PBSC alumnus and wife donate $30,000 to STEAM initiative
Palm Beach State College alumnus Dr. Robert D. Matteson and his wife, Nancy, have donated $30,000 to the PBSC Foundation’s STEAM initiative to establish an endowed scholarship.
The scholarship is available to students majoring in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs. To be eligible, students must have financial need, be enrolled in nine or more credit hours and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Matteson, who graduated with an Associate in Arts degree in 1972, says he still has warm feelings toward PBSC due to the help he received from his professors.
He recalled one chemistry professor, the late Joseph Lesko, who would tutor him and his classmates every day in his office at lunch.
“My professors just really cared about students and took me under their wing,” Matteson said.
Before enrolling at PBSC, Matteson spent four years in the United States Navy. It was there he got the encouragement to go to college.
“I was a terrible high school student,” said Matteson. “During my time with the Navy, one of my officers saw potential in me and encouraged me to go to college.”
At the time, his parents lived in Lake Worth, so he applied to PBSC. Because of the support he received at PBSC, he was able to go on to earn a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Florida Atlantic University and a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry from the University of Florida.
Now retired, Matteson practiced dentistry for 34 years and hopes that other PBSC students will have similar positive experiences. He and his wife, who live in Winter Park, Fla., hope that the scholarship will help give them that extra support.
An endowed scholarship provides the PBSC Foundation with a permanent source of funding for student scholarships. The minimum principal balance required to establish one is $25,000. For more information on how to apply for Foundation scholarships, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/foundation/student-scholarships.aspx
