March 17, 2011
In the latest example of St. John’s dedication to an
affordable education for all worthy students, the University will
provide scholarships to outstanding, college-bound poets through a
new partnership with the NY Knicks/Urban Word Poetry Slam
Program.
The Knicks, New York City’s iconic basketball team, announced
St. John’s partnership during the 2011 Poetry Slam Finals in
February at the New Amsterdam Theater. St. John’s has agreed to
fund two full-year and twenty $5,000 scholarships to
metropolitan-area high school seniors who win the Spoken or Written
Word competition.
“Through this partnership, St. John’s is delighted to encourage
creativity and the pursuit of a higher education among young people
in the New York area,” said Beth
M. Evans, Vice President for Enrollment Management. “The effort
reflects our continuing desire to assist promising students from
throughout our region, across the country and around the
world.”
St. John’s is one of only four institutions — including Adelphi
University, Mercy College and the University of Wisconsin — to
participate in the program. Established in 2003, the NY Knicks
Poetry Slam uses hip-hop and poetry to help local students prepare
for college. The Knicks sponsor the program with Urban Word NYC,
which provides free creative-writing workshops for urban high
school students.
A Catholic
university in the Vincentian
tradition, St. John’s is committed to providing an outstanding
education for students of all economic circumstances. Last year, 94
percent of St. John’s students received more than $431 million in
financial
assistance through scholarships, work-study, loans and grants.
In addition, St. John’s helps prepare young people for college by
partnering in programs such as After-School All-Stars.
To participate in the Poetry Slam, high school students from the
Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) register for
the Spoken Word or Written Word competitions. Spoken Word
participants audition for a full year of workshops, submissions of
written work and live performances. Written Word participants
submit a portfolio of original work — including an essay, “Why I
Write” — for review by a panel of judges.
To learn more, contact the Office of Admission at St. John’s: 1
(888) 9STJOHNS, admissions@stjohns.edu
(Queens campus); (718) 390-4500, siadmhelp@stjohns.edu
(Staten Island campus). Also visit the NY Knicks/Urban Word Poetry
Slam Program at http://www.nba.com/knicks/community/poetryslam.html.