One of the key objectives of this grant is to grow retention scholarships through a dollar-for-dollar match by the Department of Education. Beginning in fall 2018 and continuing through fall 2023, every dollar donated to the Student Success Endowed Scholarship Fund at Illinois College will be matched up to $240,000 by the Department of Education.

The Student Success Endowed Scholarship provides crucial financial support for talented students who are at risk of withdrawing from the College due to financial hardship. This scholarship impacts retention and persistence of hard-working students in a real, concrete way and ensure that the students most in need will receive immediate help.

This partnership between the Title III Grant and donors will result in a total endowment of $490,000, which will aid many future generations of students at IC. Since the program began last year, nearly $110,000 has been matched to benefit student scholarships through this program.

Gregory Langdon ’80 is one of the loyal alumni who showed his appreciation to his alma mater by giving to this scholarship. As a student, Langdon was active in Phi Alpha literary society. He has worked in accounting and finance since graduation. He is a CPA and owns his business of 26 years, where he works as an investment and tax advisor. Langdon says that IC greatly influenced his life.

As a student, he thrived within the small, student-centered environment and remembers having many opportunities to be involved on campus. While Langdon was fortunate to have parents who could afford to send him to IC, he knows not every student is in the same situation.

“There are deserving high school seniors who might like to attend IC but cannot due to financial constraints,” he said. “If a scholarship — no matter the size — would tip the scales in favor of them being able to afford and choose IC, that would be great! That is part of a scholarship’s purpose.”

Langdon has been married to Kendra for 30 years and they raised three children together. One, their daughter Liz Nolan Ongman ’98, is an IC alumna.

To learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of students by giving to scholarships, visit www.ic.edu/campaign/scholarships.