Farmingdale State College Gets $320k Gift For Diverse Students

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale State College was awarded a $320K gift from Yardi Systems to provide eight students with an annual scholarship, beginning in fall, the school announced.

"This is an incredibly generous gift that we are enormously grateful to receive on behalf of our students," said Matthew Colson, vice president for development and communications in a news release. "Yardi is taking a leadership role in improving the futures of our distinctive and diverse community here at FSC. This investment will redefine the scope of opportunity for our students, and is sure to pay dividends far into the future."

Yardi provides software solutions to the real estate industry, offering ideas that increase efficiency and reduce costs for a global client base of public, private and nonprofit organizations.

"Supporting education is a core pillar of Yardi’s corporate philanthropy," Yardi Senior Vice President Jay Shobe said. "We believe in the life-changing impact of a college degree, especially for first-generation scholars, and we are thrilled to partner with Farmingdale State College to help these students achieve their goals."

There will be two incoming Yardi Scholars awarded a year for the next four years. The funding is to be applied directly to tuition, fees, and room and board.

Students who are eligible to receive the scholarship must intend to major in, or a discipline related to, business or computer science broadly defined; have a minimum cumulative high school average of 85; and demonstrate additional financial need as reflected by their tuition balance after federal and state financial aid awards as determined by filling out the HESC and/or FAFSA application(s).

Additionally, Yardi Scholars are likely to be the first to attend college in their immediate family and to have backgrounds that will contribute to the diversity of the student body in their chosen program, the school wrote.

"As the first institution of public higher education on Long Island and one of the largest institutions in the SUNY system, FSC is committed to preparing graduates to be exemplary citizens equipped to excel in a competitive, diverse, and technically dynamic society," the college stated.