NEW YORK CITY (PRWEB) March 01, 2012
Local commuter students from the five boroughs of New York City are being offered the chance for a more affordable college experience with the advent of the Hugh L. Carey Scholarship Program at St. Johns University. Every commuter student in the five boroughs who attends one of St. Johns four-year undergraduate degree programs will receive a minimum of $ 5,000 over four years.
New York Department of Education Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott fully supports the scholarship program, and sees a unique value in partnering with St. Johns to ultimately give students in New York City a chance at a quality education at a major university.
This program is a boost to public school students planning to attend St. Johns in the fall, Chancellor Walcott said. It gives students a chance to attend a four-year college close to home, and is a perfect example of why it’s so important for students to graduate from high school college and career-ready.”
Named posthumously for former New York State Governor and St. Johns double alumnus (who passed away in 2011 at the age of 92), the Hugh L. Carey Scholarship is being offered to first-time and full-time students who are accepted into one of St. Johns four-year degree programs for the fall 2012 semester.
A minimum of $ 1,250 is awarded to all automatic qualifiers and can total up to $ 5,000 over four years.
Additionally, those students who demonstrate financial need (and who complete the FAFSA form by March 30, 2012) may receive up to $ 3,000 per year and up to $ 12,000 over four years, with the scholarship renewable annually as long as the student remains in good academic standing.
This scholarship celebrates Hugh Careys life and his generosity in giving back to New York City students who may not have had the opportunity to attend college, said Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. Johns University. The Carey name and legacy will continue to live on at St. Johns with this special scholarship program and we are forever indebted to Governor Carey for the impact he has made on our university and his alma mater.
St. Johns is a global University with more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 46 states and 110 countries. 97% of undergraduate students received over $ 463 million in financial aid awarded by the University for the 2011-12 academic year.
The Hugh L. Carey Scholarship was designed to help students with significant financial need, and Governor Carey was instrumental during his tenure in public office in the 1970s for making significant contributions to rescue NYC from financial hardship.
I know our father always valued the Vincentian spirit of service education that he received at St. Johns and that it was a lifelong source of strength for him, said Governor Careys daughter Marianne Carey Hayes. Hed be thrilled to know that there is a scholarship in place that will give help to New York students with their financial burden. He knew full well what it was like for him to go back to St. Johns Law under the G.I. Bill, so he understood greatly the value of financial assistance which enhanced his own personal education.
For more information contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at St. Johns University, by calling 718.990.6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad(at)stjohns(dot)edu.
ABOUT ST. JOHNS UNIVERSITY
St. John’s University is one of America’s leading Catholic universities nationally ranked by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report and recognized for its strong academic programs, diverse student body, and extensive community service programs. Founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Community, St. Johns has distinguished itself by giving students the knowledge, skills and confidence to serve others while achieving lasting success personally, professionally and spiritually.
St. Johns boasts six campus locations (Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan and Oakdale, New York, Rome, Italy and Paris, France) and offers academic service-learning and study abroad opportunities across the world.
St. Johns University continues to embody its Vincentian mission through its Faith and Service programs. At St. Johns, service to the community is much more than a one-time volunteer experience; it is a lifetime commitment. We believe that giving back to the community teaches us lessons that can only be learned by serving, lessons that deepen our faith. Faith and Service is the guiding philosophy that encourages every member of the University community to use St. Johns educational and spiritual resources to excel in the competencies and values required for leadership and service in a rapidly evolving global community.
ABOUT THE HONORABLE HUGH L. CAREY
With the rest of our New York community and the nation, St. Johns University celebrated the life and mourned the passing of the Honorable Hugh L. Carey, former governor of the State of New York, in 2011. A double alumnus, Governor Carey received his Bachelor of Arts from St. Johns College in 1942 and graduated from the School of Law in 1951. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1967.
Governor Carey amassed a truly remarkable record of service within both the public and private sectors. A decorated World War II veteran, he was awarded the Combat Infantry Award, the Bronze Star, and the Croix de Guerre. He entered politics in 1960 and was elected to seven terms in the United States House of Representatives. He was a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and authored several pieces of landmark legislation.
But his most memorable accomplishments were to come during his two terms as Governor of New York State. Serving from 1975 to 1982, he is widely credited with saving the City of New York from bankruptcy during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. Among the other accomplishments of his administration were inauguration of the memorable I Love New York campaign and establishment of the famed Empire State Games, another of his determined efforts to foster equity for the developmentally challenged.
For almost three-quarters of a century, Hugh Carey, since his days as a freshman in 1938, has remained an integral part of this university as friend, active alumnus, and generous benefactor. With pride in and gratitude for his accomplishments, St. Johns has conferred upon him virtually every honor it has to give. In addition to the honorary doctorate, the University presented him with the Presidents Medal, the Pietas Medal, the Medal of Honor, and the Spirit of Service Award and inducted him into the Heritage Circle.
The Hugh and Helen Carey Residence Hall, located on the Queens campus named for Carey and his late wife, was dedicated in 2004 and will remind generations of future students of his life and achievements. Among the most memorable of his public achievements was his service as one of the Four Horseman, a group that included Senators Edward Kennedy and Daniel Patrick Moynihan and U.S. House Speaker Tip ONeill and that laid the groundwork for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
This desire for peaceful reconciliation animated his most recent gift to St. Johns establishment of the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution in the St. Johns School of Law in 2009, which will remain as a permanent memorial to his vision and values.
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