FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has established a $50,000 annual scholarship program that will benefit up to 10 Brookdale Community College graduates a year who elect to continue their college education at Monmouth University, West Long Branch.
The scholarships will be awarded annually to approximately 10 Monmouth County residents who graduate from Brookdale with a minimum grade point average of 3.5, with plans to attend Monmouth University on a full-time basis.
“We look forward to partnering with the Monmouth County freeholders and Brookdale Community College on this outstanding scholarship program,” Monmouth University President Paul G. Gaffney II said in a press release. “This program will ensure we keep the best and brightest students here in Monmouth County by providing these scholarships for our future community leaders. I am grateful to the freeholders for recognizing the need to invest in our college students.”
“We applaud the freeholders’ initiative in keeping our best students in Monmouth County,” said Peter F. Burnham, president of Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. “This seamless and affordable transfer opportunity from Brookdale to Monmouth University will enable some of our best students to earn baccalaureate degrees locally.”
According to research by the New England Economic Review, national trends indicate that students who leave their home state for college are more likely to live and work near where they attend college than where they attended high school.
“This is an excellent way to invest in our students and one that I am proud to be a part of,” Freeholder Lillian Burry said. “By rewarding academic excellence now, communities throughout Monmouth County will be rewarded in the years ahead when these same students buy their own homes and begin working and raising their families here.”
The criteria that has been established for the scholarships is as follows:
+ The student must have a permanent Monmouth County address and must have lived there for 12 months;
+ Must graduate Brookdale, completing either an associate in arts, associate in science, or associate in fine arts degree;
+ Must have cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better;
+ Maintain a full-time course load at Monmouth University (minimum of 12 credits);
+ Must have demonstrated a financial need, with preference being given to federal Pell grant or New Jersey TAG grant recipients.
The first scholarships will be awarded this year. Additionally, the scholarship awards may be renewed annually, providing the funding remains available and the students maintain a GPA of 3.5 or better at Monmouth University.