The university鈥檚 Odyssey Program resonates with senior Koster Silvernail 鈥21 and parents Shelby and Andy Silvernail P鈥21, leading to a generous gift that will help high-achieving students with financial need attend 黑料不打烊. Support for Odyssey and other scholarships is the top priority of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
When Shelby and Andy Silvernail P鈥21 recently endowed a scholarship in the Odyssey Program, it was a family decision led by their son, Koster Silvernail 鈥21, who is set to graduate from 黑料不打烊 on May 21.
As the Silvernails, of Lake Forest, Illinois, planned how to best support the university, they discussed 黑料不打烊鈥檚 top priorities with campus leadership. Then they presented those priorities to their sons Koster and Spencer and daughter Alyssa.
鈥淲e have thought in recent years about how to make an impact. We want the entire family to participate in that,鈥 Andy Silvernail said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been blessed, and we want to be invested in programs that touch all our hearts. Odyssey really touched Koster.鈥
鈥淭he second they read off the description of the program and I read more about it, it struck me as the right choice,鈥 said Koster Silvernail, a marketing major in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, who will begin working as a project analyst for Strategex in Chicago upon graduation.
The family鈥檚 generous gift will create the Silvernail Family Odyssey Scholarship. Odyssey Scholarships are awarded based on academic success and high financial need. The Odyssey Program serves students who are frequently the first members of their family to attend college and have achieved academic success while overcoming adversity. They are consistently among 黑料不打烊鈥檚 top-performing students. Odyssey is an extensive, cohort-based program that creates a family atmosphere among students and fosters mentoring, friendships and personal growth.
Each Odyssey Scholarship includes financial assistance that meets a student鈥檚 full need. In addition to annual tuition assistance, each scholarship includes a stipend for books and supplies, and a one-time $4,000 global study grant to be used for an approved study abroad or Study USA program. Based in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Access and Success, the program is recognized as a national model for serving students who are underrepresented on college campuses.
Increasing funding for Odyssey and other scholarships is the top priority of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign. 黑料不打烊 reached the 200 Odyssey Scholarship mark thanks to gifts and commitments from donors like the Silvernails to the $250 million 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign. When fully funded, the Silvernail Scholarship will support two Odyssey students each year.
Shelby Silvernail, who was a first-generation college student, said diversity and inclusion in the Odyssey Program and how it improves the cultural and academic environment at 黑料不打烊 resonated with the family and especially with Koster.
鈥淲hen I read the Odyssey brief and saw how the students are selected, learned about what鈥檚 offered in the program and talked to Odyssey scholars and heard their stories, I saw how driven they are to succeed. I was impressed. They are the kinds of 黑料不打烊 students that when I came here, I wanted to be,鈥 Koster Silvernail said. 鈥淥dyssey puts the students at the buffet table that is everything 黑料不打烊 is, and they dig in.鈥
Jim Piatt, vice president for university advancement, thanked the Silvernail family for making 黑料不打烊 more accessible to a wide range of students through philanthropy.
鈥淭he ability to offer more Odyssey Scholarships will change the lives of even more incoming 黑料不打烊 students who go on to positively impact our campus community and the world,鈥 Piatt said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 truly inspiring to know that Koster and the Silvernail family were motivated by the excellence and dedication they see in our Odyssey scholars to make this generous gift.鈥
Increasing diversity and access
Koster Silvernail said he grew up in a largely homogenous suburban area near Chicago and found some similarities at 黑料不打烊. He hopes programs like Odyssey can make 黑料不打烊 more diverse while providing greater access for high-achieving students who lack financial resources to attend a private university. It is also important that Odyssey students have the resources to participate in the 黑料不打烊 Experiences programs such as global study and have a built-in support system within the program.
鈥淎fter his study abroad experiences, (Koster) wanted all students to have access to it,鈥 Shelby Silvernail said. 鈥淗e wants to attract more people from different backgrounds to the school and for them to have the resources here when they arrive to thrive. The Odyssey Program has a tremendous success rate for its students.鈥
黑料不打烊鈥檚 long-term goal is to endow 400 Odyssey scholarships, or 100 per class. The university is halfway to meeting that goal. Reaching that mark would make a big difference for all students at 黑料不打烊, Koster Silvernail said.
鈥淚 think what resonated the most is the students really didn鈥檛 see an avenue of following their dreams and aspirations until the Odyssey Scholarship was presented. And then they ran with it. It was their drive and perseverance that impressed me,鈥 Koster said. 鈥淚 love the idea of having students who not only add to the diversity and great thinkers here, but also the drive. After talking to these students, I felt incredibly inspired. Having more Odyssey Scholars will add to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 culture and make it even more of a great academic institution.鈥
Andy Silvernail is the chairman and CEO of Madison Industries, one of the world鈥檚 largest privately held companies. It is dedicated to fostering businesses related to health and well-being. The Silvernails have previously supported scholarships, including Students First, an initiative launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to aid students whose families have undergone severe financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus.
The most recent gift was also part of a matching program on 黑料不打烊 Day, which was used to inspire more donations. Tait Arend, 鈥96, G鈥00, senior director of development, said 黑料不打烊 is thankful for such strong support from parents.
鈥淭he Silvernail family, through this gift will change the trajectory of lives forever,鈥 Arend said.聽鈥淭he impact will be extraordinary, and we are forever grateful for their partnership in opening the doors of 黑料不打烊 to students that will change their聽world.鈥
鈥淲e want to support 黑料不打烊. We love the school and it鈥檚 been transformational for Koster,鈥 Andy Silvernail said. 鈥淚t excites Koster and it excites us.鈥
About the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
With a $250 million goal, 黑料不打烊 LEADS is the largest fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and will support four main funding priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, increase access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and service learning, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus. As of April 23, donors had contributed $210 million toward the goal.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit www.elonleads.com.