University Times

The Johnstown campus last week announced a gift of $50,000 from AmeriServ Financial, the largest independently owned bank headquartered in the Johnstown region. The gift, part of UPJ's $8 million capital campaign, will partially endow a scholarship and provide an annual education award.

To date, the Johnstown campus has raised $6.6 million toward its goal. About 33 percent of the pledged money has been raised from UPJ Advisory Board participation or from Advisory Board-related corporations.

Lowell Shaffer, campaign co-chair, said that the next phase of the campaign would target alumni. "It's because of the Johnstown community that UPJ was able to build this beautiful campus from which we have graduated students since 1970. Our next step is to contact our 15,000 alumni, asking them to support this endeavor."

One alumna has endowed the first full scholarship at Johnstown in engineering technology; another alumnus has endowed a scholarship for freshmen from the Hooversville area, and a third alumnus has endowed a scholarship for commuter students.

Other endowments established during the campaign include:

* The Frank J. and Sylvia Pasquerilla lecture series will bring internationally known speakers to campus; the Pasquerilla Family Fine Arts Endowment will enhance performances in classical voice, jazz and world music.

* The Gleason Group has established the Robert A. Gleason Sr. Institute to meet community-identified needs by offering non-credit business programs in the area.

* The Picking Family Great American's Day lecture series will highlight academic speakers known for their expertise on famous Americans.

* The Ellen D. Hoffman Memorial lecture series will support speakers on communication education and human rights activism.

* The Kreitzburg-Harvey Family Endowment was established for the Owen Library.

* Scholarships have been endowed in allied health, nursing, health sciences, public relations, education, local government, engineering technology and natural sciences.

* Four academic awards have been established in theatre, accounting, chemistry and nursing.