Wednesday, May 30 Chamber Awards $74,000 In Grants The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut Foundation gave nearly $74,000 in grants Tuesday to 14 area groups that provide services to needy children. “It's about giving back,” said Marc Bokoff, chairman of the foundation. Bokoff presented checks to groups ranging from the Community Coalition for Children to the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut. The chamber foundation raised more than $105,000 at its 23rd annual Holiday Gala last December, hosted by Mohegan Sun, said chamber President Tony Sheridan, and nearly all of the money will be used to help youngsters in the region. Bokoff said the foundation received requests this year for grants totaling about $200,000. A check for $20,000 will be presented today to the Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut to help complete work on its “expressive arts room” for children and teens grieving the loss of a loved one. The chamber foundation will get naming rights to the art facility, which is in the hospice's new administrative office building and community bereavement center. The Tommy Toy Fund will use its $50,000 award to help purchase new toys for area children. Last year, about 9,000 youngsters received toys from the fund, said Ellen Lind, president and publisher of the Norwich Bulletin, which sponsors the fund. “The program is growing and the need is growing,” she said. The Norwich Safety Net Team will use its $1,000 check to provide backpacks and school supplies to needy families. The Community Coalition for Children received $5,000 to help pay for a two-day diversity program. Other recipients included: The Connecticut College Children's Program, $1,500, to help fund transportation to and from the program; Easter Seals CT Inc., $1,500, for two partial scholarships for Camp Hemlock, which serves children with multiple disabilities; and Hygienic Art Inc., $2,000, to sponsor guest artists and speakers for after-school creative writing programs. Also, the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut, $2,000, to support its school literacy program; Mystic Area Shelter & Hospitality Inc., $2,000, to partially support two local homeless families with children for a 90-day stay in one of its emergency shelters; and the Norwich Rotary Club, $1,500, for the Mahan Coat project that provides winter coats to needy children. Also, The Riverfront Children's Center, $1,535, for classroom upgrades; Solomon Schecter Academy, $1,000, for a science initiative; Voluntown Public Library, $1,000, to replace outdated and worn books in the children's collection; the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut, $1,000, to help fund its school-readiness program; and the YMCA of Southeastern Connecticut, $2,610, for summer-camp scholarships Labels: academy awards, high school, scholarship posted by ^%&^ @ 6:35 PM   0 comments

Full scholarship launched for poor excellent IT students A new scholarship programme has been introduced to provide an opportunity for those excellent students from poor families to study at the International Genetic Centre within the Hanoi University of Technology. Starting from 2008, this full scholarship – the first kind to be granted in Vietnam, called “The Genetic William Goh Scholarship for Community Development” will be awarded every year. It is specifically targeted at supporting excellent students from poor families to follow the training at HUT’s Genetic Centre. Over the next five years, the scholarship will be paying out about VND 180 million to help needy students cover school and examination fees for each subject as well as housing and a living allowance. Successful candidate will then need to maintain a good attendance track record, attain an average mark of 70% for the whole year and pass all subject to continue on this scholarship in each year. Additional scholarships above the one per year may be added when deemed appropriate by the Singapore-based Genetic Computer School. The scholarship, launched during the visit to Vietnam by the International Board of Examiners of Genetic Computer School early this week, is named after Mr William Goh Boon Chang, the founder and the current president of Genetic Computer School. Genetic HUT is a joint training programme between HUT and Genetic Computer School, Singapore which was set up in 1996. It offers courses in information technology at Diploma and Higher Diploma levels. During the past 11 years, it has trained over 5,000 IT graduates. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:34 PM   0 comments

Finding the right lender for a student loan Ninety percent of students who receive loans choose their lender based on their school's recommendations. In light of the recent controversy regarding unsavory practices between university financial aid offices and the banks hawking student loan programs, now more than ever it's important for families to know what they're agreeing to. Joan Jensen, president and CEO of the Central Credit Union of Illinois showed ABC7 smart ways to pay for college and how to find that quality lender. First Things First Before committing to any loan or lender first explore the avenues that lower the tuition costs including: Grants - Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs) are administered directly from the school. They can help offset tuition costs and best of all they do not have to be repaid. These grant awards are based on a student's financial need. Merit Awards - Scholarships are typically offered to students who possess a specific skill or talent the school is seeking, such as art, music, or academics. Generally, these awards are not based on financial need, and like grants, they do not have to be repaid. Work-Study - The Federal Work-Study program provides jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need; allowing them to earn money to help pay for education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to a student's course of study usually with private nonprofit organizations or a public agency. Information on each the programs above can be obtained through the schools financial aid office or by visiting http://studentaid.ed.gov Start with Uncle Sam - Capitalize on the low-rate federal loan options. Federal Perkins Loans - This low-interest (5%) loan, which is mostly funded by the government, is available to both undergraduate and graduate students with financial need. Loan repayments are made directly to the school and don't begin until after graduation. Stafford Loans - These are variable-rate loans. The government pays the interest on subsidized Stafford loans (need-based) while interest on unsubsidized Stafford Loans accrues over the life of the loan and is the responsibility of the borrower. Repayment of both loans can be delayed till graduation. Plus Loans - These are loans available to parents paying for their child's education. Similar to Stafford Loans, there are FFEL PLUS Loans and Direct PLUS Loans. PLUS Loans are unsubsidized. Request the school's "preferred lender" list - Consider the options and ask questions. This is a list of preferred lenders the school feels can provide reliable products and services. However, be aware that according to New York Attorney General, Andrew Como, some lenders made the lists because they paid a school a percentage of the loan value or provided trips for financial aid officers. Ask the financial aid office if anyone associated with the school is reaping any financial benefit from any of the lenders included on its list. Shop Around. Don't limit your search for lenders to only those organizations suggested by a college. Talk to family and friends who have been through the process and tap their experience. Make an appointment to sit and speak with a representative at your credit union or bank to see if refinancing a mortgage or opening a home equity line of credit might be an appropriate option for filling in any gaps. Shop, Shop, Shop. Leave yourself with plenty of time to thoroughly explore all the grant, scholarship and loan options before making any decisions. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 6:33 PM   0 comments

