News Releases

Scholarship America Forges Alliance with TuitionHelp To Expand Corporate Tuition-Assistance Services

Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest scholarship services provider, and TuitionHelp®, a unique tuition-reimbursement benefit that reduces employees’ and corporations’ college costs, today announce a new collaboration to improve tuition-assistance benefits.

Scholarship America Names Max Espinoza as Senior Vice President, Education Programs and Policy

Scholarship America is pleased to announce that Max Espinoza will join the organization as senior vice president, education programs and policy on May 28. In this role, Espinoza will play a key role as a member of Scholarship America’s leadership team in advancing the organization’s mission and act as Scholarship America’s lead spokesperson on education issues. He will also provide strategy, development and operations oversight to the organization’s flagship program, Dollars for Scholars, as well as Dreamkeepers, Collegiate Partners and the new Dream Award.

Nation’s Largest Scholarship Organization Partners with Largest Scholarship Search Company

Scholarship America announced today that it has partnered with scholarship search giant Fastweb, the leading website for scholarship and financial aid information owned by Monster Worldwide, Inc., parent company of Monster.com (NYSE: MWW), to bring more funding opportunities to students registered with the organization. To register with Scholarship America, students complete a free online profile that includes information about their academic standing, extracurricular activities, volunteer and paid work, and family financial information. The students are then matched with scholarship opportunities for which they may be eligible, based on the information provided.

Scholarship America Receives $1 Million from Kresge Foundation

Scholarship America announced today that it is the recipient of a two-year, $1 million grant from The Kresge Foundation for its Dreamkeepers program. Scholarship America Dreamkeepers is a financial assistance program designed to help students avoid dropping out of college when faced with an unforeseen financial emergency. There are currently 43 colleges in the nine-year-old Dreamkeepers network; last year, they provided an average emergency grant of $414 to nearly 1,900 students to help keep them in school.

Scholarship America Founder Dr. Irving A. Fradkin Selected as Finalist for the Citizen Service Before Self Honor

Scholarship America is pleased to announce that its founder, 92-year-old Dr. Irving A. Fradkin, has been selected as a finalist for the Citizen Service Before Self Honor.  According to the Citizen Service Before Self Honors organization, hundreds of individuals were nominated by public officials, first responders and ordinary citizens from September through December, 2012.

Dr. Fradkin is among the 23 civilian finalists for this prestigious award that will be presented to three individuals on March 11. To be considered for this rare civilian honor, nominees must have made a difference in the lives of others through a singular act of extraordinary heroism, or through their continued commitment to putting others first.

Scholarship America Elects Jay Morris and Mark Quick To Board of Trustees

Scholarship America, the nation’s leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization, is pleased to announce that Mark D. Quick, Former Vice Chairman, Fossil; and Dr. James (Jay) B. Morris, Vice President of Education and Executive Director of the Institute for Excellence, Yale New Haven Health System, have been elected to serve as members of the organization's Board of Trustees.

Joe Lieberman Connecticut Scholarship Fund Now Open for Student Applications

Scholarship America announced today that the Joe Lieberman Connecticut Scholarship Fund, to assist outstanding high school seniors from Connecticut who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs, is now open for student applications.

To be eligible, students must be United States citizens or permanent legal residents, be high school seniors who reside in and receive their high school education in Connecticut , plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the upcoming academic year, have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (or its equivalent), and demonstrate outstanding leadership potential and a record of community service.

Up to five students will be selected to each receive a $1,500 award – renewable for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever comes first.

Michael Ryan Elected Chair of Scholarship America’s Board of Trustees

Scholarship America, the nation’s leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization, is pleased to announce that Michael Ryan has been elected to serve as the Chair of Scholarship America’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Ryan has been on Scholarship America’s Board of Trustees since 2004 and is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of MDR Capital Management, which serves as the Investment Advisor or Sub-Advisor for several Institutional Separate Accounts.

