Schwerin Family Endowed Fund for Education Majors

The Schwerin Family Endowed Fund for Education Majors was created in 2010 with a gift from Richard L. and Barbara U. Schwerin.

Richard Schwerin is a 1971 graduate of the College of Education. Originally from New York, Richard came to Akron for his college education. He was an active member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Richard has had a successful career as a certified public accountant. He currently is a principal at Zigmond Snow & Lang, an accountancy corporation in Encino, Calif. Richard also taught classes for several years at California State University, Dominquez Hills. He has had a lifelong love and appreciation for education and is pleased to create this scholarship fund.

Barbara Schwerin also is originally from New York. She is currently the executive director of the Advocacy Institute at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She was in private practice for 10 years, specializing in litigation, primarily in commercial, business, and real estate disputes. In 1997, she returned to Loyola as the founding director of the Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC), a joint program of Loyola Law School and the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC). Barbara was appointed director of development at Loyola Law School in 2008 and in 2010 became the executive director of the Advocacy Institute.

Richard and Barbara have an adult daughter, Alexis Schwerin. She is a University of California, Santa Barbara graduate. She is a former TV news producer and currently working in film and television production in the Greater Los Angeles area.

The Schwerin Family Endowed Fund for Education Majors was established to provide support to full-time students at The University of Akron. First preference is given to students pursuing an education degree in physical sciences with an emphasis on physics; second preference is given to those with an emphasis on chemistry. Students will receive this funding while they are completing their student-teaching requirement. Recipients must demonstrate outstanding personal characteristics such as a strong work ethic, integrity, and an ability to lead by example through community service. Consideration should be given to recipients who are working while pursuing their degrees. Recipients must present financial need and are eligible for renewal with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Recipients will be nominated by the Office of Student Financial Aid.