Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, has announced a five-year, $5.25 million commitment from alumnus Chip Bergh (’79) and his wife, Juliet, to establish a fellowship program that will assist 1,000 students.

In recognition of the college’s bicentennial in 2026, the Bergh Family Fellows program will provide 200 students annually with $5,000 fellowships for internships, global engagement, and study abroad and research experiences. The Bergh gift also will support the administration of the program, which will start in the current academic year. The college also will seek contributions totaling $20 million from other donors to endow the program permanently.

“As we look toward our bicentennial, I can think of no better way to launch the next chapter for Lafayette than to open doors like this for 200 of our students, every year. In its immediacy and breadth of impact for every student, regardless of financial background, the program is unlike any other ever established at Lafayette,” said Lafayette College president Nicole Hurd. “Chip and Juliet have made a commitment to access and opportunity that will connect learning, discovery, and experience for our students in a profound way. As our alumni, friends, and other supporters rally behind this bold idea, they will make this program a permanent part of who we are and what our students gain from a Lafayette education.”

“We think this is a game-changer for Lafayette,” said Bergh, president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. “We are excited about how this initiative will help students who otherwise might not be able to afford these experiences that can be so powerful. We believe deeply in Lafayette, in the excellence of the faculty, in the promise and ambitions of the students, and we are proud to get this program underway with this gift and set in motion something that will transform the lives of countless students in the years and decades to come.”

(Photo courtesy of Levi Strauss & Co.)