Fordham University will provide full-tuition scholarships to any of its undergraduate colleges to the children of Fordham alumni who were lost in the World Trade Center attack or who lost a spouse in the attack Fordham University President Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., announced. “Of the 32 Fordham alumni who were lost in the Sept. 11 attack or who lost a spouse, 22 had graduated in the last 20 years. Many left behind young families. When the time comes for these children to go to college, if they want to come to Fordham they will receive full tuition scholarships,” Father O’Hare said to a standing-room-only crowd of alumni attending a Homecoming Memorial Mass in the Fordham University Church. In response to the inquiries of many alumni who wish to contribute to the support of those who lost parents in the September 11 attack, Fordham University will also establish the Fordham Family Memorial Scholarship Fund as an endowed scholarship.
These funds will be directed to the children of New York City police officers, firefighters and public servants lost in the rescue operations and will supplement the funding made available to independent colleges and universities in New York State through legislation to be introduced by Gov. George Pataki for the support of these children. “The scholarship program, which already provides immediate tuition support to current Fordham undergraduates who lost a parent in the terrorist attacks, covers the cost of tuition not already paid by existing entitlement funds, and has the potential to become a multi-million dollar University aid package in the future,” said Peter A. Stace, Ph.D., vice president for enrollment. In keeping with its 160-year tradition of educating young men and women who possess the potential to successfully complete the rigorous Fordham curriculum regardless of financial need, the University gives approximately $44 million in financial aid and scholarships to Fordham undergraduates each year. These awards are funded in part by the University’s endowment, which, at $270 million, has nearly quadrupled since 1991. The current cost of undergraduate tuition and fees is $22,460.
