Westminster College announced Saturday that the College has received a $1 million challenge grant from the May Emma Hoyt Foundation that will assist current students and prospective students financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gift will be applied to Westminster's current Bring Back the Titans campaign, a fundraising initiative created to ensure students will be able to continue their educations at Westminster despite financial hardship created by the current crisis. The May Emma Hoyt Foundation's gift will match all donations to the campaign. Currently $350,000 of donor gifts have already been matched by the Foundation, with almost $700,000 in total gifts to date. $650,000 remains on the challenge.

"The May Emma Hoyt Foundation's substantial and generous gift comes at a most opportune time," said Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson. "It has the potential to be life-changing for so many of our students whose families have suffered financially from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are so grateful for their support of our students and their aspirations for a wonderful Westminster education."

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate jumped to six percent in March, up from 4.7 percent in February, according to figures released Friday by the state Department of Labor and Industry. The state's unemployment rate in March 2019 was 4.1 percent.

"We continue to hear from families every day and it becomes more apparent that the pandemic's impact is more significant than we imagined—and the need for financial support continues to grow," said Westminster College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Matthew Stinson.

The New York Times ranked Westminster as a "Top College Doing Most for the American Dream" based on its commitment to providing access to students from all income levels.

In fact, 100% of degree-seeking undergraduates are offered some form of tuition assistance. In 2019-2020, Westminster awarded more than $27 million in institutional scholarships and awards.

"We take pride in offering a great education to students regardless of their financial circumstances. The generous gift from the May Emma Hoyt Foundation will allow us to continue that mission," said Westminster College Vice President for Academic Affairs and Enrollment Dr. Jeffrey Coker.

The May Emma Hoyt Foundation was created and dedicated to improving life in Lawrence County. May Emma believed in supporting those causes that benefited Lawrence County and its inhabitants through a better quality of life, health, employment and education.