March 5, 2007 (Vol. 5, No. 3)

Bronx CUNY Colleges Launch New Scholarship Fund

Elias Karmon

The City University of New York's three Bronx colleges—Lehman College, Bronx Community College and Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College—launched the Bronx CUNY Scholarship Fund with a press conference and donor reception February 28 at The New York Botanical Garden.

The Fund will support qualified students at any of the three colleges who demonstrate financial need. Preference will be given to Bronx residents.

Collectively, the three colleges exert a profound impact on the professional and cultural fabric of the Bronx, currently enrolling more than 23,000 students and representing a tradition of educational success.

The event honored prominent businessman and civic leader Elias Karmon, known as "Dr. Bronx," who received an honorary doctorate from Lehman in 2005 and is the new fund's founding philanthropist. His generous gift in 2006 endowed the Elias Karmon Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to students at the CUNY Bronx colleges.

Additional scholarships, all within the Bronx CUNY Scholarship Fund, were also announced. Major donors include Business Relocation Services, Bruckner Plumbing, Hudson Valley Bank, IBM Corporation, JGV Management Corporation, LargaVista Companies, Marin Nanca, NYNB Bank, PepsiCo Inc., Pfizer Inc., Tri-Line Contracting Corporation, TSC Design Associates, Inc., and Mark and Kathryn Coleman.

Welcoming the guests was Gregory Long, president and chief executive officer of The New York Botanical Garden. Also on the program was Bronx businessman Serafin Mariel, founder of New York National Bank (now NYNB Bank, a Hudson Valley Holding Corporation subsidiary), who introduced the event co-chair, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr.

Speaking on behalf of CUNY and the Bronx CUNY colleges were Dr. Anne Johnson, vice president of Lehman College; Dr. Carolyn Williams, president of Bronx Community College; and Dr. Dolores M. Fernández, president of Hostos Community College. A student from each institution, representing the many who will benefit from the scholarship fund, was introduced to the audience.

Concluding the evening's remarks was Dr. Karmon, who spoke of his lifetime of work for the Bronx and his support for the Fund.

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