HARTFORD, Conn., June 30, 2008 – The prominent Hartford-based law firm of Shipman & Goodwin has recently made a gift commitment of $25,000 to Trinity College through the College’s Cornerstone Campaign. The new funds will support scholarships for Hartford-based students seeking to attend Trinity who don’t have the resources to attend the College without financial assistance.
“This is yet another example of the commitment to Hartford demonstrated by Shipman and Goodwin,” said Trinity’s president, James F. Jones, Jr. “These attorneys and their associates want to give educational opportunities to talented and ambitious students from the capital city. That is philanthropy at its best.”
“This gift was a natural for us,” said Scott Murphy, managing partner of Shipman & Goodwin. “We have worked with Trinity College and the Hartford public schools as well as area secondary schools for many years, and education at all levels is an important part of our practice. Supporting Trinity scholarships will enhance educational opportunities for Hartford children, which will positively contribute to a more highly skilled work force for the City of Hartford in the future. It is our pleasure to be a part of Trinity’s Cornerstone Campaign.”
The law firm’s motivation for the gift came, in part, because of a $2.5 million challenge grant offered by Trinity Trustee and Hartford native Mitchell M. Merin, a 1975 graduate of the College interested in investing in Hartford students wishing to attend Trinity. More than half of Merin’s challenge has already been met.
The grant from Shipman & Goodwin affirms Trinity’s commitment to enhancing educational opportunities for Hartford’s children. In addition to scholarship support, Trinity students annually spend thousands of hours mentoring and tutoring Hartford school children within local schools and on the College’s campus. Such efforts are aimed at ensuring that more Hartford students see college in general – and Trinity in particular – as within their reach.