The Give Something Back Foundation presented the donation Thursday, school officials said.
MONTCLAIR -- Fifty more economically disadvantaged New Jersey students will be going to college for free, thanks to a $1 million donation to Montclair State from the Give Something Back Foundation.
The nonprofit, founded by Heartland Payment Systems CEO Robert Carr, has made seven such donations to schools around the country. This marks the third in New Jersey - the first two supported 50 students each at Rowan University and The College of New Jersey.
Carr has said that he hopes to put 1,000 students from across the country through school.
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"We have found over the years that a student being selected for this program really just uplifts the entire family," Carr said in a phone interview about the grant. With this donation, Give Something Back was looking to target students from struggling families in the northern part of the state, he said.
Students entering ninth grade can apply for the program, and are chosen based both on financial need and merit, Carr said. The students enter a mentorship program through high school, are required to meet certain academic standards, and are then financially supported through college.
The donation, which Carr presented to the school in a ceremony Thursday, "(helps to support) Montclair State's mission to create and sustain a learning community that is deeply and broadly reflective of the diverse population of New Jersey," MSU President Susan A. Cole said in a statement.
Four New Jersey Mayors - Ras Baraka of Newark, Robert Jackson of Montclair, Lester Taylor of East Orange, and Dwayne Warren of Orange - attended the ceremony Thursday, the school said.
The check will support students who will enter MSU in the fall of 2019, the school said.
The $1 million marks the latest in a string of high profile donations the university has received. Earlier this month, it opened a new business school building funded in part by donations from the school's new namesake, Mimi and Edwin Feliciano, and in July, it announced a $20 million anonymous donation, the largest ever in the school's history.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
