Friends, Colleagues, City College Alumnae and Alumni,

The MA in the Study of the Americas was conceived of as a liberal arts graduate program for students who work.  As such, it is our desire to offer scholarships to our students not only to help alleviate their financial burdens but also to enable them to benefit from experiences that are often common to a graduate liberal arts education: study abroad travel; participation in graduate student conferences; and attending arts and humanities events in the New York City area.

Conceived as a liberal arts education for students who work, it is our desire to offer scholarships to our students to help not only alleviate their financial burdens, but to enable them to benefit from experiences that are often common to the liberal arts education: study abroad travel; participation in graduate student conferences; attending arts and humanities events in the New York City area. Thanks to the generosity of the City University of New York, we were able to secure $16,000 to distribute during the 2013-2014 year. We would like to be able to offer such opportunities in a more consistent way.

We have an aspiration to foster a culture of generosity and to continue in the tradition of the philanthropy from the public, labor, and private sectors upon which U.S. civil society has in large part depended. For example, a small donation could come in the form of a yearly scholarship that awards students tickets to a New York City arts event, such as the NY Philharmonic or the Brooklyn Academy of Music, or contributes to the purchase of course materials. A larger donation, might be for a scholarship to help defer a student’s books and/or participation in study abroad.

Without a doubt, regardless of who has come to speak, visit, or engage with our students, no matter what our students’ professional engagements are, I have never had any guest who was not literally ‘blown away’ by the true intellectual spirit of our students at the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education at the City College.

Should you be interested in discussing a possible gift, feel free to email or phone me at [email protected] or 212 925 6625, extension 224. As I am a professor, I am often working from home and even abroad, so I might not get back to you right away, but I will within the week.

Very cordially,

Carlos Aguasaco
Director, MA in the Study of the Americas (2014-2015)