The Department of Student Affairs in Higher Education and the College of Education and Communications formally announced the Ron and Peggy Lunardini Fund on October 18, 2021 at the college's annual Scholarship Reception.
The Ron and Peggy Lunardini Fund was created by the Lunardinis to support the SAHE Department's Ron Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award. This award, which began in 2006, was created to acknowledge an alumna/alumnus of the SAHE Department whose experiences and accomplishments as a student affairs professional significantly reflects the standards and values of the SPS program/SAHE Department. In 2008, in recognition of Dr. Ron Lunardini's 37 years of service at IUP (18 as a faculty member), the award title was changed to honor him.
Since 2008, both Ron and Peggy had considered how they might add to the award to enhance its effect. Acknowledging the program's spirit service and of people giving of themselves, the Lunardinis made a generous donation to endow a fund that would generate a monetary award to be used philanthropically, at the choice of the awardee.
In recognition of the SAHE program's 50th anniversary, the first monetary award in the amount of $500 was presented to the 2021 recipient of the Ron Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award, Kristin Eicholtz ('05). In keeping with the purpose of the fund—allowing the recipient to experience the pleasure of financially supporting an educational component of their choosing—Eicholtz announced that she will be donating the award money to the IUP Counseling Center in recognition of October as National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month.
The SAHE Department is genuinely grateful to the Lunardinis for creating this new fund and for their continued support for SAHE students and alumni! Thanks also to Kristin Eicholtz for honoring the fund's intent with her generous contribution back to IUP.