Long Island City, NY – July, 2011
The LaGuardia Community College Foundation’s 2011 Spring Into Action campaign
reached its $100,000 challenge goal qualifying it for an additional
$100,000 from the Selz Foundation for full tuition scholarships for
LaGuardia students. This was the first challenge in LaGuardia’s
history and it successfully achieved its goal.
“The Selz Challenge provided the Foundation with a
wonderful opportunity for generating $200,000 that will provide 58 new
Spring Into Action full scholarships for students in the 2011-2012
academic year,” said LaGuardia Community College Foundation Executive Director E. Ramone
Segree. “With this Challenge, the Foundation will be able to reach even
greater milestones this year.”
The Spring Into Action campaign was conceived in
2009 by Foundation board director Marilyn Skony Stamm who chaired the
campaign. “I believed that providing full tuition scholarships would
significantly assist deserving students in completing their LaGuardia
education,” said Ms. Stamm, “And our committed donors are helping us
realize that goal.”
To meet this challenge, the Foundation reached out to all
constituency groups including LaGuardia Community College Foundation
directors, faculty and staff, alumni, local businesses, corporations,
other foundations and friends.
LaGuardia serves a student population that looks to
Foundation support as a vital financial resource. Over one-half of
LaGuardia students come from households making under $25,000 annually,
and most require financial assistance, even though the College’s tuition
is among the lowest in the New York area. International and
out-of-state students, whose tuition is double and are not eligible for
financial aid, look to the Spring Into Action scholarships as a way to
help fill the financial gap.
“Tuition assistance not only makes attendance possible and
much less challenging, but it has a huge impact on the students’
lives,” said Executive Director Segree, who added that data shows that,
upon graduation, LaGuardia students’ family income increases by 17%.
Since its inception in March 2003, the LaGuardia Community College
Foundation has provided over 2,600 scholarships to students. In addition
to scholarship support, the fundraising arm of the institution has
provided funding for textbooks, transportation and state-of-the-art
resources to prepare students for life’s work and leadership. Foundation
board members, donors, alumni and friends are involved in many aspects
of College activities, including mentoring students, serving on advisory
boards, and speaking to student groups about their professions.
Visit http://www.laguardia.edu/lagfoundation to learn more.
LaGuardia Community College located in Long Island City,
Queens, was founded in 1971 as a bold experiment in opening the doors of
higher education to all, and we proudly carry forward that legacy
today. LaGuardia educates students through over 50 degree, certificate
and continuing education programs, providing an inspiring place for
students to achieve their dreams. Upon graduation, LaGuardia students’
lives are transformed as family income increases 17%, and students
transfer to four-year colleges at twice the national average. Part of
the City University of New York (CUNY), LaGuardia is a nationally
recognized leader among community colleges for our boundary-breaking
success educating underserved students. At LaGuardia, we imagine new
ideas; create new curriculum and pioneer programs to make our community
and our country stronger.Visit http://www.laguardia.edu. to learn more.