Sanford and Barbara Orkin, whose holdings include Orkin pest control company, are giving $1 million to establish a University of Georgia fund for scholarships for low-income students.

The scholarships will provide financial support for tuition, books, room and board, and other living expenses incurred by outstanding, academically talented students who come from low-income families.

Students eligible for Orkin Scholarships may come from families where there is little to no parental involvement and financial resources are minimal to non-existent. In many instances, scholarship recipients will come from families where no current or past family member has attended college.

“A secure source of funding that helps students meet their housing, food and educational requirements, we hope, will help these remarkable young people stay at the university through graduation and on the road to successful careers and full lives,” Sanford Orkin said. “Barbara and I are truly honored to be able to give back to a university we both love deeply and that has given so much to us.”

Both Orkins attended UGA.

University President Jere W. Morehead said, “One of the university’s top priorities is to increase scholarship support for students with significant financial need. I am deeply grateful to Sanford and Barbara for their enduring generosity and for establishing this scholarship fund, which will have a transformative impact on the lives of many UGA students.”

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