Their gift will create a Charlie, Vicki, Hailee and Hope Strong Scholarship in UofL’s existing Cardinal Covenant program.
“We feel fortunate that we are in a position to help young men and women achieve their hopes and dreams of a better future through higher education,” Strong said. “We will be proud to know that we were a part of helping them secure their educational goals.”
Cardinal Covenant pays tuition, room and board costs not covered by other grants and scholarships for Kentucky students whose family income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty level. To qualify, students must have a high school grade point average of at least 2.5, an ACT score of 20 or higher and must graduate within five years.
Since 2007, some 450 students have enrolled in the program and 25 have earned a UofL degree.
“One of the reasons we hired Coach Strong is because of his commitment to education and helping young people become better citizens,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “This donation from him and his family to Cardinal Covenant is proof of that commitment.”
Strong is making the gift through UofL’s fundraising campaign, “Charting Our Course-The Campaign for Kentucky’s Premier Metropolitan Research University.”
So far, the campaign has raised $520 million for student services, scholarships, infrastructure improvements and recruitment and retention of top faculty.