Longtime NJCU Foundation supporter Paul Silverman has established the Silverman Family Scholarship, with an initial $50,000 endowed gift that will provide financial assistance to deserving students on its Jersey City campus for generations to come.
The need-based scholarship will be awarded by the NJCU Foundation to students who demonstrate financial need, with recipients selected by the Foundation based on an applicant’s circumstances and potential for success. His gift serves as the inaugural donation for a planned centennial campaign that will benefit student scholarships on the Jersey City campus following the merger of NJCU with Kean University in Summer 2026.
Silverman, a prominent real estate developer and philanthropist, who served on the NJCU Foundation Board of Directors from 2012 to 2022, including a term as Vice Chair, cited President Andrés Acebo’s investiture ceremony in September 2025 as the catalyst for re-engaging with the university after stepping back from active involvement in recent years.
“What inspired me was Andy’s investiture. He approached it not as a ceremony, but as a tribute to this community,” Silverman explained. “Being there rekindled something in me: a belief in NJCU, in its purpose, and in the people it exists to uplift.”
Silverman emphasized the impact philanthropic support has on the NJCU community. “NJCU serves a population where this scholarship is really going to make a difference in the life of a student,” he said. “It’s a significant investment. Rather than donating to a huge university with billions of dollars, you can really make a difference in the lives of students from our community every year. I encourage others who are in a position to give back, to consider the impact a gift such as this will have.”
President Acebo celebrated the gift, saying “Paul Silverman and his family’s generous commitment to our students demonstrates their profound understanding that education is the foundation upon which strong communities are built. As someone who has literally shaped the skyline and neighborhoods of Jersey City, Paul recognizes that investing in our students is the most important investment we can make in our community’s future. His gift will support the very students who define our campus community—hardworking individuals, predominantly first-generation working-class scholars, who are determined to succeed notwithstanding significant challenges and obstacles. We are deeply grateful for Paul’s renewed partnership with our campus mission and his unwavering belief in the transformative power of education.”
The establishment of the Silverman Family Scholarship continues Silverman’s long history of supporting education and community development in Hudson County. Silverman was honored during the 2022 NJCU Leadership Awards gala in recognition of his lasting impact on Jersey City and the greater Hudson County area. As co-founder with his brother Eric of the prominent real estate development firm SILVERMAN, he has played a pivotal role in revitalizing Jersey City’s downtown and waterfront districts since 1981. Under their leadership, SILVERMAN has developed over 1,000 new residences and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial and industrial space.
Widely regarded for his work as a developer of residential, commercial, retail and industrial real estate in New Jersey, including restoration of historic buildings, renovation of existing buildings, and new construction, he is also a noted supporter of the arts and other causes. He has also served as Chairman of New Jersey Beer Co., a microbrewery producing craft beer since 2011.
Beyond his business achievements, Silverman has been a consistent advocate for public education and community development. In addition to his 10 years of service on the NJCU Foundation board, he has supported numerous Hudson County nonprofits. He serves as a Trustee Emeritus at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., and sits on the board of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce. He is also co-founder of the Youth Foundation of Jersey City and supports organizations including CitySail, New City Kids, Art House Productions, and Team Wilderness.
A steadfast supporter of the community, Silverman also maintains a long-standing relationship with Hudson County Community College (HCCC), where he recently established the Silverman Family Scholarship Fund with a $25,000 endowment to the HCCC Foundation.
With the merger of NJCU with Kean University in Summer 2026 to form Kean Jersey City on the horizon, the NJCU Foundation — an independent 501(c)(3) public charity organization — will continue to operate as a separate entity. The Foundation will continue its mission of raising critical funds and providing scholarships that enable our campus’s students to enter to learn and exit to serve, transforming individual lives while strengthening the communities we serve as an economic engine for social mobility and opportunity.
The Silverman Family Scholarship will be awarded beginning in the upcoming academic year, with the endowment’s investment returns providing ongoing support for NJCU students in perpetuity.
