Hodson Trust Bestows Two Million Dollar Grant to Hood

By Stacey Axler and Kimberlyn Bennett

On the last week of Novem­ber, Hood received a $2.135 million grant from the Hodson Trust.

President Volpe received this gift at the annual board of director’s meeting in Baltimore.

Volpe emailed the student body the morning of Wednesday, Decem­ber 5 to say he was “pleased to an­nounce” the grant and explain the logistics of the gift.

A large portion of the grant will go toward student scholarships.

One example of these schol­arships is the Hodson Scholarship Fund which provides financial aid to students.

Another scholarship is the Hod­son Trust Star Scholarship program. This program was established five years ago for veterans who have served in the military in Iraq and Af­ghanistan from Maryland.

The Hodson Trust Star Schol­arship pays for 100 percent of these veteran’s financial costs not met by other Hood scholarships or financial assistance.

Another large portion of the Hodson gift money will go towards The Hodson Summer Research In­stitute that provides financial assis­tance for students and faculty who wish to stay on campus this summer to perform research.

The Hodson Summer Research Institute was established three years ago to both provide financial assis­tance for summer research and cre­ate a fund that will provide for future research initiatives.

Another part of the Hodson grant will go to providing the entire undergraduate student body and fac­ulty with an iPad. Next year, every student on campus will have an iPad to use for course work.

Some members of the senior class are confused as to whether they will receive iPads before commence­ment ceremony in May.

“I think that [iPads] should be given as graduation gifts so when the seniors go into the workforce/further their education they have these tools available to them,” senior Elaheh Eghbal said.

A part of the gift will go towards campus renovations. Specifically, additional classrooms and offices will be built in Tatem Hall and Hod­son Science and Technology Center.

The remainder of the Hodson Trust grant will go towards the Hod­son Endowed Chair in Nursing.

The Hodson Trust was estab­lished by Col. Clarence Hodson in 1920.

Hood has received more than $74 million from The Hodson Trust since 1936.

Many buildings and facilities on campus were built due to the Hodson Trust, such as Hodson Auditorium in Rosenstock Hall.

The Hood College community as a whole feels excited about these upcoming changes and renovations that will occur on campus.