Long Island University Honors Thomas M. Coughlin,
President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores and Sam’s Club USA
Benefit Dinner Raises More than $800,000 for Scholarship
Programs
Manhattan, NY
At
a fundraising event at Cipriani’s in New York City, Long Island
University honored Thomas M. Coughlin, president and chief executive
officer of Wal-Mart Stores and Sam’s Clubs USA. The University
presented Mr. Coughlin with the 2003 Ralph Jonas Philanthropic Award
for Education in recognition of the leadership role he plays in supporting
educational initiatives. “Tom Coughlin richly deserves to receive
this award,” asserts Dr. David J. Steinberg, president of Long
Island University. “His commitment to America’s pluralism,
his belief in access and his extraordinary support for Students in
Free Enterprise link him to the best in American philanthropy.”
As head of the world’s largest retailer, Mr.
Coughlin oversees an organization that is committed to the diverse
communities it serves. Wal-Mart pursues environmentally sound business
practices and supports family health and welfare projects across the
country and around the globe. Through scholarships, job shadowing
and vocational and career training, efforts which Mr. Coughlin has
championed, the company has helped to secure a brighter future for
thousands of our nation’s young people.
Mr. Coughlin also is personally active in many education-related
causes, serving on the boards of the California State Hayward Educational
Foundation, Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation, St. Edward’s
High School (OH) and Students in Free Enterprise, of which he is chairman.
His firm commitment to education embodies the very essence of the
University’s mission, as envisioned by its founders.
The award that Mr. Coughlin received is named for
the University’s first board chairman, Ralph Jonas, who helped
found Long Island University as an institution of higher learning
offering access to the American dream for people from every walk of
life. His insistence that the University not discriminate, that it
reject the racial and religious quota system prevalent at the time,
insured that students then and now are admitted on the basis of merit.
Proceeds from the dinner (more than $800,000) will
provide scholarship assistance to students across the University’s
six New York metropolitan area campuses and seven international sites.
About Long Island University
Celebrating 76 years of access
to the American dream through excellence in higher education, Long
Island University is a multi-campus, diverse, doctoral institution
of higher learning. As the nation’s seventh-largest private university,
we offer 563 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs
and certificates, and educate more than 31,000 students on six metropolitan
area campuses in Brooklyn, Brookville (C.W. Post), Southampton, Brentwood,
Rockland and Westchester. The Arnold & Marie Schwartz College
of Pharmacy and Health Sciences prepares students for successful careers
in the continually growing fields of pharmacy and health care. The
University’s Friends World program offers a wide range of study
abroad options in North America and at six overseas locations. Our
nearly 700 full-time faculty members provide outstanding instruction
that is supplemented by exceptional internship and cooperative education
opportunities. The accomplishments of more than 116,000 living alumni
are a true testament to the success of our mission – providing
the highest level of education to people from all walks of life. Our
NCAA Division I & II athletic teams, nationally renowned George
Polk Awards in journalism, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and
the Long Island University Public Radio network (WLIU-FM and WCWP-FM)
provide excitement and enrichment for our students and the communities
that we serve.
