College of Professional and Continuing Education (COPACE) graduate Dennis Wadsworth '84 recently gave the University a planned gift of $50,000 to establish the first endowment specifically for continuing education students at Clark. Wadsworth hopes others will support the new scholarship fund, called the Wadsworth Family COPACE Scholarship, to expand scholarship opportunities for evening students.

Following graduation from Clark's COPACE program, Wadsworth's academic credentials opened the doors to the accelerated MBA program at the University of Notre Dame. He returned to the COPACE program as an adjunct professor of Management Information Systems.

Now a successful entrepreneur in the burgeoning field of Internet consulting and design, Wadsworth says that by creating this endowment he hopes to help others realize their dreams as he has been able to do.

"There are so many ways that my association with Clark University has positively affected my life. At this time, I wish to give something back to the University that will last a very long time," he says.

Wadsworth's gift of a $50,000 variable life insurace policy immediately forms the basis of the endowment fund, where additional individual contributions can be made at any time. Over time, increasing amounts of scholarship funding will become available to students.

He challenges other COPACE alumni to help the fund grow.

"Since my own area of teaching and expertise involves information systems and technology, scholarship funding from my original donation will be earmarked for students who aspire to learn in this area. If, as I hope, others will contribute to make this fund grow, then I would like to see scholarship funding become available to students of all COPACE degree programs," he says.

For more information on making a gift to the Wadsworth Family COPACE Scholarship, call the Office of University Advancement (508) 793-7200.

Article from the Clark 2000 Campaign Update, January 1999, Volume 3/No. 1, Page 6