DeSales Announces Veterans Scholarship
As part of its mission, DeSales University believes in education for all, including those who have served and are serving our country.
The Office of Veterans and Military Services offers services to veterans or active-duty military members, including assistance with applying for VA Educational Benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and accessing aid through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Despite this financial assistance, gaps can occur in student veterans’ finances and resources for veterans can sometimes be limited.
Enter Ron and Ellie Jacobs.
Before enrolling at (then) Allentown College of Saint Francis de Sales in the fall of 1967, Ron Jacobs had volunteered with the United States Navy and served as a member of Attack Squadron 35, stationed in Florida, Virginia, and aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga.
During Jacobs' enrollment process at the college, the late Father Daniel Gambet, OSFS, the academic dean, assured him his scheduling would allow him to work, attend classes, and serve in the active Naval Reserve.
“I liked the fact that Allentown College was a Catholic school and would accommodate the required schedule I needed,” said Jacobs. “It was the only school in the area with a schedule that also allowed me to work and continue with my active Naval Reserve obligation. Father Gambet made it happen for me.”
Jacobs earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1969. During his working career, he spent time in various industries: manufacturing, construction, and not for profit. He spent the last 30 years with the Diocese of Allentown, retiring in 2015 as the director of human resources.
In 2011, Jacobs began volunteering as a mentor in the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Veterans’ Mentor Program to help veterans who have ended up on the wrong side of the law. During a discussion with his wife one day about the program, an idea came to Ellie.
“Ron was helping veterans after they got in trouble, but we realized we had an opportunity to help veterans proactively make better choices with education,” she said. The idea of a veterans scholarship at DeSales came to mind.
In December 2021, the couple agreed to endow the Veterans Scholarship for active or reserve members of any branch of the United States military or National Guard. Full-time students who have served a minimum of six months of active military service, or a veteran who served a minimum of six months of active military service with an honorable or medical discharge, are eligible. The scholarship is awarded for four years for a full-time undergraduate student or for two years for a full-time graduate student.
The Jacobses chose DeSales as the beneficiary of their generosity because of the school’s commitment to veterans and active military individuals, as well as “the outstanding success the school has had under its leadership and five presidents,” said Ron Jacobs.
“For years, the United States has depended on volunteers to protect and serve this great country,” he said. “It is only fair that we do all we can to offer opportunities for success for these amazing women and men. I also don’t see the need decreasing with the world situation being what it is today.”