Alfie Scholars Welcomes Cohort 9

as its Last Cohort

September 26, 2024

Nine years ago, with the support of Father Steve Sundborg, the President of Seattle University at the time, The Civility Fund created the Alfie Scholars program. Our goals were to provide financial support to transfer students from underrepresented communities and to cultivate civility leaders who positively address social justice issues.

The Alfie Scholars Program has been enormously successful, with our scholars serving as civility leaders both at the university and in their careers. As President of The Civility Fund, and the Founder/Executive Director of the Alfie Scholars Program, I am very proud of the work we've done. However, the landscape has changed since we started. Given the increasingly divisive and turbulent times, we need to empower civility leaders on the frontlines in areas of society that need civility the most. For this reason, The Civility Fund has decided to redirect its efforts to foster civility where it can have a greater and more immediate impact. As a result, it will discontinue the Alfie Scholars Program effective June 30, 2026, when our current, final cohort of scholars is scheduled to graduate.

I am grateful to the Alfie Scholars Team, Carol Cochran, Natalie Cisneros, Nathan Colaner, Bill Galloway, Kevin Krycka, Scott Petit, Jeff Philpott, and Jason Wirth, for their creative collaboration and commitment that they poured into this program and our scholars. Together we’ve touched and been touched by our 88 scholars. I am grateful these scholars for their commitment to civility and for teaching us about their worlds and passions. Finally, I am grateful to Father Steve and all of our university and community college partners for all their support.

Thank you,

Paula Lustbader

Founder/Executive Director/Lead Faculty: Alfie Scholars Program

Dear Faculty and Staff: 

After nearly a decade of transformative impact, we are announcing the sunsetting of the Alfie Scholars Program at Seattle University. Current students in the Alfie Scholars program have been informed about the change. 

This moment provides an opportunity to celebrate the many accomplishments of this remarkable initiative, made possible through the generous support of the Alfie’s Fund, founded by Alfred Lustbader in 2014. 

Under the exceptional leadership of Paula Lustbader, Executive Director, and Carol Cochran, Director, the Alfie Scholars Program has served as a model of opportunity for high achieving and diverse transfer students. By offering civility leadership training, wrap-around support, and financial assistance, the program has fostered a vibrant community of student leaders committed to civility and making a positive impact in their communities. 

Since the program’s inception in 2016, nine cohorts of scholars—89 students in total—have participated in the Alfie Scholars Program, with an incredible 100% graduation rate. We are proud to count Alfie Scholars alumni among the ranks of Seattle University’s most distinguished graduates. Their achievements are a testament to the impact of this program and the transformational power of a Jesuit education rooted in caring for the whole person. A few notable highlights include: 

  • More than 80% of Alfie Scholars are first-generation college students, 40% of the scholars are first-generation immigrants, 20% were international students when they started the program (some now have a change of status), and 22% are parents. 

  • Combined, our scholars speak 41 different languages in addition to English, and we have 18 international scholars. 

  • 87% of scholars earned Academic Honors, graduating Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude. A member of Cohort 1 received a Fulbright Research Grant to Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

  • As of 2024, ten of our scholars have completed a graduate degree, and seven alumni are currently in graduate school programs.  

We are deeply grateful to the Lustbader family for their vision, generosity, and commitment to student success. I would especially like to thank Paula Lustbader for her expansive vision for Seattle University transfer students and Carol Cochran for her dedication and engagement with our students. Their contributions have been transformative for so many lives. 

While the Alfie Scholars Program will sunset after the current Cohort 9 graduates, its legacy will continue through the lasting impact it has had on our campus and communities. We remain committed to inclusive academic excellence and supporting our diverse transfer students. We will apply what we’ve learned from the Alfie Scholars Program as we continue to support our transfer students through our recently formed Student Success program to enhance their educational journeys at Seattle University.  

Sincerely, 

Shane P. Martin 
Provost