February 16, 2000

Eleanor B. Reiner Foundation Awards $500,000 To Ramapo College

(Mahwah) – Ramapo College of New Jersey President Robert A. Scott recently announced an award of $500,000 from the Eleanor B. Reiner Foundation, the largest single endowment gift in the history of the Ramapo College Foundation. The grant will be used to create the Eleanor B. Reiner Foundation Endowed Fund, with investment proceeds from the fund going toward scholarships for learning disabled students.

The proceeds from the Reiner Foundation endowment will fund the Cara Mychelle Hirschman Scholarships, named in honor of a Ramapo student who died tragically in an automobile accident just prior to her senior year. Despite a learning disability Hirschman was a dedicated student who achieved the Dean’s List more than once during her college career. She was a graduate of South Brunswick High School.

“Endowed scholarship gifts are among the most beneficial to the College and Ramapo students,” says Cathleen T. Davey, executive director of the Ramapo College Foundation. “Endowed gifts create permanent income for college projects such as scholarships. The Reiner Foundation has shown its confidence in Ramapo’s ability to support learning disabled students through this memorial to Cara Hirschman.”

Even before it was the law, Ramapo College was committed to providing equal access to all students through the removal of architectural or attitudinal barriers. Integration of qualified students with disabilities into the College community has been the Ramapo way since the first class entered in 1971. Guided by this mission, the College established the Office of Specialized Services to promote equal access to programs and activities for all students, particularly those with physical, learning, or psychological disabilities. The office serves more than 200 students a semester and has graduated 1,200 students since 1976.

Applicants for scholarship consideration must have a documented learning disability and be full-time students with at least a 2.9 cumulative grade point average. The applicant must be a participant in community and/or campus activities or honor societies, and have received recognition for achievement in the areas of scholastic, humanitarian or the arts.

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