First Graduate Students Will Receive Degrees in May
Largest Application Pool in History of College

As a select group of students complete their Accounting studies this school year, they will become the first graduate students to receive a Master's Degree from St. Francis College in its 150 year history.

"Our five year combined Bachelor's and Master's Degree program in Accounting is a great addition to the College," said President Frank Macchiarola '62. "It helps solidify one of our strongest academic lines and gives our graduates another advantage as they make their way into the workforce."

Past St. Francis Accounting graduates include former CEO of Deloitte & Touche Bill Parrett, Monster.com CEO Sal Iannuzzi and Executive Director of Health Plus Tom Early. Countless others work in all the major accounting firms as well as numerous mid-level and private companies across New York and the world.

Overall, St. Francis saw a record number of applications for admission this year. The up-tick means the college will be awarding a near record number of Presidential Scholarships to incoming freshman. Presidential Scholarships offer students with an 1150 SAT score and 90 High School Average free tuition to the college. The expansion of the number of those scholarships has been a significant focus for President Macchiarola since he came back to his alma mater in 1996.

"Our mission has always been to educate working class families in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and beyond. We keep our tuition among the lowest of any private college in New York State and offer these generous scholarships as well as numerous others to make sure that anyone who wants to get a quality private college education has the opportunity," added President Macchiarola.

Also, of note, this year's Honors Program students hold the highest average SAT scores since the creation of the program. Each student accepted to this program receives a free digital camera which is used as part of their Honors curriculum throughout their four years at St. Francis.

In May, in addition to featuring graduate students for the first time at commencement, St. Francis will continue to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of when the Franciscan Brothers first opened St. Francis Academy in 1859.

The celebration begins with the annual Charter Award Dinner in April which will honor President Macchiarola for all the work he has done to enhance the educational mission of St. Francis. Events will continue throughout the year, culminating in the 2009 commencement.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City's five boroughs and beyond.
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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu