urlSU alum, wife donate $50,000 to chancellor’s scholarship fund

Southern University alum Irving Matthews and his wife Darlene have donated $50,000 to the Chancellor’s Centennial Scholarship Fund to endow 4-year tuition scholarships to two African-American males entering SU in the fall of 2014.

Matthews is a 1970 engineering graduate and a native of Lake Charles. He is the owner of Ford dealerships in Mount Dora and Stuart, Fla.

“The commitment by Mr. and Mrs. Matthews strikes at the core of the mission of Southern University – access to higher education and academic support for success,” Chancellor Dr. James L. Llorens said.

“Their commitment – they already provide two endowed scholarships in business and engineering – to Southern University epitomizes the role of alumni in giving back to the institution that prepared them for success,” Llorens said.

The scholarship fund will provide full tuition scholarships for eight consecutive semesters beginning in the fall 2014 semester. Qualified applicants must meet Southern’s admission criteria, be Pell Grant eligible, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 at the end of each academic year.

The Matthews scholars will receive mentoring and academic guidance over the course of their matriculation. REFERENCED