Lincoln University's estranged foundation announced Thursday it's ready to assist students with scholarship money this spring, and the foundation is also hosting a set of "meet and greet" events this week - one today for the public.
"We've got the money, now if we can get the information from the students, and the students respond to us, with all of the things that FERPA is requiring, then we should be able to do it," even without assistance from LU's administration, Hardy K. Dorsey Sr. said.
Dorsey is the president of The 62nd & 65th Regiments Legacy Foundation Inc. - the re-branded foundation for LU, after the university's Board of Curators last December terminated its memorandum of understanding with the foundation, and a new memorandum was not agreed upon.
A legal battle over control of documents, information and assets has since opened in court between LU and the foundation.
"We will continue to protect our investments. Although modest, (investment) has grown the past year over 5 percent," Dorsey said.
His comment about FERPA - the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that governs students' privacy - means that for students to share information such as grades and transcripts with the foundation for scholarship consideration, they must list the foundation on a form that authorizes the release of such information.
Dorsey said interested students should send a signed copy of the form to [email protected].
The foundation held a news conference Thursday to make the announcement of scholarship availability for spring 2020; it's continued to receive money since its severance from LU, Dorsey said.
Copies of two checks to the 62nd & 65th for a Student Scholarship Fund were on hand - one for $20,000 from Cortez and Juanella Bradley, and another for $135,000 from the Class of 1969 - that were to be introduced at a meet and greet event last night.
That $15 ticketed event at Windstone Entertainment Center was intended to be a scholarship fundraiser by friends of the foundation and LU alumni, according to a news release from the 62nd & 65th.
Dorsey said the foundation would like to raise $200,000 or $300,000 this year for students.
Another event, "Your Foundation Questions Answered," is scheduled to be held by the 62nd & 65th from 4-6 p.m. today at Second Christian Church, 631 Lafayette St. It's open to the public.
"I am very excited to have the opportunity to entertain any and all questions that friends and alumni have regarding the foundation. We look forward to restoring our relationship with Lincoln University and to continuing our 50-year history of providing financial support to her students," Dorsey said in the news release.
Dorsey said the 62nd & 65th would still welcome mediation with LU, though, "I think that we can be even more formidable as the 62nd & 65th off-campus."
However, even though the foundation said it can provide money to students, "we will need some sort of a handshake, that the university can at least provide the information for the students if they are students who want money, and we can provide it, we still need to know their history, their success, where are they financially, are they students in good standing," Dorsey said.
LU announced in March it would accomplish its fundraising activities directly through its Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations, instead of through the Lincoln University Foundation. More information on LU's scholarships is available at https://www.lincolnu.edu/web/financial-aid/scholarships.