A $200,000 donation to the McCourt School of Public Policy’s scholarship program will help expand the program to support nine military-connected students.

Craig Newmark Philanthropies (CNP), a non-profit that works to advance grassroot organizations, donated the funds in January 2022. Craig Newmark founded CNP, as well as Craigslist, and is an inaugural member of the McCourt School Advisory Board. CNP established the school’s Craig Newmark Veterans Scholarship Fund in April 2021 through donations. The program will support five additional students with $20,000 scholarships in masters programs in international development policy, policy management, public policy and data science for public policy.

The donation will help McCourt recruit more military-connected students and students who are currently serving on active duty, according to Maria Cancian, dean of the McCourt School.

“This funding will expand the Craig Newmark Veterans Scholarship Fund this year to include five additional student scholarships, enabling us to recruit and support more veterans and military-connected students at McCourt, where they contribute to the diversity of experience and perspectives that enrich our community,” Cancian wrote in an email to The Hoya.

In 2021, there were around 19 million veterans in the United States, less than 10% of the total U.S. population, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs. In 2017, 9% of student veterans were enrolled in graduate programs. 

The scholarship helps cover costs of the program that would otherwise make it impossible to participate in other unpaid opportunities, according to Shyla Alam (GRD ’22), one of the four 2021-2022 Newmark scholars.

“This scholarship has given me the option to pursue work that aligns more with my interests in public service despite many of these positions being unpaid,” Alam wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Without this scholarship, it would be difficult for me to easily accept unpaid opportunities or volunteer in my free time.”

Alam enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard for six years as an intelligence analyst. She was deployed in 2018 to Kuwait in her intelligence role.

The Newmark scholarship has helped close gaps that have made pursuing education after deployment difficult for some veterans, according to Samuel Grantz (GRD ’23), a 2021-2022 Newmark scholar.

“I became involved in the Newmark Scholars program when my GI bill was insufficient to cover school costs,” Grantz wrote in an email to The Hoya. “As a reservist, my GI Bill benefits are significantly smaller than those who served on active duty for their entire time of service. Even if they never deploy, my combat deployment as a reservist does not make up for that gap.” 

Established in 1944, the GI Bill benefits help veterans pay for graduate school, college,and training programs. 

Grantz was in the Marine Corps Reserve Infantry for seven years and served in Afghanistan from October 2017 to April 2018. 

Differences in financial support among certain groups of veterans has made it difficult to further education as well, according to Grantz.

“Active Duty personnel receive 100% of the limit and then are also given access to the ‘Yellow Ribbon Program’ which provides assistance in closing the gap at private institutions whose cost may be higher than the cap for the GI Bill,” Grantz wrote. “Essentially, despite my combat deployment, I was not given a full GI Bill nor do I have access to the Yellow Ribbon Program. Therefore I was in dire need of financial assistance, and this is the major motivating force for getting involved with the Newmark Scholarship.” 

The Yellow Ribbon Program helps veterans to pay for higher private, out of state, foriegn or graduate school tuition fees.

This program will expand support to more veterans in their studies and other opportunities, according to Alam. 

“I’m glad that the program has expanded to offer more military-connected McCourt students the chance to pursue different opportunities they may not otherwise be able to, which will help scholars become better policymakers and leaders in the future,” Alam wrote.