Supporting students, one pepper at a time.

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The obstacles to completing college can be overwhelming—financing a four-year degree being chief among them. Dr. Ali Houshmand, president of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, has cooked up a uniquely delicious plan to help the students at his university overcome financial setbacks: hot sauce.

One day in his kitchen, he had the idea to sell his homemade hot sauce and use the revenue for an emergency fund that students could tap into for unexpected needs that might otherwise prevent them from graduating. In 2017, the president started working with culinary professionals to take his hobby to the next level.

And the plan is now in full swing. With production costs covered by private donations, 100 percent of proceeds go directly to the Rowan Emergency Scholarship Fund. The result has been amazingly successful: more than $18,000 has been raised in a little more than three months.

Unusual? Yes. Effective? Absolutely: both for students in dire straits and for focusing attention on creative ways to meet needs.

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At Rowan University, we specialize in research, health care, the economy, sustainability—and people’s futures. Find out how Rowan is creating solutions at Ask Rowan.