When Elizabeth Corriveau and Lamar Boyde finished telling
their stories at the recent First Generation Scholarship luncheon, many guests
had to dab at tears while struggling to retain their composure. The two
students described overcoming overwhelming family obstacles to succeed at UNF
with scholarship assistance made possible by committed donors.
Nina and Paul Goodwin of Jacksonville were no exception as
they rose to take part in the standing ovation and thunderous applause. The
Goodwins, longtime donors to UNF and its students, exemplify the generosity of those
who have stepped forward to make possible the First Generation scholarships and
the related Jacksonville Commitment Scholarship program.
Nina, who has volunteered to help children in the Duval
County Guardian ad Litem program for many years, knows that many family stories
don’t end in success. “I cried when listening to their stories at the luncheon.
They were very inspirational and underscore why we have chosen to donate to
these scholarships.”
For Paul, the opportunity to listen to the stories and to
talk with other scholarship students at their table reinforced the role of
higher education in the community. “Their stories were compelling because they
were under a great deal of pressure pushing them in the direction of not
seeking higher education. Yet they were able to summon the determination to go
to UNF and benefit from this scholarship program.”
The Goodwins have been actively involved in UNF since the
early ‘90s when Paul became a member of the Coggin College of Business Advisory
Council. He represented CSX Corp., where he held a number of positions
including vice chairman and chief financial officer before retiring in 2003. He
was also a member of the UNF Foundation Board from 1992 to 1995 until he was
transferred to the company’s Richmond offices. He rejoined the UNF Foundation
board when he returned to Jacksonville in 2003.
The ongoing beneficial relationship between CSX and UNF may
be in part attributable to Paul, who was asked by then CSX Chairman John Snow
to chair a committee tasked with studying where the company’s headquarters
should be located: Richmond or Jacksonville. That fateful decision has helped
to cement CSX as an integral part of the Jacksonville community and
long-established partner with UNF.
But on a personal level, Paul recounts how UNF President
John Delaney persuaded the couple that the University was an excellent place to
make a commitment to higher education. “Nina and I have always thought higher
education was important in our giving program,” he said. (They both also
continue to donate to their alma mater Cornell University where the couple
met.) “But John Delaney made the donation to UNF particularly appealing because
of his commitment to offer students opportunities for transformational
learning.”
The Goodwins were also drawn to
the Jacksonville Commitment Scholarship program that was initiated by UNF,
Jacksonville University, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Edward
Waters College to guarantee scholarships to qualifying Duval County high school
graduates who have the desire but lack the resources to continue their
educations beyond high school. These students, through the Jacksonville
Commitment, may qualify for a full scholarship at one of Jacksonville’s public
or private colleges and universities. The partnership among the four
Jacksonville institutions of higher learning, the Duval County Public Schools
and the City of Jacksonville, gives students opportunities they might not have
had by combining private support with a $2 million city fund for the
scholarships. Donors to the Jacksonville Commitment create endowments, which
offer a perpetual source of funding for students who qualify. The First
Generation Scholarship program provides scholarship to students who are the
first in their families to attend a college or university. The program raises
private monies in order to provide academic scholarships to those who meet
UNF’s academic standards. Both programs carry a state match that makes their
appeal especially attractive, Paul said.
“These scholarship programs allow us to directly help
students who have the desire and ability to better themselves and that is a
very satisfying thing,” he said.
And Nina adds that the scholarship recipients are impressive
for other reasons. All of them, she noted, indicated a desire to help others in
the future. “After they graduate, they want to give back to other students in
our community to perpetuate these scholarships.”
If that prediction proves accurate,
those whose stories generated tears may themselves be moved as future
generations of students tell their stories at UNF scholarship luncheons.
