The Bellarmine University Alumni Association has unveiled a new $1,000 scholarship to all incoming legacy students who apply. The scholarship is good for all four years of an undergraduate education for a total of $4,000.
A legacy student is defined as a child, grandchild, stepchild or step-grandchild of an alum from Bellarmine University or Ursuline College (Ursuline was an all-female school that merged with Bellarmine in 1968).
Stephanie Pieper Reilly ’06, ’10 MAC, Executive Director of the Alumni Association, said the funding is meant to help grow the already thriving legacy population at Bellarmine. A family’s connection to the university community deepens when several generations attend.
“The Alumni Association is here to support our students throughout their journey at Bellarmine, and beyond," Pieper Reilly said. "Our graduates know first-hand the value and power of a Bellarmine education, and we are excited to offer the Legacy Scholarship to make that journey possible for even more Bellarmine Knights and their families."
The scholarship is renewable for all four years as long as students remain in good standing with the university and maintain a cumulative 2.5 grade point average at the end of each academic year.
The new scholarship expands a long-standing tradition of supporting legacy families. The Alumni Board of Directors established the Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship in 1980 to recognize and support legacy students. Typically, 5-6 incoming freshmen receive that scholarship which totals a minimum of $4,000. Recipients of the new scholarship will be invited to apply for the existing Legacy Scholarship, as well.
“One of Bellarmine’s most unique and valuable qualities is its sense of familial community. It comes as no surprise that the transformational education has, over generations, become a point of pride and family legacy,” said Jordan Kelch ’08, ’20 MAC, Director of Alumni Engagement and Strategic Communications. “Parents and grandparents know their children and grandchildren will benefit from an inclusive environment committed to career success, ethical leadership and academic excellence. Simply put, they know their children will thrive, just as they did years before.”
That was the case for Leslie Cobb ’93, a current member of the Alumni Association board. Her father, Ben S. Sciantarelli, graduated from Bellarmine in ’61 and had a great experience.
He was proud and excited when Cobb chose Bellarmine, too.
She ran on the cross country team, receiving athletic and academic scholarships. Like her father, she remembers her time at Bellarmine fondly, even though campus had grown and changed significantly since his time there. The core values that he had benefited from remained the same.
“You knew everyone, the campus was a community, the teachers cared about you. We had a lot of fun and we worked hard. It was a neat place to experience,” she said.
Bellarmine became a third-generation legacy affair when her daughter, Taylor Jones, decided to attend as well. Jones graduated this spring with a nursing degree and is working as a nurse at Norton Healthcare, which has a partnership with Bellarmine in which students receive scholarships and employment opportunities.
“I loved my time here. I’m so thankful,” Jones said. “They gave me a lot of scholarships and made it affordable. So, that was another reason I felt like this was the place for me.”
Cobb and Jones joked that if the opportunity arose for a fourth generation to attend, they’d definitely encourage them to join the family Bellarmine tradition and take advantage of the new Legacy Scholarship.
Click here to submit an application to Bellarmine. Applicants will have the opportunity to identify themselves as legacy students in the application process.