Dominican Receives Funding for Clare Boothe Luce Scholarships

Feb. 4, 2019



Dominican University is pleased to announce receipt of $300,000 in scholarship funds from the Henry Luce Foundation's Clare Boothe Luce Program. The funding will support four two-year, full-ride undergraduate scholarships for young women pursuing study in chemistry, mathematics and computer sciences during their junior and senior years. Scholarships will be awarded to two students during the 2019-2020 academic year and two students in the 2020-2021 academic year.

In addition to full tuition and fees, the Clare Boothe Luce scholarships cover room and board, books and supplies, personal expenses and summer research opportunities. Recipients also receive one-on-one mentoring from faculty advisors dedicated to helping female students graduate with a purpose and plan for the future, including working in the field, teaching or pursuing advanced graduate studies.

Dominican University has taken deliberate steps to build capacity in the sciences and, over the past decade, has experienced an 85 percent increase in female enrollment in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors. The Clare Boothe Luce scholarships will help female students persist in their academic studies and prepare them for careers in fields in which women have traditionally been underrepresented.

"Dominican's commitment to educating women in the sciences ‎is longstanding and deeply mission-centered. The support of the Luce Foundation further strengthens that commitment and affirms the rigor of our academics programs," said President Donna Carroll.

Clare Boothe Luce was one of the most accomplished women of the 20th Century. A playwright, pioneering journalist, ambassador to Italy and the first woman elected to Congress from Connecticut, she appreciated the obstacles women faced in their chosen professions and encouraged women to pursue careers in fields where there have been barriers to their advancement. Since its first grants in 1989, the Clare Boothe Luce Program has supported more than 2,300 women.