President's Challenge Scholarship
How it Began
The PCS Program began with just six students from Rondout Valley Central School District in 2016. Since then, the PCS Program has grown to include all nine Ulster County public school districts and serve approximately 250 students.
How to Apply
To apply, students must be first-generation college students, have an 80% cumulative GPA (75% in their four core classes – English, math, science and social students) and have an 85% or better attendance record in school with minimal discipline infractions or a strong recommendation from a teacher or school administrator. Applicants must complete an essay at the time of their application and if selected, participate in an interview process. Preference is given to students with economic need.
Each year, scholarship recipients participate in activities on the SUNY Ulster campus, at their school district, and online to support college readiness. Students and their sponsors also have a chance to connect during the year at on-campus events.
Special thanks
Special thanks to SUNY Ulster’s champion and most prolific donor, Ms. Darlene L. Pfeiffer for making the future of PCS possible with a $1,000,000 endowment to support program administration.
We are also thankful for Richard and Donna Croce who have donated more than $100,000 to PCS since the program’s inception in 2016 and who currently sponsor 16 students.
Thanks as well to the Johnson Scholarship Foundation (JSF) of West Palm Beach, Florida. JSF initially supported 14 students in 2019 and 2020 and in the fall of 2021 provided a grant for additional financial support for both student scholarships and program administration in the amount of almost $400 over five years!
We remain forever grateful to our inaugural donors President Emeritus Alan P. Roberts, Richard & Donna Croce, Tim & Laurel Sweeney, Bill & Brenda Spearman, Anita Williams Peck (deceased), who was our Foundation Board Chairman during the launch, the Dominic J. Giamei, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, Nik and Nelda Gerner, and President Emeritus Dr. Robert T. Brown, to whom the PCS Program was dedicated in 2017. Much gratitude is also given to the many donors who have supported this program over the years. We are especially grateful to those donors who have sponsored multiple students as well as our Program Ambassadors Tim & Laurel Sweeney and Rich & Donna Croce who helped to launch this vital program and whose valuable participation can be evidenced by our levels chart.
Lorraine Salmon
Executive Director
Ulster Community College Foundation
845-687-5093
salmonl@sunyulster.edu
