Council Restores Vallone Scholarship Funding

Former City Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone Sr. (at l. of podium) and City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. (at Vallone Sr.'s l.) joined with Queens College students to hail the restoration of funding for the Peter F. Vallone Scholarship, a program that provides financial assistance to thousands of students at CUNY colleges around the city.

City Councilmember Peter F. Vallone Jr. and his father, former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., joined with elected officials, Queens College faculty and students on September 7 to applaud another successful fight to win funding for the Peter F. Vallone Scholarship, a program that provides financial assistance to thousands of students around the city. The scholarship awards money to students who achieve a B average in high school and throughout their studies in City University of New York (CUNY) institutions.

Surrounded by scholarship winners, Vallone Jr. said, "I just need to look to my left to see how important these scholarships have been to both the students and the future of New York City. I am proud to continue to fight and win funding for this scholarship."

All CUNY students are eligible for the scholarship if they graduated from a public or parochial school in the city with a B average and maintain that grade during college. Currently, the scholars awards money to approximately 10,000 students, 3,800 of whom are in Queens, the most of any borough.

Funding varies from year to year, but this year the scholarship was able to provide students up to $1,250 toward a full year's tuition. Since its inception, the scholarship has been cut and restored to the city budget during bureaucratic negotiations, leading Councilmember Leroy Comrie to ask for the program to be permanently baselined.

"It's important to reward students for their hard work, and allow every motivated child in this city to obtain a good education," Vallone Sr. said. "This scholarship goes a long way towards keeping New York City a place where everyone can achieve their dreams."