[media-credit name=”Chronicle File Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The Hearst Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to the School of Communications to help create scholarships for underrepresented students to study communications at Quinnipiac according to a university press release on Dec. 17.

Scholarships from the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund will be awarded to two undergraduate students who are in the top 20 percent of their graduating class and score at least a 1200 on the SAT or at least a 25 on the ACT.

Mark Contreras, dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac, is excited about the new scholarship and the opportunities it will provide for future Quinnipiac students.

“We are delighted with the significant gift from the Hearst Foundations to attract and retain high-performing, underrepresented students at the School of Communications at Quinnipiac,” Contreras said. “This Hearst grant will create a more representative and diverse student body at the school moving forward.”

Currently, 21 percent of the first-year class at Quinnipiac identify as students of color according to the university’s website.

The first two scholarship recipients will be selected for the Fall 2019 and two more Hearst Scholars will be selected each year for the next four years.

The School of Communications, which enrolls nearly 900 undergraduate students and 130 graduate students offers majors in advertising and integrated communications; communications and media studies; film, television and media arts; graphic and interactive design; journalism; and public relations.

The school also offers a 3+1 combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program in interactive media and communications; journalism; public relations; and sports journalism.

George Irish, Eastern director of the Hearst Foundation, said that Quinnipiac’s School of Communications stands out because of its programs, faculty and students, and thus, this new partnership is a notable one.

“The Hearst Foundations are committed to supporting organizations that can make significant contributions to the communities they serve,” Irish said. “We have been impressed with the programs, faculty and staff at the School of Communications and are excited to begin this partnership with Quinnipiac.”