The University announced last week that local commuter students will be offered scholarships named in honor of alumnus Hon. Hugh L. Carey.
Eligible students will be offered $1,250 a year from the scholarship, the release said, totaling to $5,000 in four years. Students who file their FAFSA before March 30 can qualify to receive up to $3,000 a year. The scholarship is available for renewal, as long as a student stays in good academic standing.
“This scholarship celebrates Hugh Carey’s life and his generosity in giving back to New York City students who may not have had the opportunity to attend college,” University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., said in a news release. “The Carey name and legacy will continue to live on at St. John’s 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.”
The scholarship was established to further the late Governor Carey’s efforts to lighten financial burdens, the release said.
Carey, who graduated from St. John’s College in 1942 and the Law School in 1951, was noted for his contributions to the University. In 2004, the Carey Residence Hall was named in Carey and his late wife’s honor. Carey passed away in August 2011 at the age of 92. He served as Governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. During this time, Carey worked to gear the state and New York City away from bankruptcy.
Marianne Carey Hayes, Carey’s daughter, commented in the release on her father’s legacy at the University and the mission of the scholarship.
“I know our father always valued the Vincentian spirit of service education that he received at St. John’s and that it was a lifelong source of strength for him,” Carey Hayes said in the release. “He’d 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. John’s Law under the G.I. Bill, so he understood greatly the value of financial assistance which enhanced his own personal education.”
The scholarship has also received support from Dennis Walcott, chancellor for the New York City Department of education. Walcott said in the news release that the scholarship is a good incentive for high school students living in the area to graduate and go to college.
“This program is a boost to public school students planning to attend St. John’s in the fall,” 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.”
