Scholarship Luncheon celebrates excellence and Alvernia momentum
Admitted students and families connect with campus leaders as recruitment continues to climb
Alvernia University hosted its annual Scholarship Luncheon on Saturday at the Tom and Helen Flynn PLEX, celebrating the achievements of over 150 admitted students and bringing together families, friends and guests alongside Alvernia alumni, trustees, senior leadership, deans, faculty and staff. The event attracted its largest number of guests in over six years.
The event began with welcoming remarks from Associate Vice President of Admissions Bret Krotee, M.Ed. ‘10, who highlighted the next steps in the enrollment process and reinforced Alvernia’s commitment to making a private, mission-driven education accessible through personalized support from admissions and Student Financial Services. Director of Justice, Equity and Inclusion and Instructor of Education Arielle Phillips-Law '18 MA offered a Mission Moment.
“You have earned this moment,” said Alvernia President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D. “ Not only through strong academics, but through all the ways you have shown leadership, balancing school with athletics, music, artistic pursuits, service, family responsibilities, and often, work. That kind of dedication tells me something important; you are already leading with purpose.”
Alvernia’s Scholarship Luncheon also comes at a time of continued recruitment momentum. Undergraduate admission has increased interest this recruitment cycle, including increases in applications, visits and first-year students interested in living on campus. Today’s statistics show a 49% increase in first-year enrolls compared to last year.
“The Scholarship Luncheon is one of the most meaningful moments in our recruitment cycle because it brings the Alvernia experience to life,” said Krotee. “Students and families leave with a clear understanding of affordability, next steps and the community that will surround them, an approach that’s helping drive our momentum in inquiries, visits and applications.”
During the program, Professor of Political Science and Honors Program director Victoria Williams, Ph.D. shared how Alvernia’s academic experience combines career preparation with high-impact learning, mentorship and experiential opportunities.
“It is important to remember that college is what you make it. You can be at a big school with a hundreds of majors and activities and still have a narrow, shallow college experience; or you can be at a small school and fill your resume with exciting, challenging, and rewarding experiences,” said Williams. “The Honors Program is one of those experiences. Gaining competence and confidence, Honors students become student leaders, occupying a highly visible place on our campus. An amazing college experience doesn’t just fall into your lap, you make it happen.”
A current student perspective helped bring the day to life for the incoming class. Senior computer science major Alexa Ullrich spoke about finding community, support and confidence at Alvernia.
“Getting involved was one of the best decisions I made at Alvernia because I connected with other students and communities across campus, outside of the classroom,” said Ullrich. “Coming from a high school with less than 500 students, I was no stranger to a close-knit community, and I knew Alvernia would be no different. That’s the Alvernia Advantage: you’re not recognized as a statistic; you’re seen as a person. You can’t get an experience like that at a big school. I can confidently say that all staff and faculty across campus want to help you succeed in any way they can.”
The luncheon’s centerpiece was the presentation of certificates recognizing admitted students’ scholarships and awards, including the Boscov Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, Trustees’ Scholarship, Veronica Founder’s Scholarship, Provost Scholarship, Bernardine Scholarship and Reading Collegiate Scholars Program.
The Scholarship Luncheon is one of several high-touch recruitment experiences designed to help admitted students picture themselves at Alvernia and take the next step toward enrollment. Alvernia’s next admitted students event, Packapalooza, will take place on March 21, 2026.
Recent national recognition and performance indicators underscore Alvernia’s momentum: U.S. News & World Report named Alvernia a top-ranked national university for the fourth consecutive year, citing measures that include social mobility and competitive programs; the redesigned Carnegie Classifications recognized Alvernia as a high access, high earnings institution for expanding opportunity alongside strong post-graduation outcomes and the university’s latest student success update reported increased fall enrollment and broad gains in retention, including a 74% first-year retention rate for bachelor’s degree seekers and notable year-over-year improvements for first-generation, Pell-eligible students and students of color.