Purchase College, SUNY & Senator David Carlucci Announce Scholarship for Rockland Community College Students

Purchase College, SUNY today announced it will offer renewable Dean’s List Scholarships to Rockland Community College (RCC) students who plan to pursue a BA at Purchase’s Rockland extension site. New York State Senator David Carlucci (38^th Senate District) was instrumental in coordinating this new program that has direct benefits for his constituents.

“This scholarship provides an excellent opportunity for top achieving RCC students to earn a highly marketable degree without incurring significant debt,” says Thomas J. Schwarz, president of Purchase College, SUNY. “The flexibility and convenience of evening classes in Rockland County will allow a greater pool of ambitious students to pursue their degrees.”

The Dean’s List Scholarship—which begins in fall of 2015—awards a $3,000 a year scholarship to RCC students with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 who have earned an associate’s degree at Rockland Community College. In addition, the program will provide one full scholarship per year for a student based on leadership and scholarship criteria.

Eligible students may choose to earn a BA in one of three degree majors in the program at Purchase’s Rockland site:  Liberal Studies: General Studies; Liberal Studies: Communication/Media Studies, and Liberal Studies: Legal Studies. Scholarship recipients must be matriculated students who are enrolled for full-time study and maintain a 3.25 GPA.

Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) said, “Keeping quality higher education affordable is the key to ensuring our young people have every opportunity possible to compete in the global economy. Working together with RCC and SUNY Purchase I was happy to help create a new scholarship program that allows students the ability to achieve a higher degree without financial stress. I encourage students who qualify for the scholarship to apply." 

Cliff L. Wood, president of Rockland Community College, adds, “We are pleased to be able to offer high-achieving RCC students who attain a Dean’s List GPA this special opportunity. We have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Purchase College, and expect that this scholarship will motivate even more students to take advantage of the chance to earn a BA at Purchase’s convenient Rockland site.”

Founded in 2003, the liberal studies BA program at Purchase College’s RCC extension is designed for students who want to complete the required coursework for their bachelor’s degree close to home in Rockland County by taking evening courses.  An articulation agreement between the two SUNY campuses, Purchase College and Rockland Community College, allows students to complete certain requirements at RCC and transfer them to Purchase.

About Purchase College, SUNY

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspirations for Purchase were to combine on one campus conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences. Today, Purchase College-SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu