The University Development Team has been working with President A. Gabriel Esteban, deans and University donors to identify opportunities to create financial aid for both prospective students and current students.
According to Javonda Asante, director of the Financial Aid Office, the Development Office is specifically looking to provide students with scholarship opportunities.
"The Development Office, for example, is working right now to create a new scholarship for a science major who is a continuing student with plans to go to medical school," Asante said.
Asante said the Development Office is always keen to identify opportunities to enhance current Seton Hall students funding.
As well as searching for opportunities for current students, Asante said they are also looking for incoming students.
"We have provided modest $500 increases to incoming freshman merit scholarships to make sure our merit awards continue to be competitive with other private schools," Asante said. "We want students to see Seton Hall University as an affordable option."
University scholarships, as listed on the University's website, currently give awards $8,000 and up according to the incoming freshman's high school GPA.
Also, according to the University's website, current tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year for full-time students is $15,720 per semester.
While efforts are being taken to provide both incoming students and current students with scholarship opportunities as well as financial aid in general, this initiative does not affect federal work study.
Asante said federal work study is an issue that revolves around cutbacks by the federal government.
"During the 2009-2010 academic year, the Federal Work Study program received $1.87 million in federal money," Asante said. "This year, that amount was reduced to $932,127."
Asante said this issue does not only affect Seton Hall students but also college students around the country.
"This is a difficult cut to absorb during a difficult economic time," Asante said. "We want out continuing students to be able to continue their employment so the best solution has been to provide employment to the most student possible but to reduce the amount that each student can earn."
Ashley Duvall can be reached at ashley.duvall@student.shu.edu.
