Former Grove City president earns award

Staff report

GROVE CITY, PA.

Former Grove City College President Richard G. Jewell received the Francis J. Michelini Award for Outstanding Service to Higher Education by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania.

He received the honor earlier this month at the annual meeting of the association’s 89 member college and university presidents.

AICUP President Don Francis thanked Jewell for his years of dedicated service to independent higher education.

“Individuals like Dr. Jewell, who devote seemingly endless energy to advancing colleges and universities and the students they serve, are truly the backbone of the independent higher education system,” Francis said. “The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania greatly thanks Dr. Jewell for his service to our schools and to the communities we serve.”

Jewell, Grove City College president from 2003 to 2014, was government relations liaison on the AICUP Board of Directors. In that position he lobbied the state to create a scholarship program in 2014 for students who maintain high GPAs in their sophomore, junior and senior years.

More than 3,000 Pennsylvania students benefited from Ready to Succeed scholarships in the first year.

“Dick Jewell was perhaps the most-important nonelected official whose advocacy helped secure the Ready to Succeed Scholarship Program for middle-income students that will continue to benefit thousands of students in the coming years,” Francis said.

The Francis J. Michelini Award for Outstanding Service to Higher Education is presented to individuals who have used their talent to strengthen independent higher education’s ability to serve students and communities. The award has been given to 23 recipients since its inception in 1992. Named for Francis J. Michelini, former president of Wilkes University and AICUP, the award celebrates the contributions of individuals who have served as leaders within the independent higher education sector.

The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania is the only statewide organization that serves exclusively the interests of private higher education within the Commonwealth, complementing and supporting the work of campus leaders. The Association provides a variety of services and programs tailored specifically to the needs and situation of independent higher education.

For information on Grove City College, visit www.gcc.edu.