W. P. Carey Foundation Sets New College Counseling Benchmark for Baltimore Independent Schools

With its $3 million investment to endow the Gilman college counseling program, the W. P. Carey Foundation has made the largest donation to support college counseling received by the School.

“The Gilman college counselors view their most important job as that of helping boys and their parents through the process of choosing and applying to a suitable group of colleges,” says Headmaster Smyth. “They can offer guidance on a vast number of colleges and universities, each with its own strengths and assets. They know as much as they can about each boy and his college choices, and they provide the kind of guidance that enables the student and his parents to make thoughtful decisions. This gift will enable our counselors to be of even greater assistance to our boys and their families.”

In recognition of the Foundation’s support, the college counseling center will be named The W. P. Carey College Counseling Center. Along with the endowed fund to support the School’s college counseling program, the Foundation’s gift also will establish an endowed lecture series. The Francis J. Carey Jr. Lectures will invite deans of admissions from top-tier colleges and universities to speak to Gilman students and parents about admissions, leadership, and inspiring accomplishment. The series is projected to begin during the 2019-2020 academic year.

“The W. P. Carey Foundation is proud to continue its historic partnership with Gilman School by establishing The W. P. Carey College Counseling Center and the Francis J. Carey, Jr. Visiting Speaker Series. It was Bill and Frank Carey’s vision to enhance the School’s capacity to provide the highest quality guidance and ultimately ensure future college success for its boys,” said William P. Carey II, Chairman and CEO of the W. P. Carey Foundation.

The Foundation’s gift is a tribute to Wm. Polk Carey ’48, founder of W. P. Carey Inc. and the W. P. Carey Foundation, and his brother Francis J. Carey Jr. ’43, who served as longtime president of the W. P. Carey Foundation. The two are grandsons of the School’s founder, Anne Galbraith Carey. Both Mr. Careys were ardent Gilman alumni, trustees, and supporters. Read more about the Carey family legacy at Gilman.

Bill Carey, a lifetime trustee and one of Gilman’s most esteemed benefactors, was passionate about college counseling as the most important job in the school, the point where Gilman delivers on its promise to help graduates attain the futures they envision. “Gilman prepares you for college and prepares you for anything you do,” he once said in an interview.

The W. P. Carey College Counseling Fund will help the School create an unparalleled college counseling program. Growth goals include an earlier start to college guidance for students through continued outreach efforts during their time at the School, expanding school resources for college essay writing, SAT preparation, and college tours, raising the School’s profile at highly selective colleges and universities, and forging new relationships between the School and college and university personnel.

“We are extremely grateful to the Carey Foundation for this generous gift, one which will enable us to expand our counseling program and resources, as well as further our commitment to excellent college counseling,” says Sarah Ross, Gilman director of college counseling.

Currently, 84% of the senior class is admitted to those colleges and universities ranked as Barron’s Most Competitive or Highly Competitive. With the support of the W. P. Carey Foundation, Gilman strives to increase matriculation to Most Competitive and Highly Competitive schools to as close to 100% as possible in an increasingly complex college placement landscape. 

The heart of college counseling, however, is ensuring that each student makes an appropriate choice from the more than 4,600 institutions of higher learning in the United States, which vary in character, atmosphere, and selectivity, that meets his own unique set of needs, talents, and ambitions.