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Two years ago, a real estate developer approached Matt Duminiak ’05 seeking to purchase a small parcel of land on Duminiak’s property. The land — a mere few hundred square feet in Conshohocken, Pa. — stood between the developer and his building project.

Would Duminiak be interested in selling?

“I didn't even realize I owned it,” says Duminiak, explaining that the parcel sat outside the fence line he thought marked his property line.

It was an easy decision for the 30-year-old, who sold the land and then tucked away most of the windfall for a rainy day. But Duminiak, now 31, wanted to put some of the money to use, so he decided to invest the money in a Rider scholarship.

Through his donation in 2013, the Matt Duminiak ’05 Scholarship was established, making him the youngest person to have a named scholarship at Rider. The scholarship was intended to help students on the basis of high financial need, with a preference to those who are active in extracurricular activities or civic services.

“Rider was such a big influence and stepping stone for my career, and this was a good way for me to give back to a place that helped me grow,” says Duminiak, who graduated in 2005 with a major in computer information systems. The degree was designed to allow students to merge their IT knowledge with business skills, which is exactly what Duminiak has done. Now a senior procurement specialist at Vanguard, Duminiak leads complex procurement strategies for the financial services firm’s most strategic technology projects, some of which takes months and years to complete.

His career began as a technical analyst at Oracle. Following the 2008 market crash, Duminiak, who earned a Master of Science in Information Systems from Drexel University in 2007, was laid off in the spring of 2009. But he rebounded within a year by taking a job as an IT Sourcing Manager at Accenture in 2010. He joined Vanguard in 2013.

As an undergraduate, Duminiak received some scholarship support from the University, but he relied on his parents for most of the financial assistance he needed to pay for college. “I’m thankful for the opportunity my parents gave me,” says the Bensalem, Pa., native. At the same time, he was aware of the students who were driven and capable but held back by financial circumstances.

“When I first talked to the University about establishing a scholarship, I wanted to focus on individuals who didn’t have the same financial support as I did,” says Duminiak, who cites his Catholic faith as a source for his charity. “Without that support, I don’t know if I would have made it.”

Because about 97 percent of Rider students receive some form of scholarship support, contributions like Duminiak’s are increasingly important. “It’s not easy for the University to keep up with the scholarship needs of all our deserving students,” says Jonathan Meer, vice president for University Advancement. “That's one of the reasons we’re so proud of Matt and so thankful to him for stepping up and creating a scholarship named in his honor.”

Having a new generation of young alumni pledge their financial support to help current students helps continue what Meer calls a cycle of philanthropy — those who benefit from the generosity of donors go on to become donors themselves. “It’s truly a beautiful thing,” Meer says.

Rider helps connect donors and recipients by bringing them together during an annual scholarship lunch. Last year, Duminiak attended the lunch and met two students who benefited from his gift. “That was really cool,” he says. “They were really appreciative, and I got a good vibe about the kind of people they are.”

This year's scholarship luncheon will be held on April 2, once again bringing together С����Ƶ benefactors and the students they support. For more information, contact Coordinator for Stewardship Susan Mograbi at 609-896-5000, ext. 7022 or smograbi@rider.edu.