National Emergency Grant Program Keeping Students on Track to Graduate, Analysis Finds

A Scholarship America analysis of the past three years found that 95.5 percent of its Dreamkeepers grant recipients successfully completed the term in which they received emergency assistance.

Because financial emergencies are a primary cause of stalled post-secondary education, Scholarship America designed the Dreamkeepers program in 2004 to help community college students manage unforeseen financial emergencies, such as costs associated with health or transportation, while maintaining enrollment. In 2011-12, the average emergency grant was $414.

Dollars for Scholars Provides Emergency Aid for Hurricane Sandy Victims

Communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard were impacted by Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath this fall; among the hardest hit was the New York City borough of Staten Island, where hundreds of homes and businesses were totally or nearly destroyed, and thousands of people had to cope with the devastating effects of the storm.

Fortunately for students who were affected by the storm, Staten Island ACHIEVE Dollars for Scholars was there to help within days. Chapter President Patrick Ryan and his brother, Scholarship America Board Chair-Elect Michael Ryan, contributed $25,000 to kick off a Hurricane Sandy Emergency Grant Assistance program within the chapter. Their local newspaper, the Staten Island Advance, took an interest, publishing an article that featured the work of Staten Island ACHIEVE Dollars for Scholars and spread the word of the emergency grant for Sandy victims. As a result of this publicity and other efforts, the chapter was able to raise more than $50,000 in additional funding from donors and start issuing grants of $200 per affected student almost immediately.

Scholarship America Names Greg Dehn as Senior Vice President, Scholarship America & General Manager, Scholarship Management Services

Scholarship America®, the nation’s leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization, is pleased to announce that Greg Dehn has joined the organization as senior vice president, Scholarship America and General Manager, Scholarship Management Services. In this role, Dehn will play a key role as a member of Scholarship America’s leadership team and in advancing the organization’s mission.

Eleven Years Later, Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund Has Awarded More Than $80 Million in Need-Based Scholarships To 2,117 Students

Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, the largest private scholarship fund for children, spouses and domestic partners of people who were tragically killed on September 11, 2001, or permanently disabled during the rescue operation, announced that it has distributed $80,200,763 to 2,117 students in the past 11 years. This figure includes $12,715,367 in new needs-based postsecondary scholarships awarded during the 2012-2013 academic year.

“Eleven years ago just over $100 million was donated by corporations, foundations, educational institutions and individuals. Our scholarships have enabled thousands of students to fulfill their dreams of college. We stand ready to support the 4,387 financially needy students registered with our Fund who will need our help in the future.” said Rhianna Quinn Roddy, Executive Director of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.

2012 "Hoosier Heroes" Essay Contest Winners Announced

Indiana Dollars for Scholars, a program of Scholarship America, congratulates the following students and Hoosier Heroes. These students' essays, celebrating the achievements and inspiration of the Heroes that they nominated, are the 10 winners of Hoosier Heroes scholarship awards for 2012, and will be honored at the 2012 Hoosier Heroes Celebration. The celebration will be held on Thursday, May 10th at U Indy Hall on the University of Indianapolis campus.

Mimi Daly Larson Named Senior VP, Strategic Marketing & Development

Scholarship America is pleased to announce that Mimi Daly Larson has been named Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Development. Larson has been serving as vice president of strategic marketing and branding since joining the organization a year ago.

In her new position, Larson will provide hands-on strategic, coordinated leadership for the marketing and development teams. This collaborative operating structure will allow Scholarship America to rapidly and proactively capture new opportunities for both awareness and fundraising.

Robert C. Ballard Joins Scholarship America's Board

Scholarship America is pleased to announce that Robert C. Ballard, Senior Vice President, Access and Outreach for USA Funds, has been elected to serve as a member of Scholarship America's Board of Trustees. He brings with him more than 29 years of higher education finance experience.

"I am honored to be selected to serve on the Scholarship America board of trustees. Scholarship America has been a valued partner to USA Funds in helping families prepare and pay for college. I look forward to working more closely with the organization to open the doors to college to every deserving student," said Mr. Ballard.

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