Innovative Scholarship Provides Students with Financial Aid and Social Opportunities

By Eric Narburgh

The College of Arts and Science has received a unique gift that will provide undergraduates with scholarships and social programming to help them form bonds with one another and the University. The Bentson Family Dean’s Scholarship in Memory of Nancy Bentson will be awarded to students who demonstrate financial need and academic merit.  
    Bentson Family Dean’s Scholars will be selected as freshmen and will receive support during their entire academic career at NYU; they will also forge meaningful relationships with one another through communal activities. The college will double the number of Bentson Family scholars by including additional students receiving financial aid in the program.  
    The generous gift comes from N. L. “Larry” Bentson and pays tribute to his late wife, Nancy, who passed away in 2004. Bentson is the chairman of Midcontinent Media and has been a pioneer in broadcasting in the Midwest for over six decades, including radio, television, cable, and satellite communications.  Both he and Nancy were alumni of the University of Minnesota, where they established a similar scholarship program before her death.  
    “Nancy and I thought establishing a scholarship of this type was the most worthwhile and fulfilling thing we had ever done in our lives,” said Bentson.  “It was a powerful experience for us. She would love that we are continuing that tradition in her memory at NYU.”
    The Bentson family regularly hosts gatherings for their scholarship recipients from the University of Minnesota and plans to have similar engagements with their recipients at NYU.  
    Speaking about the co-curricular and social programming component of the scholarship, Bentson explained, “We want it to be set up as a community so students have relevance to one another, to us, and to the University. They can connect through school-sponsored programs, but also have regular meetings on their own, even staying in touch beyond graduation.”  
    In addition to honoring Nancy, the scholarship also recognizes the Bentson family’s connections to NYU. Bentson’s granddaughter, Kimberly Bentson Kauth, is a senior at the college, and his daughter, Laurie Bentson Kauth, Kimberly’s mother, is a member of the College Dean’s Advisory Council.  
    “This scholarship gift is magnificent, not only for its generosity but also for its transformative potential,” said Matthew S. Santirocco, dean of the college.  “Not only will it enable us to provide enhanced financial aid packages, but it will also help to create a real sense of community among these students. And it is an added benefit that the college community also includes three generations of Larry’s remarkable family.”
    Bentson made his commitment just prior to the conclusion of the Campaign for NYU, the University’s seven-year fundraising effort, and helped the college surpass its campaign goal.