Mt St. Michael Academy to Award First American Dream Scholarships Created by Alumnus and Cable En

NEW YORK - Sept. 19, 2014 - PRLog -- [Bronx, NY]— Mount St. Michael Academy is extremely honored to announce the creation of the Rocco B. Commisso American Dream Scholarship Fund, made possible by a generous donation from Rocco B. Commisso, a 1967 graduate of “The Mount.”

More than 900 people, including students, faculty, administration, alumni, board members and dignitaries will attend a ceremony to announce the first American Dream Scholarships at Mount St. Michael Academy’s Honors Convocation on Tuesday, September 23, 2014. This ceremony will be followed by a reception in The Mount’s historic Rotunda, which will be renamed the Rocco B. Commisso American Dream Rotunda.

WHO: Mount St. Michael Academy Development Office

WHAT: Rocco B. Commisso American Dream Scholarship Ceremony and Rotunda Dedication

WHERE: Mount St. Michael Academy, 4300 Murdock Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466

(The Mount is located at the corner of Nereid and Murdock Avenues)

WHEN: 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM, Tuesday September 23, 2014

WHY: Mount St. Michael Academy is extremely honored to announce the creation of the Rocco B. Commisso American Dream Scholarship Fund, which will benefit students in our Bronx community who, like Rocco B. Commisso, are children of immigrants and who work relentlessly to achieve their own American Dream.

Rocco B. Commisso is one of the most successful Italian immigrant entrepreneurs in our nation’s history. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mediacom Communications Corporation, a company he founded in 1995 to acquire and reinvigorate cable systems in America’s underserved smaller communities. Today, Mediacom is the nation’s 8th largest cable operator, with annual revenues exceeding $1.6 billion. Operating from its recently-completed headquarters in Mediacom Park, N.Y. and with over 4,600 employees in 22 states, Mediacom is the leading provider of advanced broadband services to 1.3 million customers in 1,500 small cities and towns across the United States.

Born in Calabria, Italy, Commisso immigrated to the United States at age 12. He earned both a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. He was elected president of the business school student body, and was the recipient of the prestigious Business School Service Award. He also was co-captain of the Columbia men’s varsity soccer team, named a three-time All-Ivy League honoree, and was invited to participate in the 1972 U.S. Olympic Soccer Team trials. In 2004, on the 250^th anniversary of Columbia’s founding, the school’s undergraduate newspaper, Columbia Daily Spectator, listed Commisso among Columbia’s 250 greatest undergraduate alumni of all time. In 2013, Columbia recognized Commisso’s more than 40 years of contributions to its soccer program by naming its soccer venue at the school’s Baker Athletics Complex as the Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium.

Commisso serves on the board of directors of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, C-SPAN and Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. He is a past recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the National Italian American Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and the Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership, the cable television industry’s highest individual honor. Under his guidance, Mediacom has been recognized for outstanding achievements including being named the nation’s best cable company of 2009 by CableFAX magazine and as one of North America's 500 Fastest Growing Technology Companies by Deloitte in 2003. Commisso was welcomed into the SUNY New Paltz School of Business Hall of Fame in 2010, and was also named the school’s Business Person of the Year. He has also been inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and the Cable Center Hall of Fame.

Mount St. Michael Academy, established in 1926 by the Marist Brothers, is one of the premier Catholic schools in New York City and a US Dept. of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

The Mount, located at 4300 Murdock Avenue in the Bronx, provides  a rigorous,  value-centered,  college preparatory  education to a family  and brotherhood of  young  men,  fostering each student’s unique potential for personal excellence, and striving to help our diverse students grow in maturity as  healthy,  well-rounded,  service oriented  leaders. Notable alumni of the Mount include Mediacom founder and CEO, Rocco B. Commisso ’67, rapper, music producer and business entrepreneur, Sean Combs ‘87, professional football player and celebrity, Ray Donovan ’44, professional basketball player and coach, Richie Guerin ’50, former US Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Anthony Principi ’62, actor known for Waiting to Exhale and Cool Runnings, Leon Robinson ‘78, and The Wire star Andre Royo ’86.