Notre Dame receives $50 million gift toward undergrad aid

SOUTH Bend, Ind. (AP) — A $50 million gift to the University of Notre Dame to support undergraduate financial aid is the largest of its kind in the school's history, officials said Tuesday.

Alumnus Harry Fath and his wife, Linda, of Cincinnati, Ohio, pledged the money exclusively toward aid for undergraduates, Notre Dame officials said.

“This extraordinarily generous gift will provide much-needed flexibility in offering financial aid packages tailored to the needs of our students and their families,” Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins said.

Harry Fath, a 1963 Notre Dame graduate, has served on its Law School Advisory Council since 2000. He served in the U.S. Army after graduating, attended law school at the University of Cincinnati and founded a real estate management company after several years practicing law.

Notre Dame has planned to distribute more than $180 million this academic year in need-based scholarships funded through the university’s endowment, the release said.

Nearly 70% of Notre Dame students currently receive financial aid with average scholarships totaling more than $50,000, the university said.

“It is our hope that this gift will change thousands of lives for the better,” Harry Fath said.