Glenview, Illinois – The Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation joined leaders from Rutgers University, New Jersey Golf and the Caddie Scholarship Foundation, Liberty National Foundation and Liberty National Golf Club in July to celebrate the official start of renovations at Jameson Hall D, which will become the future home of the Rutgers Evans Scholars.
The project marks a major milestone in the growth of the Evans Scholars Program at Rutgers, where the first class of Evans Scholars enrolled in fall 2022. This fall, 46 Evans Scholars are enrolled at Rutgers, New Jersey’s flagship university, with a record 1,310 Evans Scholars attending 28 universities nationwide.
When complete, the renovated space will be known as the Liberty National NJSGA Evans Scholars Scholarship House, providing Rutgers Evans Scholars with a permanent place to live, study, build community and develop as leaders. The official dedication is expected to take place in August 2027 during BMW Championship week, when the tournament is being played at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“This is an exciting beginning for the Rutgers Evans Scholars and for the continued growth of the Evans Scholars Program in the East,” said Jeff Harrison, Senior Vice President, Advisory & Special Initiatives for the WGA/ESF. “Since our first class of Evans Scholars arrived at Rutgers, this chapter has become an integral part of our program. We are grateful to Rutgers University, the Liberty National community and all of our partners who are helping create a permanent home that will support generations of Scholars.”
The celebration also included remarks from Dan Fireman, executive chairman of Liberty National Golf Club and executive chairman of the Liberty National Foundation, Rutgers University Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Jason Geary and Rutgers Evans Scholar chapter president Ken Maher, a biomedical engineering senior who caddied at Baltusrol Golf Club. Also recognized were representatives from NJ Golf and the Caddie Scholarship Foundation for the role their organization has played in the project and the strength of the ongoing partnership.
The renovation is being made possible by a lead gift from the Fireman family and Liberty National. Dan and Paul Fireman, founders of Liberty National Golf Club, have been longtime supporters of youth caddie opportunities and the Evans Scholars Program in New Jersey and throughout the region.
Dan Fireman said the project at Rutgers is meaningful to his family because his father, Paul, who would go on to be chairman and CEO of Reebok, worked as a caddie when he was growing up in Massachusetts. “That experience taught him many things—things like hard work, responsibility, communication, service, and perseverance. Those lessons have stayed with him throughout his life,” he said.
Fireman said his family’s goal is for “Liberty National Golf Club to be known not only as a great golf club, but also as a place that creates opportunities that strengthen our community and use the game of golf as a platform to make meaningful differences in people’s lives.” The scholarship house, he said, is one way of fulfilling that mission. “This scholarship house will become a home, a community, and a life-changing experience for generations of Evans Scholars,” he said.
The Evans Scholarship is a full tuition and housing college scholarship for high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. Administered by the Evans Scholars Foundation, the Scholarship has helped thousands of caddies attend college since 1930.
“The Evans Scholars Foundation has become one of Rutgers–New Brunswick’s most impactful philanthropic partners,” Geary said. “Through this extraordinary investment, talented young people have been able to pursue a Rutgers education while becoming part of a community defined by academic excellence, leadership, and service.”
The Rutgers partnership has played a key role in the Evans Scholars Program’s continued growth in the East. In New Jersey, the WGA and ESF have worked closely with the New Jersey State Golf Association and Liberty National Foundation to expand caddie opportunities and create new pathways for young people to earn the Evans Scholarship.
Next year’s BMW Championship will be a culmination and celebration of all these partnerships. Since the inaugural BMW Championship in 2007, the tournament has raised more than $63 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation, helping to send more than 4,860 caddies to college. For more information on the Evans Scholarship and youth caddie programs, visit wgaesf.org To learn more about the Liberty National Foundation’s philanthropic efforts, visit libertynationalfoundation.org
About the Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation
Established in 1930 by the Western Golf Association and celebrated amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr., the Evans Scholars Foundation provides full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. This year, a record 1,310 caddies are enrolled as Evans Scholars at 28 leading universities nationwide. Scholarship funds come mostly from contributions by more than 43,500 supporters across the country who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program, including Evans Scholars Alumni, as well as proceeds from the BMW Championship. Since the Program’s inception, more than 12,870 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars. To learn more about the WGA and ESF, visit wgaesf.org.
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