Mercy/CNR Alumni Assistance Scholarship Provides Alumni with an Added Incentive Toward Professional Growth

Last spring, several weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, the admissions office at Mercy College created the Mercy/CNR Alumni Assistance Scholarship to help students faced with uncertainty continue their education with financial assistance during a challenging situation. Incredibly, within six weeks of the shutdown, the scholarship had already been approved for the summer and fall 2020 terms. 

“People were feeling trapped and powerless,” recalled Jaime Caruso, director of graduate admissions. Graduating students were especially uncertain about their future after what had been a difficult job market now seemed even more difficult. But, Caruso said, “If there’s one thing we can control, it’s our education. Even taking one class or enrolling in a single program can get you started toward a whole different future.”

The new scholarship awards $1,000 to Mercy and College of New Rochelle alumni, to be used toward their first enrollment in any of Mercy’s 40+ graduate programs, about a third of which are offered entirely online. What’s more, dependents of alumni are also eligible for the same benefit.

Even though the state of the economy and job prospects were facing a difficult time, she and her colleagues in Admissions — Adam Castro, vice president of admissions and Chris Connelly, associate vice president of marketing and analytics — devised a way to provide alumni with an added incentive in advancing their education. “That way, when the job market finally improves, they’ll be more prepared and fully engaged in advancing their careers,” she said.

First conceived as an award for alumni, the scholarship was quickly expanded to include their immediate family as well. “We knew many of our alums have children or spouses who’d experienced job loss or were graduating with few prospects, and we felt they deserved the same opportunity,” said Alexis McGrath Rothenberg, Director of Alumni Relations.

While the award may seem small — covering just one credit in the first semester — and cannot be combined with other scholarship aid, it’s the power of starting that has given so many a boost. “People talk about micro-goals, about just taking that first step,” said Caruso. That may explain the program’s enormous success in its first months. “We planned for a certain number of applicants, but that number was exceeded by more than 100,” she said, adding that in all, more than 180 new graduate students who enrolled in the fall 2020 term were eligible for the scholarship.

The program is open to Mercy and CNR undergraduate alumni and their dependents who have not previously enrolled or completed a Mercy College graduate program, and the application process is quick and simple. The program is now open for enrollment for all three terms of the 2021 academic year. Applicants can choose any program of study from more than 40 graduate programs offered.