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Syracuse University awarded nearly 260 scholarships to undergraduate students from the Class of 2020 who enrolled in graduate programs this year.

SU announced the launch of the Forever Orange scholarships last April. SU created the scholarships, which cover half of the tuition for select programs, to allow 2020 SU graduates to continue their education rather than enter the job market during the pandemic, said Peter Vanable, dean of SU’s Graduate School, in a statement to The Daily Orange.

“Graduating seniors from the class of 2020 faced a very challenging spring semester, having to complete school from home and forgo graduation because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Vanable said. “We created the Forever Orange Scholarship program to help our graduates to gain valuable new credentials at a time when they faced a global shut down and an uncertain job market.”

Students can’t combine Forever Orange scholarships with other funding awards, such as assistantships or fellowships, Vanable said.

Vanable said he was pleased with the number of students that the scholarship program attracted and that many graduating seniors chose to remain at SU to pursue another degree.

SU funded the scholarships with the help of donors through its $1.5 billion Forever Orange capital campaign. The campaign aims to increase the university’s endowment through private donations.

Sarah Jimenez Miles | Design Editor

When Liv Pianese heard about the Forever Orange Scholarships, she was already considering both law school and a master’s in public administration. Receiving the scholarship helped to solidify her decision, she said.

“It has been extremely helpful for my education,” said Pianese, who decided to pursue a master’s in public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “I already wanted to stay at Syracuse for my graduate education, as I truly love this university, and the scholarship made my decision final.”

Pianese said SU communicated frequently about the scholarship’s deadlines, and she knew right away when she had received her scholarship.

Nat DiFlorio, who is also pursuing a master of public administration in Maxwell, said she planned on taking a year off after graduation. Her plans changed after she received one of SU’s Forever Orange Scholarships, which allowed her to avoid applying to numerous schools and taking the Graduate Record Exams.

“This scholarship has helped in more ways than I can imagine,” DiFlorio said. “Now I’ll be 22 with my masters and my whole life ahead of me.”

To qualify for a Forever Orange scholarship, students had to earn admission to a scholarship-eligible program as full time graduate students starting in the summer or fall, Vanable said.

SU has not decided whether it will continue the scholarship program beyond the Class of 2020, Vanable said.

Published on October 4, 2020 at 10:04 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan