Providing Athletes With Scholarships
2006-07

Background

Sonoma State University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and competes at the Division II level. SSU is currently a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). When SSU joined the 12 member institution CCAA in 1998, they started awarding athletic scholarships for the first time in the school’s history.

Purpose
The purpose of the P.A.W.S. program at SSU is to provide the student-athlete the opportunity to receive financial aid relative to their participation in intercollegiate athletics. With this assistance, they are able to devote more time to their academics and compete at a higher level. Having the option to offer a prospective student-athlete an athletic scholarship gives the head coach the opportunity to recruit a high caliber student-athlete for SSU. An athletic scholarship is an important accomplishment for a student-athlete. It is a sign of recognition for their achievements at the high school and/or junior college level. It also gives them the opportunity to be more competitive academically with additional financial support.

The Athletic Scholarship at SSU
The annual Athletic Scholarship at SSU can range from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $14,000 for the academic year. The average athletic scholarship award to a student-athlete is $2,000 for an academic year. The cost of tuition and books at SSU is approximately $5,000. Coaches can recommend student-athletes for the Athletic Scholarship. A final decision to award the athletic scholarship is mutually agreed upon by the head coach and the Director of Athletics. The NCAA has established a new requirement for all members of Division II. All NCAA Division II institutions must award a minimum of $250,000 in athletic scholarships every year.

Funding of Athletic Scholarships at SSU
The funding of Athletic Scholarships at SSU comes exclusively from private sources. SSU Athletics does not receive funding from the State of California or the University for athletic scholarships. There are two primary methods that donors can implement an Athletic Scholarship at SSU, an endowed athletic scholarship and a living athletic scholarships.

P.A.W.S. Athletic Scholarship Endowment
A donor would contribute funds that would be held in the University's investment portfolio earning interest. An annual interest disbursement would be available for Athletic Scholarship funding.  As an endowment donor you have the option of selecting the sport, men’s or women’s that your endowed scholarship fund would benefit. You also have the option to have the endowment listed as an “unrestricted” endowment leaving the Director of Athletics to decide where the funds are most needed. You will be able to meet the student-athlete recipient of the endowed athletic scholarship at least on an annual basis.

P.A.W.S. Living Athletic Scholarship
A donor can contribute funds on an annual basis for Athletic Scholarships. These funds would be immediately distributed to a student-athlete as an Athletic Scholarship for that specific year. The donor has the option of renewing the pledge each year to continue their support of the Living Athletic Scholarship. As a Living Scholarship donor with a contribution of $500 or more, you will be able to meet the student-athlete recipient of the athletic scholarship at least on an annual basis.

Participating in the P.A.W.S.  Program
Donors can participate in the P.A.W.S. Program by completing the attached form and returning it to the SSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Any amount of contribution is appreciated and will be recognized. Donations can take many forms: gifts of cash, appreciated securities, closely held stock, life insurance policies, real estate, trusts, and bequests. For further information please contact Bill Fusco, Director of Athletics at (707) 664-2639 or e-mail at bill.fusco@sonoma.edu.

Click Here for the P.A.W.S. Donor Form

Corporate Living Scholarship Donors

updated 2/16/07