America’s most generous and longest-running such scholarship program marks 40th year

Newswise — (Boston) — The Boston University Boston High School Scholarship Program, the nation’s oldest and largest scholarship program for urban public high school students, marked its 40th year by presenting 25 recent top graduates of Boston public high schools a total of more than $4.3 million worth of four-year, full-tuition scholarships.

The program, renamed as of this year the Thomas M. Menino Scholarships in honor of the retiring long-time Boston mayor, has awarded some $143 million in scholarships to 1,821 students since being created in 1973 by then BU President John Silber and then Boston Mayor Kevin White.

“Our scholarship program for graduates of Boston public high schools is offered in the spirit of community service that has been a part of the fabric of Boston University since our founding, and we are proud this year to name it in honor of Mayor Thomas Menino,”BU President Robert Brown said in prepared remarks. “We do this in recognition of his tireless service to the people of Boston and his leadership in public education.”

Brown was joined by Menino at ceremonies Wednesday night (6/19/12) honoring the 2013 class of new scholars who shared an “upward bound” weekend in New Hampshire before spending this week on the BU campus in an orientation program that includes lectures, labs, and receiving housing assignments for the fall.

“It is so important for our young people to have access to higher education,” Menino said in prepared remarks. “Over the past 40 years, Boston University has given hundreds of our students the opportunity to attend a world-class university and pursue their dreams. This is an investment I know will pay off for years to come.”

Also recognized were 37 incoming freshman earning Boston High Community Service Awards, which offers any Boston public high school graduate who earns BU admission a guarantee to cover their full demonstrated financial need through grants, scholarships, or other forms of financial assistance without needing to take out loans.

Boston High Scholars are nominated by their school’s headmasters or guidance counselors and chosen by a three-member committee of representatives from the Mayor’s office, the university’s Office of Admissions, and the Boston public school system.

As part of Boston University’s nearly $3 billion annual economic impact in the region, the Boston High School Scholarship Program is a continuing investment in the educational future of the City of Boston and its young people. BU also offers annual special scholarship programs for Boston City employees, Boston teachers, graduates of Bunker Hill College and Roxbury Community College, graduates of nearby Brookline and Chelsea high schools, graduates of local Catholic Archdiocesan schools, and children of Boston and Brookline firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 32,000 students, it is the fourth largest independent university in the United States. BU contains 16 colleges and schools along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes which are central to the school's research and teaching mission.