Legacy scholarships offers students $2,000 in fall of 2009

by Mike Garofalo

Students who have “a special connection with Rider” will soon be rewarded with an opportunity to apply for a new form of financial aid, according to an admissions recruiter.

The new Legacy Award, a $2,000 yearly scholarship renewable for up to four years of study, will be awarded to an applicant with parents, grandparents or siblings who are Rider alumni.

Unfortunately, the award is not offered yet.

“The Legacy Award will be available to current students, but not until fall 2009,” said Jamie O’Hara, vice president of Enrollment Management.

Information was provided at the Legacy breakfast on Family Weekend.

The idea for this award, according to O’Hara, was first presented at a student Senate meeting and has now become a reality.

Admissions recruiter Cherilyn Barbone said the award may draw some prospective students to the university. In fact, Barbone noted that there have already been some applicants. This is the first year that incoming freshmen have been given this opportunity.

It is important that this scholarship not be confused with the already established Sibling Grant, which rewards students who have at least one sibling currently attending Rider. Both the Sibling Grant and Legacy Award mean $2,000 a year to the recipient for up to four years. While they represent the same monetary value, they are two different scholarships based upon different criteria.

“I think [the] Legacy [Award] is very important because it shows that the next generation appreciates those that have come before, and all that they have achieved,” said freshman Megan Moyer, an education major.

For more information regarding financial aid, contact the Office of Student Financial Services at (609) 896-5360.