“We are very touched to be able to play a role helping Sharer Scholars enter the workforce and have a direct, positive impact.”
- Kevin Sharer
For Kevin and Carol Sharer, the goal of their philanthropy is straightforward: help deserving community college transfer students have a successful 4-year college experience at a strong institution. Ever since the Sharers partnered with Berkeley to create the Sharer Scholars Program, they have been doing exactly that.
As a young man, Kevin studied aeronautical engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy on two nuclear submarines. Later, he served for 20 years as President, CEO and Chairman of Amgen and was on the faculty of Harvard Business School for eight years. Kevin’s success in business has greatly affected his philanthropic outlook. “This country has been generous to me,” he says. “So now, giving back to America is the idea.”
Together, Kevin and Carol started the Sharer Foundation to undertake meaningful and effective philanthropic projects. At Berkeley, the foundation supports transfer students from California community colleges. “By helping students who have grit and capability, we are trying to give talented people who haven’t had a chance to rise the opportunity to do so,” Kevin says. The Sharers chose Berkeley because, “as an elite institution with a large number of transfer students, it checked all the boxes,” Kevin says.
Today, 80 students have participated in the Sharer Scholars Program at Berkeley (nearly 200 total in the state of California). Not only do the students receive financial support, they gain a network of fellow transfer students, building a support system that will last for years beyond their time on campus. By having a cohort of peers with similar backgrounds, Sharer Scholars are positioned to thrive. “Hopefully, over the coming years,” Kevin says, “hundreds and hundreds of young people will not have to worry about food or working excessive hours.”