeks to assist returning students who are seeking a baccalaureate degree who show academic promise and commitment to earning their degree.

"The Reentry Scholarship Program is one of the most important initiatives of the Bernard Osher Foundation," said Mary Bitterman, the foundation’s president. "We hope that the students receiving these scholarships will enjoy success and happiness in the years ahead."

Above, UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw (center) with recipients of the Bernard Osher Foundation Reentry Scholarships

UH Hilo recipients of the Osher Re-entry Scholarships with Chancellor Rose Tseng (second from right) and Dean April Komenaka (third from right).