Bear2Bear Benefit & Bash

Thank you for joining our
Virtual Bear2Bear Benefit & Bash!

Together we raised over $220,000 for the Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund!

The Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund will likely have even more of a demand following this unprecedented moment in our history, so thank you so much to all those who connected with us and supported us virtually to come together for our students!

If you missed the chance to support the event financially, it’s not too late to make an impact.

Click here to donate directly to the Fund

Our Honoree - Dr. Joseph DeSimone ’86

We are excited to honor Joseph DeSimone, Ph.D. ’86 with this year’s Bear2Bear Impact Award for Leadership and Service. DeSimone is Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Carbon, a leading digital 3D manufacturing company. He is globally recognized for his achievements in developing and commercializing advanced technologies in several cutting-edge fields such as 3D printing, precision medicine, nanoparticle fabrication and green chemistry. DeSimone is one of the very few people who are members of all three U.S. National Academies: the National Academy of Engineering (2005), the National Academy of Medicine (2014) and the National Academy of Sciences (2012). In 2016, he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation during a ceremony at the White House. DeSimone has served the Ursinus community in many capacities, including as a member of the Board of Trustees for 15 years.

Read more about our honoree here.

What is the Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund?

The Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund provides special grants of up to $5,000 to students who are facing temporary financial hardship as a result of an emergency or crisis situation. The fund has recently been expanded to include completion grants for students who are near graduation but whose financial circumstances may jeopardize their ability to finish their Ursinus academic careers.

The fund was generously initiated by our 2019 honoree, Will Abele ’61, a valued alumnus and member of the Ursinus Board of Trustees, in the 2017-2018 academic year and the first grants were awarded in the Spring 2018 semester. The fund is supported through generous donations from members of the Ursinus community including all proceeds raised through the Bear2Bear Benefit & Bash event.

Click here to support the Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund directly.

The inaugural Bear2Bear Benefit & Bash

Last year, more than 250 guests—including alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and other community members—were in attendance as together we celebrated the many contributions of Joan and Will ’61 Abele, who received the Bear2Bear Impact Award for Leadership and Service. There were more than 130 silent and live auction packages available for bidding and by the end of the evening we raised approximately $200,000 from the auction, sponsorships and event donations which supported the Bear2Bear Student Emergency Fund. We are thankful to everyone who supported this event!