Widener University Receives $87,000 from W. W. Smith for Student Scholarships

Chester, Pa. – Widener University received $87,000 from the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust to be used for student scholarships during the 2014-15 academic year, the university announced.

The university will award the Smith Scholars Program scholarships – ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 – to full-time undergraduate students in good academic standing.

In addition, all students selected for the Scholars Program must be residents of the Delaware Valley, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties and the cities of Camden and Philadelphia.

The W.W. Smith Charitable trust has supported scholarships for Widener students since 1978, awarding more than $2.3 million to the university over the years.

“Widener is committed to helping students achieve their dream of a college education and many families would be denied that opportunity if not for the generosity of the W.W. Smith Foundation,” said Widener University President James T. Harris III. “The W.W. Smith Foundation has been a great partner with Widener in helping those dreams come true. We are grateful for their support and inspired by the Foundation's vision.”

Based in West Conshohocken, Pa., the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is a private foundation established through the will of William Wikoff Smith. The Trust is specifically focused on areas involving basic needs for food, clothing and shelter; supplementing higher education scholarship programs; and basic medical research primarily in heart disease, cancer and AIDS.