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As college financial aid programs remain under fire in Washington, D.C., and Tallahassee, FIU students rallied to raise funds for First Gen scholarships. In addition to monies raised at the event, the university’s President’s Council has committed to raising $100,000 for the First Generation Scholarship Fund.
"The students have worked really hard for this," said Rosa Jones, vice president for Student Affairs, of the event. "It's great that it's now a tradition."
The day after Florida’s House Appropriations Committee approved a proposed budget increasing college tuition by 5 percent and cutting Bright Futures scholarships by 15 percent, FIU’s Student Government Association (SGA) raised more than $61,000 for the First Generation Scholarship Fund. Those funds will be matched 100 percent by the State for a total impact of more than $122,000.
The March 31 event was hosted by President Mark B. Rosenberg and wife Rosalie at Reagan Presidential House and attended by approximately 75 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and university and community leaders.
"We couldn't be more proud to host this event at our house," said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.
“FIU students raise so much money for the community, which is both important and great, but now I believe our student culture is realizing the importance of supporting our own students and alma mater,” said Mykaelle “Myka” Figueiredo ‘10, Annual Giving development officer and former SGA MMC vice president. Figueredo proposed the SGA-First Gen partnership last year, and she was the driving force behind the inaugural fundraiser and this year’s second annual event.
Only program of its kind to match private donations 100 percent
Approximately 40 percent of FIU students will be the first generation in their family to attain a college degree. The majority of these students meet eligibility requirements for a First Gen Scholarship.
Getting an award remains elusive for many FIU students because demand exceeds fund resources. During the 2010-11 academic year, for example, approximately 9,000 First Generation-eligible students did not receive scholarship support. In contrast, 700 students received an award for the current Spring semester.
Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations Bill Draughon and Alumni Association Board member Stewart Appelrouth MBA '80 show their appreciation of the event. Said Appelrouth, "These scholarship recipients are the leaders of tomorrow."
The program was created by the Florida Legislature in 2006 and is the only program of its kind in the United States to match private donations 100 percent. The challenge amount available to FIU this year for State match by the Florida Board of Governors is expected to be approximately $600,000, according to Jacqueline Valle of Corporate & Foundation Relations. If a university doesn’t raise the full match amount set aside for it – as has been the case at FIU – the unclaimed dollars revert to a pool of funds that becomes available to universities that raised more than their allotted amount.
“We’re leaving money on the table, and it’s a shame,” said Rosenberg, referring to the university not raising the full challenge amount in years past. “This is the only State matching gift program that has survived budget cuts of the last few years. That’s a testament to its value.”
‘No other institution for whom this program is as relevant and needed’
Raising $600,000 would pump $1.2 million into First Gen coffers.
First Generation Scholarship recipients Emilio Collyer and Claudia Crego.
Since its inception, FIU has given nearly $3 million in financial support to more than 5,300 students. First Gen scholarship recipients receive awards ranging from $250-$1,000 per student, per semester. That model – smaller awards to more students – works well at an institution like FIU, where the need is pervasive.
“I would venture to say there is no other institution for whom this program is as relevant and needed as it is to FIU,” observed Nicole Kaufman Glasgow, director of Corporate & Foundation Relations. “We have a core commitment to ensuring these students’ success.”
‘This is what FIU is about’
The Rosenbergs set the tone for the evening, with the president announcing a $5,000 donation to the fund. That was followed by a $5,000 gift from Board of Trustees member Joseph Caruncho ‘81, who said this cause is close to his heart.
BOT member Joe Caruncho '81 and Gonzalo Acevedo '91, vice president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, came out in support of the First Gen Scholarship Fund. Said Caruncho, "Of the many things I'm involved with, this is one of my favorites."
“I moved here from Cuba with my family when I was 5 years old. My brother and I were first-generation kids,” said Caruncho. “FIU has been the access point to everything that I’ve achieved in my life, and I know that it can become the single most important access point for thousands of other students who are at FIU today.”
Alumni Association Board member Stewart Appelrouth MBA ’80 is not a first-generation college graduate – his father graduated from college on the GI bill. Nonetheless, he has vivid memories of his parents putting aside $5 a week in a jar for his and his sister’s college educations.
“There is nothing wrong with doing something that doesn’t require a college degree, but statistics show that college graduates do better financially,” said Appelrouth, shortly after his $5,000 gift was announced. “Our university is an important cog in that wheel.”
In addition to the monies raised at the event, the university’s President’s Council has committed to raising $100,000 for the First Generation Scholarship Fund.
“Many faculty came here in the early days because FIU was going to serve these students,” said Stephen Fain, a long-time faculty member and Honors College Fellow. He attended the event and is a First Gen donor. “This is the underpinning rationale of the university in so many ways. This is what FIU is about.”
To make a donation to the First Generation Scholarship Fund, click here.
— Karen Cochrane. Photos courtesy of Ivan Santiago, FIU Photography.
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