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Sliwa Family Donates to Embry-Riddle Baseball Program

Dr. Steve Sliwa Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 19, 2009 -- Former Embry-Riddle President Dr. Steve Sliwa and his wife Nancy have donated $157,500 to the baseball program at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus. The gift will provide support in a number of areas, including scholarships, recruiting expenses, equipment, travel, and facility enhancements.

“Dr. Sliwa and his wife Nancy are two of the most special friends of our University and our Athletics program,” said Embry-Riddle Director of Athletics Steve Ridder. “This recent gift is a tribute to their personal and professional successes. It is an honor to be associated with Dr. Sliwa and Nancy. Their continued support and friendship allow us to have one of the premier NAIA baseball programs in the country.”

Sliwa Stadium Nearly half of the gift, $70,000, will be dedicated to the future construction of locker rooms in Sliwa Stadium, which was named for the family in 2006. Another $70,000 will be added to the Kenneth J. and Shirley Sliwa Memorial Endowment, named for Dr. Sliwa’s parents who were two of the program’s most dedicated fans.

“My parents were avid supporters of Embry-Riddle Athletics and the baseball team in particular,” Dr. Sliwa stated. “They believed the Eagles represented the best in sportsmanship and the concept of a student-athlete. Nancy and I wanted to ensure that my parents’ memorial fund continues to grow in its support of the team, and we also wanted to invest in the facility so it can be one of the best at the NAIA level in the country.”

Dr. Sliwa was Embry-Riddle’s third president, from 1991 to 1998. Best known for creating an entrepreneurial environment and for developing partnerships with industry, Dr. Sliwa also presided over a robust period of growth for the University’s nationally ranked Athletics program.

“Obviously this program would not be at the level it is without the support of the Sliwa family,” said Embry-Riddle baseball head coach Randy Stegall. “Through his generous donations, we have one of the best baseball facilities in the country and it just continues to get bigger and better every year. The entire baseball program, past, present, and future, are thankful for Dr. Sliwa, Nancy, and their family.”

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering, educating more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs. Doctoral programs in aviation and in engineering physics are pending approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for the University to offer programs at the doctoral level. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.