Boston College Annual Report 2003

contents

from the president

from the chairman

leadership gifts

Gabelli
Scholars Fund

Roche
Scholarship Fund

Center for
Christian-Jewish
Learning

Lynch School
of Education

Boisi Center
for Religion and
American Public Life

McNeice Student
Formation Fund

Connell School
of Nursing

Ahearn University
Chair in Social Work

McMullen
Museum of Art

Woods College
of Advancing Studies

Yawkey
Athletics Center

Carroll School
of Management

a tradition of giving

by the numbers

GOOD BUSINESS
Patrick E. and Barbara A. Roche Scholarship Fund

.When Patrick Kane ’03 was a ninth grader, methodically placing fresh produce, cheese, and canned goods into plastic bags at Roche Bros., he could never have imagined that his paycheck would come with a delayed but substantial bonus. The Quincy native, who graduated with a management degree from Boston College last spring, helped pay for his education with a grant from the Patrick E. and Barbara A. Roche Scholarship Fund.

The Roches created the scholarship to benefit any Boston College students who demonstrate financial need and academic achievement, but stipulated a preference for students who work at Roche Bros. or have parents or grandparents who do. Students who live in communities with Roche Bros. supermarkets also have priority when applying for the scholarship.

Kane, no doubt, was the kind of student that Patrick Roche ’51 and Barbara Roche had in mind when they endowed the fund with a $2 million gift—part of a $5 million commitment to the campaign that includes $2 million to endow two University Professorships, and a $1 million undesignated gift. A member of the National Honor Society at Boston College High School, Kane was a loyal Roche Bros. employee. By his senior year of college, he had logged seven years in various jobs at the supermarket. Throughout college, he worked about 30 hours a week at Roche Bros., most recently making deliveries for the catering department.

Scholarships, many from named funds like the one established by the Roches, are the lifeblood of Boston College’s student body, making an education accessible to many who otherwise could not afford it. Virtually all of the University’s financial aid—nearly $40 million—goes to students who demonstrate need. And 62 percent of the class of 2006 received some aid.

.“Knowing how important a role my BC education has played in my development and success, we wanted to ensure that future generations of capable young men and women will have a similar opportunity available to them.”
PATRICK ’51 AND BARBARA ROCHE

For many students, aid packages piece together a variety of loans and grants, including funding from named scholarships like the Roche endowment. The amount of each Roche scholarship varies, depending on the number of recipients; 16 students received Roche scholarships last year in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $16,000.

About 60 percent of Kane’s tuition is paid for by Boston College scholarships, said his father, Stephen Kane. Patrick’s brother, who graduated from Boston College in 2002, attended on a full scholarship. Still, their father says, “it was very difficult to send both my sons there. I had to make financial sacrifices.”

To the Kane family, the scholarship meant a weight lifted from what could have been a serious financial burden. It also meant that all those grocery bags, full of Oreos and lettuce, hamburger patties and soda, once held a tiny piece of Kane’s future.

Photo at top of page: Patrick Kane with a co-worker at Roche Bros. in Quincy.

Inset photo: Barbara A. and Patrick E. Roche.


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