Princeton Day School calls it largest-ever gift
By: David Campbell
A Princeton Day School trustee and his wife have pledged $11 million to be put toward identifying and enrolling qualified students who otherwise could not afford to attend the private day school.
Robert and Jill Carr, three of whose children attended PDS, are making the gift to the school through the Give Something Back Foundation, which the couple founded.
Mr. Carr is chief executive officer and chairman of the Princeton-based Heartland Payment Systems, a firm that provides credit card and debit card processing services and which recently went public. He also is a trustee at PDS.
"It’s exciting for us to be able to provide an opportunity to children and their families to go to a school like PDS who otherwise never would have considered it," Ms. Carr said. "We both came from families who couldn’t send us to a school like that."
Mr. Carr said, "We think this will benefit PDS, as well as the families that send their kids to PDS, because it will help to make the school look more like the community at large."
PDS, located off The Great Road, is a private coeducational day school that enrolls students in junior kindergarten through 12th grade.
According to Andrew C. Hamlin, PDS director of advancement, the Carrs’ $11 million gift is the largest ever to the school and, to the school’s knowledge, the single largest to a school of PDS’s kind ever made by a living donor.
"From our earliest discussions, the Carrs had only one objective to help others less fortunate, and to them that meant providing access to an outstanding education," Mr. Hamlin said.
"This stunning gift is bold testimony to their sincere interest in giving something back, and we are truly honored they chose Princeton Day School as the vehicle for expressing that commitment," he said.
Head of School Judy Fox said the school is thrilled with the gift.
"This transforming gift makes a PDS education available to outstanding students regardless of family income, and we are proud to be partners with the Carrs in reaching out to these deserving students," Ms. Fox said.
The objective is to identify and enroll 42 academically qualified students three students in each of PDS’s 14 grades over the next five to six years and fully fund their education on an ongoing basis.
Mr. Hamlin said recruitment efforts are expected to "start in earnest" this fall. PDS’s admissions season runs to mid-January, after which the school makes its enrollment decisions.
For each new student enrolled under the new program, the cost of the total aid package covering his or her education at PDS will be determined, and that sum will be deposited with the school.
It is expected that half the money will be put up in the first year and a half, Mr. Carr said. The full $11 million is expected to be dispersed between now and 2011. If any money remains by that time, it will be deposited with the school, he said.
In addition to funding 100 percent of the recipients’ demonstrated financial need, the gift will fund books, fees, lunch programming, transportation and any other related needs that arise, Mr. Hamlin continued.
"They’re trying to reach out and help families who really haven’t had access to PDS," he said of the Carrs. "They want to make a difference in their lives."
Mr. Hamlin stressed that PDS’s high academic standards will not be changed by the program. Incoming students under the program will not have any advantages, he said.
PDS currently provides financial aid to students who need it, but it’s costly to the school, Mr. Hamlin said. He said the gift will enhance the educational quality of PDS by making it accessible to more students.
"It will do more for more kids," he said. "In that sense, it’s just going to be extraordinary."
Mr. Carr acknowledged that challenges will arise from time to time related to bringing in students from different economic and social backgrounds, but said that PDS is committed to overcoming any that come up.
PDS Admission Director Kelly Dun called the scope of the program unprecedented for day schools such as PDS.
"We anticipate an immediate increase in the number of applications, particularly from those with significant financial need," she said.
Ms. Dun said the Carr Scholars Programs will allow PDS to help more applicants, and will free existing financial aid funds to support students who need it.