December 09, 2008
The Veterans Scholarship Fund
Almost exactly one year ago today, after wrapping up the business end of business trip to NYC, I was sitting in a bar in Alphabet City chatting with Paul Rieckhoff ‘98. Paul mentioned that he had just started a conversation with the College’s development office about creating a scholarship for armed forces veterans to attend Amherst.
Today, the College announced the creation of The Veterans Scholarship Fund, which will provide enough financial aid to cover the full demonstrated need of qualified former American servicemen and servicewomen, starting in the fall of 2009.
Helping to make the fund a reality was College trustee Richard LeFrak ‘67 with a gift from from the Richard and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation. The College news release supplies some of the details.
Former members of the armed forces who apply to and are accepted at Amherst must still complete the college’s financial aid application process to determine their eligibility and need for federal, state and institutional funding. The hope is that those funds, combined with G.I. Bill benefits, will cover most—if not all—of the expenses for the veterans to attend the college, explained Dean of Admission Tom Parker. “We are fully committed to providing the best education possible to those who are so worthy of it,” he said.
To find the most promising applicants, Amherst will tap into its extensive recruiting networks and develop new avenues as needed. The college will extend its efforts into areas of the country with large concentrations of veterans, including California, Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Well-qualified veterans who wish to transfer into Amherst from community colleges and other institutions also will receive strong consideration. And to welcome the veterans who ultimately enroll, Amherst will make an added variety of services and programs available to the students to assist them in their transition to life at college, Parker said.
Kudos to LeFrak, Rieckhoff and everyone else involved.
Dave Nardolillo '98 | December 9, 2008 11:04 PM | Administration | Alumni | Campus | Student Life
Dave | December 10, 2008 12:09 AM:
Leaving aside the merits of this fund, I'm not clear on what it does. You say it "will provide enough financial aid to cover the full demonstrated need of qualified former American servicemen and servicewomen, starting in the fall of 2009." (Emphasis mine.) Don't current financial aid policies cover the "full demonstrated need" of any applicant? Isn't that what the rhetoric of "need-blind admissions" is about?
If so, why the segregated fund? Is it just a fund-raising move, aimed at donors who would rather pay for soldiers than non-soldiers to come to Amherst?
Dave Rogers | December 11, 2008 01:35 PM:
I take it that included in the "services and programs" the College will offer to veterans who enroll will be a throrough brain-washing to facilitate the transition to life on our beloved left-leaning campus.
Dave Nardolillo '98 | December 13, 2008 05:18 PM:
Dave #1:
I understand your point, but I offer a few comments (bear in mind, we do not speak for the College).
First, Amherst's history with the military is a complicated one, with moments both high and low. While that is a separate conversation, it is enough to note that relatively few former servicemembers have applied to complete their education at Amherst in recent years. Creating a segregated scholarship fund for this community is another piece to Tony Marx's initiative on creating an accessible Amherst. It may be symbolic to you, but I argue that the symbolism is significant.
Second, I think, although I am not sure, that the fund may one day strive to do more that just meet the "demonstrated need" of veterans, depending on the growth of the fund. Other programs and services are mentioned. It would be more appropriate to have those resources come from a segregated fund, rather than the budget of a department of the College.
Finally, I don't see anything wrong with segregated scholarship funds. They already exist at Amherst, and I seem to recall being the recipinet of financial aid funds from one such fund. While I don't see a valid criticism of the College here for creating vehicles to encourage donations, it's hard to characterize this a purely a fund-raising move as the fund was the brainchild of individual alumni who, based on my understanding, put the package forward to the College.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.amerst.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/328
© 2005 Am'erst.com |  | • Powered by Movable Type 3.2• |  |