Value of Black Scholarships at the University of Virginia Increases by 33 Percent

The Walter N. Ridley Scholarship Fund was established by African-American alumni of the University of Virginia. The endowment fund has grown to $3.6 million.

The fund recently announced that the scholarships would be increased from $7,500 to $10,000. The increase will ensure that the scholarships will cover all tuition and fees for black in-state students at the University of Virginia. Currently 27 black students receive Ridley Scholarships.

In 1953 Walter N. Ridley was the first African American to earn a degree from the University of Virginia. At the time of his admission to the university in 1951, Ridley was 41 years old and was serving as chair of the department of psychology at Virginia State University. He received his educational doctorate two years later. Ridley served for 10 years as president of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.

Ridley died in 1996 at the age of 86.

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