College students find ally on aid Reginald B. Smith does quite a bit of traveling in North Mississippi to help university students, and it's a job he loves. Since late January, Smith, 34, has been financial aid adviser for University of Mississippi students at Ole Miss satellite campuses in Southaven, Tupelo and Booneville, in addition to spending one day a week at the main campus in Oxford The Senatobia resident is in Southaven at the DeSoto Center campus from 2 to 8 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday. Smith got into his current role by way of the insurance business. After graduating from Ole Miss in 1995, Smith worked in areas that included claims, loss control and risk management for insurance companies. "I enjoyed my time in insurance, but it seemed like any time I would get too comfortable, I would get downsized," he said, noting today's trend in corporate America. He worked for a time in another job and noticed the university's advertisement of a vacancy in the financial aid position. He was attracted by the chance to work for his alma mater, and the fact that his work hours on the satellite campuses would be in the afternoons and evenings. "My schedule is to accommodate the nontraditional students who work full time and go to school in the afternoons and evenings," he said. Smith was born in Memphis, and his family moved to Senatobia when he was about 3 years old. He graduated from Independence High School in Tate County. "I deal with students of all ages," he said. "I enjoy the variety of people and personalities." As for what students need to know about financial aid, Smith said some students are missing out on available aid because they have not applied. "There is a lot of available aid that students have lost," he said. "A lot of time, they may just need to be pointed in the right direction." The first thing a person who plans to attend a college or university should do is complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), Smith said. "A lot of people are under the impression that only poor students, or students from poor families, need to complete the FAFSA, but that is not true," he said. "There are a lot of non-need-based awards available from the federal government. A lot of them are based on merit." Also, he said, FAFSA may be a federal form, but many schools use it in awarding state and college or university assistance. Students need to list several colleges or universities on the form and make sure the FAFSA scores are sent to the schools, Smith said. The scores are used to determine the expected family contribution (EFC) toward the student's college costs. That's important for colleges and universities to use in developing financial aid offers to students. It's also important that a student gain admission to a school of his or her choice so that the school's financial aid personnel can contact the student and discuss specific aid awards. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:32 PM   0 comments

Nursing student's financial dilemma Paying for education is a challenge for many people, but if you don't know where the money will come from, it can be even more daunting. That's the dilemma one local nursing student faces. In just a few weeks, Stefani Heaton will finish her summer break and start her final semester at Methodist College of Nursing -- and she's looking forward to it. "I've always wanted to do nursing, I've just never been able to complete the scheduled hours,” said Heaton. Despite the rigors of the program, she has no regrets. "It's a very difficult program. Challenging, but at the same time, it's rewarding,” she said. But things will be different when school starts up again. The school is a candidate for accreditation, meaning it meets certain national standards. That could mean a lot for the students. "They're now eligible for financial aid and it makes it much easier for them to go to graduate schools,” said Dr. Kimberly Johnston, President of Methodist College of Nursing. Before becoming a candidate for accreditation, students were able to get help with their tuition through Methodist Medical Center. "They've been supporting the students financially through the program,” said Dr. Johnston. "The grants would cover our school tuition and then we would have leftover for rent and the necessities we would need for our families,” said Heaton. But some senior students, like Stefani, worry that aid will no longer be available -- since they now have to apply for federal aid -- and the federal aid may not be enough. "Not even coming close to cover the tuition it will take to cover the tuition for this next semester." But the nursing school president wants to set minds at ease. "The hospital is going to supplement the difference that financial aid doesn't cover for the students. They're going to continue the programs they have in place,” she said. We told Stefani what Dr. Johnston told us, and she seems relieved. "I hope that is true, I hope that is the situation. That would be definitely bricks off our shoulders,” said Heaton. She wants to continue her education exactly where she started it. "I'm glad I picked Methodist -- I couldn't have picked a better school." We spoke to a member of the nursing school's board on Tuesday. She says current students do not have to worry. Any financial aid that's already in place through Methodist Medical center will remain, and students will also be eligible for federal grant money. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:31 PM   0 comments

