George A. Cloutier '67 recently found a way to give back to both his home state and his alma mater.

A native of Portland, Maine and a graduate of the College and the Business School, Cloutier formally established a $1 million fund last week to help four Maine students annually to attend Harvard.

Students in the Class of 2003 will be the first to benefit from the scholarship.

Cloutier, himself a product of Maine's public schools, designated the endowment for qualified public school students in Maine. If there are not four Maine students who qualify, the scholarship will be made available to public school students from all of New England.

Cloutier said the scholarship is designed to attract those students who might otherwise not consider Harvard and to maintain Harvard's need-blind admissions policy.

"The school is bricks and mortars and professors, but above all it's the students," he said, "so why not start with admissions?"

Cloutier said many Maine students assume that Harvard is financially beyond their reach.

"Maine is a great place, but it's not necessarily in the cultural mainstream," he said. "Many of the students are not aware of the opportunities at Harvard or in the Ivy League."

"You don't have to be rich to go to Harvard," he added.

Natives of Maine currently enrolled in theCollege said they felt the scholarship will makestudents in the state more aware of Harvard'saccessibility.

"Most students, especially in Maine, don't havea sense of how financially accessible Harvardreally is," said Timothy J. Arnold '00.

The story of Cloutier's generosity ran on thefront page of the Portland Press Herald, andArnold said the publicity will help Harvardadmissions.

"The fact that Maine students would be readingthat would make Maine students realize more thatthey could come to Harvard," he said.

Brandon J. McKenna '02, one of about 11 Mainenatives in the class of 2002, said the scholarshipwould have aided his decision to attend Harvardand will allay the fears of others.

"I know my decision would have been easier if Ihad received such aid," McKenna said. "I know somepeople who could be qualified but did not applybecause they were concerned about cost."

According to Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis'68, the endowment will not directly affectadmission decisions or the amount of financial aidthat students receive, but the scholarship couldserve to boost applications.

"Admissions decisions to Harvard College arenever tied to the availability of scholarshipfunds, so while the existence of scholarships mayraise the visibility of Harvard in a region andhence increase the pool of applicants, there isnever a direct link from scholarships toadmissions decisions," Lewis wrote in an e-mailmessage.

Cloutier named the scholarship in honor of hislate mother, Lucile C. Cloutier, whom he saidnurtured his educational interests.

Cloutier is the founder and owner of AmericanManagement Services, based in Waltham. He nowresides in Cambridge and Nantucket