Announced | First $1M Commitment to UMass' Script U Scholarship Society
UMass announced a $1 million gift by John F. Kennedy G’76 on Tuesday morning.
From by UMass Athletics
AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts athletics department is proud to announce a $1 million gift by John F. Kennedy G'76 to support the newly launched Script U Scholarship Society.
With the expected changes in NCAA Division I athletics coming later this year, Massachusetts Athletics is committed to funding additional scholarships and benefits for student-athletes. Kennedy's gift will propel UMass into this new era of college athletics and serve as a lead gift to the Script U Scholarship Society.
"I continue to be amazed by John's remarkable generosity, guidance, and unwavering commitment to a place that holds such personal significance for him," Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford said. "His consistent support of our athletics department has been game-changing, and this gift will help us achieve our ambitious vision to realize excellence in this new era of collegiate sports, including our move to the Mid-American Conference. This transformative gift will empower us to achieve our lofty goals for the Script U Scholarship Society."
This new society allows passionate UMass alumni and fans to directly support student-athlete scholarships and help offset the total annual scholarship cost to the department. It is also designed to enhance the overall fan and donor experience, simplify giving, and to make it easier for supporters at all levels to get involved.
"At my core, I have long believed in the value of college athletics and, growing up close to campus, have always been a UMass fan," Kennedy said. "The saying that 'athletics is the front porch of the University' has never been more true and having great athletic departments in Amherst and Lowell has made it easy and worthwhile to lend my support however I can."
"John has long been one of the university's most passionate and dedicated supporters," says UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes. "His profound commitment to UMass is evident through this most recent gift to the Script U Scholarship Society, which will provide significant support for student-athletes and help advance Massachusetts Athletics. We are deeply grateful to John for his ongoing generosity."
A long-time generous benefactor of the athletics department and both the Amherst and Lowell campuses, John F. Kennedy holds multiple degrees from the UMass system, including a bachelor's in mathematics from the Lowell campus (then known as Lowell Technological Institute) in 1970 and a master's in accounting from the flagship campus in Amherst in 1976. The Naples, Florida resident is the retired president and CFO of Nova Ventures Corp. of Woburn, Massachusetts. In the spring of 2014, Kennedy was awarded the UMass Amherst Distinguished Achievement Award. Additionally, he is the past president of the UMass Amherst Foundation.
Kennedy's philanthropic impact can be felt across the #Flagship campus. He made the lead gift for the now named John Francis Kennedy Champions Center for UMass Basketball, the department's state-of-the-art training facility for the men's and women's basketball programs. He also funded the Kennedy Challenge Cup, has made multiple gifts to support Massachusetts Hockey, established the Kennedy Family Scholarship, and endowed a professorship in the Isenberg School of Management.
Kennedy's gift also supports Accelerate: The Campaign for UMass Amherst, the UMass Amherst Foundation's transformational campaign seeking to raise $600 million for the university. To date, Massachusetts Athletics has raised nearly $35 million towards the overall athletic campaign goal of $50 million, supporting the academic and athletic excellence of more than 650 student-athletes.
For additional information or to learn more about the Script U Scholarship Society and how you can directly support scholarships and additional benefits for UMass student-athletes, please visit theminutemenclub.com/scriptu.
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