Call them Simon Scholars with something extra.
That’s what college-bound youngsters taken under wing by the Orange County-based college-preparatory and scholarship program can expect, now that it has affiliated with the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. in Alexandria, Va.
Simon Scholars is an 11-year-old program of the Simon Foundations. It’s the brainchild of Ron Simon, chairman of RSI Holding Corp. in Newport Beach, who has made two fortunes in the cabinet-making business and has more recently established a homebuilder called RSI Homes (see related entry on OC’s Wealthiest list in Special Report starting on page 15).
The Horatio Alger Association is named for a prolific 19th century author whose dime novels about impoverished boys who overcame obstacles to achieve commercial success and financial security helped define the notion of the “American dream.”
The Simon Scholars program works with about 20 high schools spread over California, New Mexico, Georgia and Washington, D.C. It differs from most organizations that set out to give youngsters a hand in getting a college education. It’s a six-year commitment that begins with a student’s junior year of high school. Grades count, but that’s not the only consideration for candidates, who go through an extensive application process that includes a formal interview and takes the students’ life experiences and leadership potential into account.
Scholarships
The scholarships are valued at $30,000 each, with $14,000 per student invested during their high school years in college preparatory mentoring, life skills and leadership training, team-building activities, SAT/ACT workshops and more. The focus on the academic and social aspects of student life provides many youths from households or neighborhoods where college is a distant concept with some benchmarks of familiarity as they advance toward college.
Simon Scholars also receive a college scholarship of $16,000, with $4,000 per year awarded.
The program’s approach has yielded an enviable track record, with nearly 90% of the Simon Scholars who enter college going on to earn degrees.
The Horatio Alger Association’s affiliation calls for Simon Scholars to continue the process of recruiting, screening and selecting candidates for scholarships. The two organizations have committed to jointly oversee a minimum of $20 million in funding over the next 10 years—a total that would cover the program’s current level of about 125 participants a year.
The affiliation also gives Simon Scholars access to the Horatio Alger Association’s Collegiate Partners Program, Campus Crest Housing Program, and other resources for mentoring and internship opportunities.
“Our program has been so successful, and we’ve asked ourselves how we can grow it and get national attention,” Simon said. “We started down the path with colleges that might want to partner with us—offering more dollar support in terms of their own scholarships—but that takes a huge development program, and our focus has been running a program.”
The Horatio Alger Association, with a 67-year-old network that includes leading executives who overcame personal hardships on their way to success in business, brings the sort of marketing muscle that could give Simon Scholars a valuable push.
Simon isn’t the only Orange County executive on the Horatio Alger honor roll, which includes: Larry Higby, now chairman of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts; George Argyros of Arnel & Affiliates (see related entry on OC’s Wealthiest list in Special Report starting on page 15); Glenn Stearns, founder of Stearns Lending; Jim Doti, president of Chapman University in Orange; Byron Allumbaugh, who was chief executive of the Ralphs Grocery Co. for 22 years; Harry Rinker, founder of real estate developer Rinker Co.; and Thomas McKernan, the Costa Mesa-based chairman of the Automobile Club of Southern California who was inducted this year.
Breadth
McKernan’s induction class of 12 members provided a ready example of the breadth of the association’s membership, ranging from Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys football franchise, to David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology Inc. in St. Louis, and J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential Co. in Dallas.
“It’s the crème del crème of the country in terms of people who have succeeded, who have the same passion in their hearts that we have to support these kids,” said Simon, who was inducted into the group in 2005 as one of its annual honorees.
“This could open the door to further partnerships,” Simon said. “These kids could get additional scholarships and end up with full rides to school.” It’s a natural fit, according to David L. Sokol, chairman of the Horatio Alger Association.
“Our organizations share an abiding commitment to identifying tomorrow’s leaders and we strongly believe that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles,” he said. “Our hope is to encourage others who share that same belief to contribute to the expansion of the Simon Scholars program through this new strategic alliance.”
Full Circle
It also puts Simon on the path of a full circle from humble beginnings—he grew up in the Boyle Heights district on the Eastside of Los Angeles and attended Los Angeles City College before going to work as a cabinet maker.
“As the son of immigrant parents, I have always understood the power of the American dream and through hard work and determination, I have had the opportunity to achieve it,” said Simon in a statement. “When my children and I began the Simon Scholars Program, we wanted to help students who faced great challenges, just as I did, to see how they could also achieve that same dream through higher education. Now, in strategic partnership with Horatio Alger Association, of which I am a proud member and which serves to sustain the American Dream for generations to come, we can expand the Simon Scholars Program to serve even more deserving students and enhance the prestige of both scholarship programs.”
