FOR RELEASE: Thursday, June 21, 2007
Scholarship Support a Continuing Need
By Jenelle Dean
Assistant Director of Development
Jenelle Dean
The spring semester marked a successful time for the College of Education and Health Professions scholarship program.
In January 2007, a record number of students applied online for scholarship assistance for the 2007-2008 academic year. This was the second year the college used an electronic application for the collegewide application process.
Much like last year, the response to the online application was phenomenal with 804 students applying. After months of faculty deliberation, scholarship decisions were made, and close to 200 students were awarded more than $370,000, with scholarships ranging from $200 to $12,000.
The achievements of the scholarship recipients were honored at the annual Honors Convocation on April 18 at the Center for Continuing Education in Fayetteville. There were also two luncheons in May to celebrate the recipients of the Master of Arts in Teaching Endowed Scholarship and John H. and Jane W. Donaldson Endowed Memorial Scholarship, the two largest awards in the college. To impart the importance of stewardship, all student recipients were required to write a thank you letter expressing their gratitude to the benefactors of their scholarship.
You can see from the large number of students who did not receive financial assistance that scholarship support is a continuing need for the College of Education and Health Professions. Endowments are the premier type of scholarship assistance. Endowed accounts generate an annual stream of revenue that is offered to students each year, while maintaining the bulk of the account in perpetuity. Endowed scholarships provide a permanent source of income for the institution and, consequently, our student recipients.
Winners of the John H. and Jane W. Donaldson Endowed Memorial Scholarship were honored at a luncheon May 24 at University House on the University of Arkansas campus. They are, from left, front, Brian Anderson, Kelsey Armstrong, Sarah de Verges, Tairaca Talley, Megan Murry and Adam Bumsted, back, Dean Reed Greenwood, Melanie Morris, Leah Padilla, Ashley Parette, Jean Kelley, Meghan Kincaid, Melissa Lynn, Naeri Yoon, Dawn Gathercole, Holly Shaffer, Mary Ann White and John Donaldson. White and Donaldson are niece and nephew of the Donaldsons who created the scholarship.
Winners of the Master of Arts in Teaching Endowed Scholarship were honored at a luncheon May 23 at University House on the University of Arkansas campus. They are, from left, seated, Gina Dalton and Sara Scott; middle row, Lindsey Nuhfer, Carman Swart, Margo Acuff, Julie Layman and Kaci White. On the back row are, from left, John Brown III, executive director of the Windgate Foundation; Reed Greenwood, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions; and John A. White, chancellor of the University of Arkansas.
Photos by Beth Hall
This year alone, the college secured five new endowed scholarships to support students in education and health professions related majors. This brings the number of endowed scholarship accounts in the college to 69, an impressive 38 new endowed accounts since 1998. Despite the substantial growth in our scholarship program, we need your support. Increasing tuition, books and cost of living force more and more students to seek additional help from a variety of sources.
Our continued success relies on collaborative efforts between the college and our alumni and friends who want to help.
We count on the support of our alumni and friends to make a difference in the lives of our deserving students. An endowed scholarship provides a permanent scholarship fund to support future students. It can be need- or merit-based, and it may be renewable or non-renewable for an individual student, depending on your preference. You may designate your scholarship gift to the department or area of your choice, wherever you feel the need is greatest.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at (479) 575-5117 or by e-mail at jmdean@uark.edu for more information on the scholarship program or with questions on how to establish a scholarship fund that will enable future students to achieve their dreams.