National City Bank of Pennsylvania has donated $400,000 to the Fund for the Advancement of the State System of Higher Education Inc. to provide 40 scholarships over the next two years to qualified students attending Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities.

The National City “Investing in Pennsylvania’s Future” Scholarship Program will award scholarships to students from National City’s 19-county service area in western Pennsylvania who attend any of the 14 State System universities. The donation to fund the new scholarship program was made through the Neighborhood Assistance Program of the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

The scholarships will be awarded to students from National City’s 19-county service area in western Pennsylvania who attend any of the 14 State System universities.

“National City has an outstanding tradition of supporting State System universities with contributions and in-kind donations,” said State System Chancellor Judy G. Hample. “This is the largest scholarship program established in conjunction with the Neighborhood Assistance Program. This commitment supports Governor Rendell’s education and talent retention initiatives.”

“Our partnership with the State System of Higher Education and the state Department of Community and Economic Development has enabled National City to make this investment in the youth across our western Pennsylvania marketplace,” said Thomas W. Golonski, president, chairman and CEO of National City Bank of Pennsylvania. “For the past century and a half, our bank has enjoyed a legacy of caring for families in the communities we serve. The vast majority of students graduating from State System universities remain in Pennsylvania. We believe the education is the key to economic growth. Today’s investment will ensure that Pennsylvanians can pursue their dreams and make a positive difference in the future of our Commonwealth.”

The new scholarships will be worth $2,500 a year and will be renewable for up to four years, making each worth up to $10,000. The first 20 scholarship recipients were selected this fall, with preference given to incoming freshmen. The second group of 20 recipients will be selected in 2004-05.

Students who meet the income eligibility criteria will be selected based on academic promise as indicated by their performance in high school and on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). To be considered, a student must have graduated in the top 30 percent of his or her class, have had a grade point average of 2.7 or higher and have scored at least 1,000 on the SAT.

Once selected for the scholarship, a student must maintain a college GPA of 2.5 or her for the award to be renewed the following year.

National City’s service area comprises Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The NAP program allows organizations to qualify for tax credits by investing in programs that benefit low-income individuals and communities.

With more than 101,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 360,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.