BRADFORD, Pa. — What do you get for that friend who has everything? For Richard Esch, president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, the answer was a scholarship.

                A group of anonymous friends have set up the President Richard T. Esch ’83 Scholarship at Pitt-Bradford in honor of the long-time leader and 1983 graduate. Even Esch does not know who the donors are.

                “I feel this is a real honor to have in my name as president,” Esch said. “I know how important financial aid is for our students. We hear it every day.”

                Esch, who was a first-generation college student himself, enjoys using his position to meet with and help some of the campus’s most in-need students. He has met with students who are homeless or grew up in a group setting.

“I want to hear what they have to say and get them in front of the right people on campus. We’re in the business of getting people where they want to go,” he said. “College is literally a lifeline for some students. I’m thrilled that now there’s one more chance to give financial aid to a student who really needs it.”

Esch and his wife, Lisa, had previously established a scholarship in memory of Esch’s mother, Violet L. Esch, to which his brothers also contribute.

As president and a donor, he is proud of the role Pitt-Bradford plays in making a college education attainable.

“We provide a lot of aid,” he said, referring to Pitt-Bradford, where 48.2% of students are eligible for federal Pell grants.

“These private funds are vital for not just our students, but the university as well,” he said, explaining that through student tuition, donor scholarships help pay for the cost of sustaining the campus, which helps the region.

Donor scholarships also benefit the entire student body, Esch said. “They help enrich our campus community. We have a lot of different kinds of students here, and that helps strengthen the college experience for all our students.”

The Esch scholarships are among hundreds of donor scholarships that returning Pitt-Bradford students are automatically considered for. During the 2024-25 academic year, 421 students received 604 donor scholarships totaling $880,626. To learn about creating a scholarship at Pitt-Bradford or to contribute to the Esch scholarships, contact the university’s Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at 814-362-5091 or visit upb.pitt.edu/giving.