Elizabethtown College receives $6.5 million gift, second largest in institution’s history

Elizabethtown College recently received its second largest monetary gift.

The $6.5 million gift from the estate of alumnus Jay A. Izenour ’72, will endow the Jay A. Izenour and Karen L. Izenour Endowed Scholarship Fund. An anonymous $8.5 million gift in 2019 is the largest gift the college has received.

The Izenour Fund will provide need-based scholarships for full-time, degree-seeking students at Elizabethtown College. Eligible students will be required to maintain a set grade point average in order to receive the scholarship.

Elizabethtown College President Dr. Cecilia M. McCormick, said the $6.5 million gift is “life changing.”

“This gift will make an incredible difference for our students, one they will treasure and benefit from throughout their lives,” she said. “It will serve to witness our institution’s mission to ‘educate for service’ and provide an example of helping others.”

After graduating from the college, Izenour was a southcentral Pennsylvania businessman until he retired. He passed away in December 2020. His wife, Karen, predeceased him.

“A gift like this helps to improve affordability for students to attend an exceptional institution like Elizabethtown College,” McCormick said. “We feel very fortunate that the Izenours held the importance of education, the College, and our students in such high regard. We will steward their gift with an abundance of care to bring to fruition the intention of this family.”

Founded in 1899, Elizabethtown College is a private co-ed institution located in Elizabethtown. It offers more than 50 health, science, engineering, political science business, communications, fine art and music, and education degrees. For more information, visit, www.etown.edu.