A List
9/15/08

St. Lawrence Seeks Support For Fort Drum Scholarship

CANTON - St. Lawrence University is seeking additional support and applicants for its St. Lawrence University/Fort Drum Scholarship. Established in 2004, the fund assists military dependents and soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division in financing a University education.

Five current students are benefitting from the scholarship; the first recipient, Indian River Central High School alumna Alexandra E. Collins, is scheduled to graduate in December of 2008. A total of $220,000 has been committed to the five students. In addition to Collins, they are Brittany R. Parham '10, a graduate of Indian River Central; Sarah N. Redmon '11, of Carthage Central School; Terry E. Parham '12, Indian River; and Ryan W. Horn '12, Copenhagen Central School.

The scholarship was established through a gift from John '59 and Josee Rostenberg of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Both were military dependents. John Rostenberg served for many years as a University trustee. It is not an endowed scholarship, but an expendable scholarship, meaning that it can move forward only with additional support.

Brittany Parham, whose father is a U.S. Army soldier who has served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division, said, "Without the help of the Fort Drum Scholarship and various other scholarships, my enrollment at St. Lawrence would not have been possible. I know that one day I will use everything that St. Lawrence University has given me to improve our world, but it can't end with me."

The St. Lawrence/Fort Drum Scholarship is awarded in the following way: Qualified students must first apply to St. Lawrence University, and meet requirements for admission. Each student also must submit a financial aid application to be considered for this scholarship. St. Lawrence will use, as always, a federal formula to calculate family contribution and resulting financial need. The University also will consider applicants for any appropriate merit scholarships based on academic achievement, such as the University Scholarships.

If a student's demonstrated financial need as determined by the federal financial aid application exceeds the total amount of state, federal and merit awards received by the student, the St. Lawrence/Fort Drum Scholarship will meet the remainder of that demonstrated need. The University wishes to make certain that scholarship recipients are not required to take out loans to meet their demonstrated need in order to complete their education, in recognition of their parents' service, or their own service, to the United States.

There is no pre-determined number of scholarship recipients each year; the scholarships will be awarded based on consideration of both available resources and student need. Students can expect to receive the award for four years of study at St. Lawrence.

Preference in awarding the scholarship will be given to the dependents of Fort Drum military personnel and soldiers returning to Fort Drum following a tour of duty. In case of more qualified applicants than available resources, award selection will be based on academic achievement.

For information about making a gift to ensure the continuation of the scholarship, contact Associate Vice President for Development Thomas Pynchon, at 315-229-5583. Qualified students may contact the admissions office at St. Lawrence, 800-285-1856.

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