ON CAMPUS AT VANGUARD:Fairway paves the way to funds for students

“How will I pay for my college education?” is a question in the minds of many students when enrolling in a university. One of the many ways in which Vanguard University is seeking to eliminate this barrier for its students is through its eighth annual Vanguard Invitational Golf Tournament on Monday, April 23, at the Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa.

Participants — including alumni, friends and members of the business community — will participate in the scramble- format golf tournament. The event also includes a dinner and awards presentation with a live auction and prize drawings.

Eight years ago, Vanguard’s office of university relations began hosting a golf tournament aimed at providing networking opportunities for alumni, friends and members of the local business community in Costa Mesa. Three years ago, the university’s office of development spearheaded a second golf tournament to increase scholarship funds for the school.

This year, under the leadership of the office of university advancement, the two have merged to take a different direction with an emphasized purpose of raising support for the university’s “Excellence Fund.”

“This is an annual event that has raised financial support for, as well as awareness in the community about, Vanguard,” said David Elliott, associate vice president for university relations at Vanguard University. This support comes mainly through the funds raised during the tournament.

The Excellence Fund’s primary purpose is to offer a solution for the tuition problem that many students face when choosing a college. Because of the money allocated to the Excellence Fund, Vanguard is able to provide a unified atmosphere of academic excellence and spiritual vitality while offering more than $10 million each year in scholarships and institutional aid. Simply put, the fund makes the quality education available through Vanguard accessible to any student who desires it, rather than being limited to those who can afford it.

“The Vanguard Invitational Golf Tournament offers a platform for alumni and friends to come together to raise money for the university’s Excellence Fund, which exists to make a quality education obtainable for every student, regardless of their background and financial need,” said Justin McIntee, the associate director of donor relations at Vanguard, as well as one of the tournament’s organizers.

Events such as the golf tournament make it possible for the university to provide financial aid to more than 90% of its students, helping those students reach their academic and life goals, according to McIntee. The Excellence Fund also contributes to the availability of state-of-the-art learning resources at Vanguard. From increasing its virtual library to implementing new technologies in the classroom to hiring quality faculty, money raised through the Excellence Fund make it possible.

With such efforts, it should come as no surprise that Vanguard has landed among the top colleges in university rankings for the past several years. Vanguard is ranked No. 7 by “U.S. News & World Report” in its list of best comprehensive colleges in the West and is one of 150 colleges in the nation to be named a Best Value College by The Princeton Review.

For more information on the Vanguard Invitational Golf Tournament, the Excellence Fund or any other services provided through Vanguard’s office of university advancement, please visit www.vanguard.edu.