Heartland CEO’s 1M gift will put 50 students through Saint Peter’s University

Robert Carr, founder and CEO of Princeton-based Heartland Payment Systems, gifted $1 million to Saint Peter’s University at a ceremony last week.The gift, which was made through Carr’s Give Something Back Foundation, will allow 50 eligible high school freshmen to attend the school at no cost for tuition, fees, room and board.

“We are prefunding seats and are in the process of selecting students who are in our program and we’ll be doing it next year with Saint Peter’s,” he said Thursday. “We’re going to select them in ninth grade, require them to take a college preparatory curriculum including honors classes, physics, chemistry and calculus.

“We’re going to help them by providing tutors and mentor so they can be successful; they have to get a ‘B’ average; they have to be drug-free.”

This model of philanthropy has produced 48 college graduates through the program, one of whom has received his doctorate, according to Carr.

Eugene Cornacchia, president of Saint Peter’s, said the gift will help underprivileged students earn an education.

“Today marks a very significant moment in the rich history of Saint Peter’s University,” he said. “Since our founding here in Jersey City in 1872, Saint Peter’s has been dedicated to educating deserving students who may not have had many advantages in their lives, and has been widely recognized for our success with urban, first-generation college students.”

As part of the agreement, the college will also be providing some of its own money to cover the educational costs of the students chosen by the foundation.

Also in attendance was Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.

“Jersey City’s history is one of an immigrant community,” he said. “One of the challenges for some of these immigrant families is that there isn’t the framework and infrastructure to provide for these kids to have opportunities to attend universities like this.

“That’s the reason why you will change lives by giving them an opportunity.”

Carr’s foundation is also working with Montclair State University, Rowan University and The College of New Jersey.