The story of the McGillick Scholarships at Carlow University is a tale of honor and smart thinking. Back in 1998, five trustees wanted to ensure a fund established in 1937 would long continue to award scholarships according to the wishes of the benefactor, late Pittsburgh real estate investor Francis Edward McGillick.

The five trustees-Robert D. Barozzini, W. Timothy Barry, Matthew P. Collins, Thomas J. McCaffrey and Thomas French- Corbett-visited colleges and conducted interviews with college leaders. They wanted to solve the challenge of how to qualify scholarship recipients year after year. The trustees wanted to establish a review process and a university partnership that was both sustainable and true to the fund's mission.

"Mr. McGillick valued education, above all else, as the best path out of poverty. Motivated by his Catholic faith, he established the F.E. McGillick Foundation to provide educational opportunities by granting scholarships to young men and women of the Roman Catholic faith, without regard to color or nationality, but only to applicants who exhibit undoubted talent, are of good moral standing and who for want of means would be prevented from pursuing the desired course of instruction," Barozzini said.

After a meeting with then-Carlow President Sister Grace Ann Geibel and the Office of University Advancement's Anita Dacal '69, the trustees selected Carlow for an eight-year agreement to distribute need-based scholarships for up to 40 students each year.

"We were impressed by Carlow as being knowledgeable, compassionate, willing to work with us and having a great system for qualifying McGillick scholars," Barozzini said.

In 2007, the trustees arranged for Carlow to award the scholarships indefinitely.

Thomas X. Corbett, the great-grandson of McGillick, has since joined the small group of trustees.

"Donating to Carlow is meaningful because we see firsthand the impact these partial scholarships have for the recipients, gaining opportunities to meet with the students and see their growth," Corbett said. "Also, the university and the Sisters of Mercy are like family to many on our board."

Corbett's great-aunt was a past president at Mount Mercy College and a Sister of Mercy. Fellow trustee McCaffrey attended grade school at Carlow, and his aunt was a Sister of Mercy.

"The students' appreciation for the help is always felt by our board, and Carlow instills the values my great grandfather was looking to help foster," Corbett said.

The McGillick Scholarships are awards of up to $2,500 per year for a maximum

of four years at Carlow. To be eligible, students must be of the Roman Catholic faith, remain in good academic standing, be between the ages of 16 and 50 and reside in Pennsylvania.

Carlow has awarded more than $2.2 million in McGillick Scholarships since 1998, including $106,250 during the 2017-2018 academic year alone. Patricia Beaumont, director of corporate and foundation relations in University Advancement, helps administer the funds.

"The McGillick Foundation has given so much to Carlow University, for which we are deeply grateful. Its impact on our student scholars is recognized campus- wide and goes beyond Carlow. The trustees are a great group of gentlemen, and it is my pleasure to work with them," Beaumont said.

Barozzini added, "We've been very satisfied and very happy with Carlow. In addition to a very detailed report Carlow sends every year, the trustees also receive many letters from the McGillick scholars thanking us for the help."

Hundreds of recipients of the McGillick Scholarship join Carlow in celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the partnership with the F.E. McGillick Foundation. The McGillick Scholarship and its trustees are living and sustained proof that working for the greater good can truly make a meaningful difference.

By Ann Lyon Ritchie