A $30 million gift—the largest to a single endowment fund Ithaca College has ever received—will facilitate access to the college’s Park Scholar Program, helping to ensure that high-achieving students from across the nation will continue dedicating themselves to making IC’s campus, the Ithaca community, and the world a better place.

“For more than 20 years, the Park Scholar Program has brought top young talent to our school, invigorating our academic discourse and creative productions and providing important service to the Ithaca community,” said Diane Gayeski ’74, dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications.

“This endowment secures a bright future for this transformative program and positions us as a leader in preparing future communication professionals with a rigorous education and a solid foundation of ethical principles.” The endowment supporting the Park Scholar Program, which is also distinctive in that it is the first endowed cohort scholarship at Ithaca College, is the sum of gifts from the estates of Roy and Dorothy Park and the Park Foundation. Housed within the Roy H. Park School of Communications, the program awards scholarships each year to a select group of incoming students who aspire to be part of a dynamic learning community and conscientious communication professionals. The scholarships cover the full cost of attendance, including tuition, living expenses, and a books and technology stipend. Through a mixture of academic and service programming, scholars take action and give back to their communities, and use the power of mass communication to make a positive impact on the world.

Park Scholar Program alumni have received highly competitive Fulbright awards; they attend graduate school at prestigious universities, including Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania; they provide service through organizations such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, GLAAD, and City Year; and they land jobs at outlets such as CNN, Time magazine, The Atlantic, and National Geographic Explorer. To date, the program boasts 285 alumni.