Alfred Harcourt Foundation Becomes Harcourt Jovanovich Foundation

RYE, N.Y. - May 29, 2026 - PRLog -- The Alfred Harcourt Foundation announced today that it will be renamed The

Harcourt Jovanovich Foundation. This change recognizes the significant

contributions of William and Peter Jovanovich.

Back in 1962 William Jovanovich, a publishing legend, helped Ellen Knowles

Harcourt, widow and philanthropist, conceptualize and create a foundation that

would help first-generation college students graduate in four years and expand

their horizons along the way.

Peter Jovanovich, who over his long career as an educational and academic

publisher, ran the three largest educational publishing companies in the world, was

the foundation's longest serving board member. He died in 2024.

For more than 60 years the foundation has quietly advanced the lives of thousands

of students. At its core, the foundation seeks to remove financial barriers for

students with clear financial need, ambition, and what Ellen Harcourt called "a

spark."

"Financial circumstances should not limit a young person's ability to earn an

undergraduate degree," said Robin Jovanovich, who has been president of the

foundation since 2017. "We work closely with our partner institutions to ensure

that our scholars receive all of the non-financial resources they need to stay in

school, and on track to graduate in four years." Jovanovich added, "We look at our

scholars as individuals; they have unique needs. And as the challenges for students

continue to increase, the foundation increases its support, whether in the form of

summer classes to bring up GPAs or study-abroad programs to enrich their cultural

understanding."

The Harcourt Foundation's graduation rate in four years continues to be above 90

percent; the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Education's

National Center for Education Statistics, is 49 percent.

"We aren't just choosing smart kids," said Daryl Fox, chairman of the foundation

board. "We intentionally ask our partner schools to select students with financial

need, average grades, and test scores, but with oversized potential. There is no

shortcut to getting a college degree for our scholars. It requires commitment and

hard work on their part, and a lot of monitoring and oversight on ours." Fox added,

"Learning has always been hard; we believe it should also be stimulating and life-

changing. We're here to make sure these goals are reached."

The foundation's current partner schools are The City College of New York, The

College of New Jersey, Baruch College, and College of Staten Island, Teacher

Honors Academy. This fall, in addition to supporting 80 undergraduate students,

the foundation will begin offering graduate school assistance to seniors who have

demonstrated scholarship, leadership, and drive.

https://www.harcourt-jovanovich.org