Faculty and Staff Support
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62 members of the faculty and staff donate to Fordham Prep Funds and Scholarships .
44 of 62 of them donate to the Unknown Mentor Scholarship .
FORDHAM PREP 2022 ANNUAL GIVING REPORT
More than 70 % of faculty and staff who donate to Fordham Prep contribute to the UMS .
• Fifteen faculty members have increased or renewed their giving this year due to the Unknown Mentor Scholarship .
• Five first-time Fordham Prep donors
’ 98 helped with promotional content for the scholarship during the Prep ’ s GivingTuesday campaign .
The scholarship aims to expand the range of high school choices available to 8thgrade students who otherwise would not be able to consider attending Fordham Prep due to cost .
A committee of 10 members of the faculty and staff , including McNamara , was formed to help select the initial recipient and advise on the program throughout the year . Two members of the Class of 2026 were selected as the inaugural recipients of the Unknown Mentor Scholarship .
“ Providing this opportunity for prospective students is something that is both incredibly important and deeply personal to our faculty and staff ,” said Dean of Faculty Claire McCarrick . “ Those of us who served on the selection committee carried that with us throughout the decision-making process . While making decisions like these is always complex , it was a truly rewarding experience to be a part of making a difference in the lives of students and their families . We are thrilled to welcome two new and deserving Rams into the Fordham Prep community !” she added .
McNamara and McCarrick presented the Unknown Mentor Scholarship at the 2022 Jesuit Schools Network ( JSN ) Colloquium in Los Angeles . By the time they had done so , 50 % of faculty and staff had made gifts to the fund through payroll contributions or gifts in amounts of their choosing .
During his presentation , McNamara explained that the idea for the scholarship came about after almost 10 years of reflection and gratitude for the Jesuit education offered at the Prep . “ I have had a chance to reflect on the years spent at Fordham Prep and I mostly think about the wonderful stories of kids who have gone on to greater things . We have a way of launching young minds into the future ,” he told attendees at the colloquium .
“ I believe this is what St . Ignatius had in mind ,” he continued , “ to train young minds for future roles of excellence and leadership . It is also a very real way to address the Ignatian challenge ‘ to walk with the excluded ’ in our daily lives . It has been so exciting to see this idea take root in such a short time and to welcome the first recipients into our hallways in September .”
A handful of schools in attendance , including Xavier High School , Georgetown Prep , Loyola Chicago , St . Peter ’ s , St . Louis University High School , De Smet Jesuit High School , and Loyola Academy of St . Louis , left Los Angeles feeling inspired to attempt starting a similar faculty / stafffunded scholarship . Both McNamara and McCarrick returned to New York happy that the generosity of the Prep ’ s faculty and staff had sparked such enthusiasm in colleagues from across the country . n
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