Community leader Norman S. Edelcup makes endowed gift to support Golden Gift First Generation Student Scholarships

From left to right: Joseph Hornstein, principal gifts officer; Julissa Castellanos, assistant vice president, Regional and World Locations; Cynthia Soloway, chair, Vice Provost's Council; Jan Solomon, scholarship committee chair, Vice Provost's Council and president, Solomon International Solutions, Inc.; Norman Edelcup, corporate partnership committee co-chair, Vice Provost's Council; Pablo G. Ortiz, vice provost for the Biscayne Bay Campus & vice president for Regional and World Locations

Norman S. Edelcup, a longtime North Miami-Dade County community leader, has made a gift to establish the Norman S. Edelcup Golden Gift First Generation Scholarship Endowment.

The endowment will support first-generation students who live within a five-mile radius of FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus, through the Vice Provost's Council Golden Gift First Generation Scholarship Program, a program that he has philanthropically supported since 2014. The minimum donation for the Golden Gift First Generation Scholarship is $2,500, which is eligible for a two-to-one matching gift from the State of Florida.

“I am proud to be able to continue to support first-generation students at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in perpetuity,” Edelcup said. “BBC is home to some of FIU’s highest ranked programs, most innovative labs, and its own campus culture. This gift will help ensure that these students can stay on a pathway toward success.”

Edelcup is a founder of the Vice Provost's Council on the Biscayne Bay Campus and served on its executive committee for four years. He played a key role in its development, bringing in influential community members to serve on the council. Since its inception in 2012, the council has raised over $2.5 million in scholarships for FIU students.

Edelcup served as mayor of Sunny Isles Beach for 11 years, as well as serving as a city commissioner. He also was a founder and director of the Mt. Sinai Medical Center Foundation. In recognition of his community contributions, the Norman S. Edelcup/Sunny Isles Beach K-8 School was named in his honor.

“We are grateful to have the Honorable Norman Edelcup as a champion of FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus,” said Vice Provost for the Biscayne Bay Campus Pablo G. Ortiz. “Through this gift, he has once again shown his commitment to the educational excellence of students who will be the future leaders of the Miami-Dade County community.”

Edelcup’s gift benefits FIU’s Next Horizon campaign, which is advancing student success and research excellence at the university.