We Applaud University Of Louisville Head Football Coach Charlie Strong's Magnanimity. Will Others Follow? Read More.

University of Louisville head football coach Charlie Strong and his family are donating $150,000 to a scholarship program at the school that helps low-income students in Kentucky earn college degrees, U of L officials announced Tuesday.

The gift will create a Charlie, Vicki, Hailee and Hope Strong Scholarship in U of L's existing Cardinal Covenant program.

Cardinal Covenant pays tuition, room and board costs not covered by other grants and scholarships for Kentucky students whose family income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty level.

To qualify, students must have a high school grade point average of at least 2.5, an ACT score of 20 or higher and must graduate within five years.

Since 2007, some 450 students have enrolled in the program and 25 have earned a U of L degree.

“We feel fortunate that we are in a position to help young men and women achieve their hopes and dreams of a better future through higher education,” Charlie Strong said in a statement.

“We will be proud to know that we were a part of helping them secure their educational goals.”

U of L President James Ramsey said one of the reasons Strong was hired was “because of his commitment to education and helping young people become better citizens.”

“This donation from him and his family to Cardinal Covenant is proof of that commitment,” Ramsey said.

Strong is making the gift through U of L's fund raising campaign, “Charting Our Course-The Campaign for Kentucky's Premier Metropolitan Research University.”

Earlier this month, the university’s board of trustees approved raising the goal of the university's largest fund-raising campaign to $1 billion from the previously announced $750 million.

So far, the campaign has raised $520 million for student services, scholarships, campus improvements and the recruitment and retention of top faculty.

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