DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth recently became the beneficiary of seven figures in gifts and matching grants to help offer scholarships to students from the Greater Fall River area.
The university announced Thursday that it received a total of $1.5 million from two local organizations. The Greater Fall River Development Corp. provided UMass Dartmouth a $1 million grant to develop the Greater Fall River Development Corp. Scholarship Program.
Additionally, the UMass Foundation provided $500,000 in matching funds, UMass Dartmouth says, and all the money will be used for scholarships to support Greater Fall River area students pursuing higher education at the university.
UMass Dartmouth says students from Fall River, Acushnet, Berkley, Dighton, Fairhaven, Freetown, Somerset, Swansea and Westport who have demonstrated a financial need will be eligible for the scholarship funding. Such funding will be available for four years provided that students maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark Fuller in a statement said the new scholarship is poised to make a “tremendous impact” on the university, given that roughly 1,000 students from the Greater Fall River area attend UMass Dartmouth.
“In making this transformational investment, the Greater Fall River Development Corp. is making the dream of a college education possible for more of the region’s deserving students,” UMass President Marty Meehan said in a statement. “Together with the UMass Foundation match, this is a powerful and tangible statement about the life-changing education that UMass Dartmouth offers.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.