CHARLESTON, W.Va. — All of that talk and debate over student debt is prompting Fred Tattersall, an investment executive and finance graduate of the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics, to give $1 million to help his alma mater’s business students alleviate debt.
Top B&E students who meet the criteria could be awarded up to $19,000 to put specifically toward the debt they have accrued as a college student.
“Student indebtedness is a real problem. As you know, student debt today is probably $1.2 trillion,” said B&E Milan Puskar Dean Jose “Zito” Sartarelli.
The dean said Tattersall told him of his plans for the scholarship earlier this year.
“With that in mind he said, look, I’d like to set up a scholarship program whereby we could neutralize or minimize some of that.”
This is Tattersall’s second major gift to the business school during WVU’s capital campaign, the first being a $3 million gift in November 2010 to endow a faculty chair in the business college’s Finance Department and this gift is designed help students reduce their college debt and, says Sarterelli, Tattersall knew how he wanted to do that.
“On an ongoing basis, two seniors and two juniors going through and I’ll give them $9,000.”
The scholarship is merit based, being offered to students with a GPA of 3.5 or better. Tattersall wanted to help West Virginians says Sartarelli.
“He wanted to make sure that he did good by providing help to students from his region, from his county. If we can alleviate the burden of debt as they do finish college, I think it’s a wonderful, wonderful gift.”
The contribution was made through the Foundation’s A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia University, the largest private fund-raising campaign in WVU’s history.