For Immediate Release

May 10, 2006

Contact: Melanie McDonald, director of public relations, 574-284-4579

Two Saint Mary’s College Students Selected for Science Scholarship

NOTRE DAME, Ind.— Anna Fricano and Erin Heck are the first of four Saint Mary’s College students to receive merit-based scholarships from the Clare Boothe Luce (CBL) Program. The scholarships, which cover tuition and fees for the final two years of the students’ undergraduate careers, are designed to advance participation of women in engineering and the sciences. Fricano is a math major, and Heck is pursuing dual degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering.

The scholarships are possible thanks to a $220,000 grant awarded to Saint Mary’s from the CBL Program at The Henry Luce Foundation. The CBL Program stands alone as the single most significant source of private support for women in the sciences and engineering. The Program was established by a bequest from Clare Boothe Luce, the late widow of Henry R. Luce, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc.
The scholarships supported by the grant benefit talented young women at Saint Mary’s College who are majoring in chemistry, computational mathematics (both applied mathematics and computer science) or mathematics. Students completing the dual-degree program in engineering that the College operates in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame will also be eligible. With supplemental funds provided by Saint Mary’s, the scholarships will cover tuition and fees, a book allowance and opportunities to engage in summer research projects, professional development activities and community outreach.

Saint Mary’s College students are strong in the sciences. Over the past five years, the College has awarded degrees to 48 students completing majors in chemistry and to 44 students completing majors in computational mathematics and mathematics. Many of the College’s chemistry majors have successfully completed graduate-level chemistry courses at the University of Notre Dame while still undergraduates and have gone on to pursue graduate degrees, teaching careers or positions with employers such as Eli Lilly and Company and Merck.

Saint Mary’s College offers science-and mathematics-related bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, computational mathematics, nursing, psychology and statistics/actuarial mathematics. The College also offers a five-year, dual-degree program in engineering in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame. These programs are founded upon the principles of providing students with the latest knowledge; educating them in the use of the scientific method and mathematical approaches to problem solving; providing hands-on research experience; and helping students develop an appreciation for intellectual achievements in science, mathematics and engineering.

Clare Boothe Luce—a playwright and journalist, U.S. Ambassador to Italy, and the first woman elected to Congress from Connecticut—was a long-time friend and confidante of Sister Madeleva Wolff, CSC, president of Saint Mary’s College from 1934 to 1961. In establishing the CBL Program, Mrs. Luce sought “to encourage women to enter, study, graduate, and teach” in the sciences and engineering, fields which have historically been underrepresented by women.

The final two grant recipients will be selected in spring 2007.

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