Wells Fargo signs on to Cuomo's student loan code of conduct Another major student lending company has signed on with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's proposed code of conduct. Wells Fargo is following suit with four other leading student loan providers -- Citibank, Sallie Mae, JP Morgan and Bank of America. Cuomo came up with the code of conduct after his investigation into the student loan industry revealed many lenders were providing kickbacks and other incentives to loan officers at schools. Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:29 PM   0 comments

Take it slow on student loan plans Typically, this is the time of year to talk about the last-minute rush to consolidate student loans. But the message now is: not so fast. The rates aren't going up much this summer. The rules on student loans have changed since a year ago. And consolidating student loans isn't a no-brainer anymore. So college graduates have a few more months to dig through their numbers and see whether they'll save money. Rising rates On Tuesday, we learned that students who are already repaying on variable-rate Stafford Loans will see the rate on their loans go up on July 1 to 7.22% from 7.14%. Students who are in college or in their grace period will see their rates go to 6.62% -- from 6.54%. And parents will see the PLUS Loan rate go to 8.02% from 7.94%. The variable rates are based on the last auction of 91-day U.S. Treasury bills in May. "This is one of those unusual years where we're not seeing a drastic increase or decrease in rates," said Rob LaBreche, president of consumer marketing for the College Loan Corp. Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, a Web site that provides information about student aid, said the very small change in rates amounts to less than a dollar a month difference on $10,000 in student loans. So students don't need to consolidate by June 30 to lock up especially low rates. In the mix Graduates likely have a mix of student loans, too. Stafford and PLUS loans disbursed prior to July 1, 2006 -- and not yet consolidated -- carry a variable rate of interest. However, any federally backed student loans taken out July 1, 2006, or afterward carry a fixed rate. The maximum fixed rate is 6.8% on the newer Stafford loans. The PLUS loans taken out July 1 and after have a maximum fixed rate of 8.5%. The maximum fixed rates are not changing. Sure, borrowers got amazing deals for consolidating last year, thanks to low rates. "Borrowers locked in rates well below 5% in many cases," said Pat Scherschel, vice president of loan consolidation for Sallie Mae, a leading provider of education loans. Now, the idea could be to avoid future rate hikes. Old variable-rate Stafford loans could ultimately climb as high as 8.25% if interest rates kept going up. Old PLUS loans could hit 9%. If rates go down in the future, however, the variable-rate student loans would go down too. Students who consolidate would not see their rates go down. By consolidating, grads also can extend the repayment period beyond the standard 10-year plan for a federal Stafford loan. If you consolidate now, do so during the grace period -- the six-month period after graduation. You'd lock up a rate of 6.625% by consolidating during the grace period -- instead of 7.25% if you waited too long to consolidate. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:28 PM   0 comments

Student Loan Consolidation Company Leader Paul Simino of OneSimpleLoan OneSimpleLoan® http://www.OneSimpleLoan.com, a student loan finance and consulting firm specializing in student loan consolidation, today announced that President & CEO Paul J. Simino is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2007 Award in the Florida region. According to Ernst & Young, the awards program was designed to recognize outstanding entrepreneurs on a regional, national and global level who are building and leading dynamic, growing businesses. Mr. Simino was selected as a finalist from nearly 100 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 21, 2007 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. Under Mr. Simino's leadership, OneSimpleLoan grew from less than a dozen employees in its 2003 inception year to its current 170+ employees a mere 4 years later, helping thousands of college students better manage their Federal student loan debt through consolidation.. "I am deeply honored to be recognized as an Entrepreneur of the Year finalist by a well-regarded national firm like Ernst & Young," noted Mr. Simino, in reaction to hearing the announcement. "This nomination is also a reflection of the dedication and commitment of the many mentors I have had along the way. I'm also grateful to the employees who share my vision and have contributed to my successfully growing OneSimpleLoan into the dynamic player in the student loans industry it is today." The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards are given to entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 17, 2007. About OneSimpleLoan® OneSimpleLoan® is a national student loan company assisting thousands of student and their parents with student loan needs before, during and after the college experience. Specializing in student loan consolidation, the company also offers a full array of student loan products including Stafford, Parent PLUS and private loans, all at competitive rates. Superb product knowledge of intricate student loan laws and regulations, unsurpassed customer service, an information-rich website and a strong outreach program to colleges and universities throughout the U.S are the hallmarks of this dynamic player in the student loan industry. Living up to its mission to serve as a true advocate for the student loan borrower, a recent OneSimpleLoan lawsuit challenging the Department of Education was the catalyst behind Congressional repeal of the single holder rule and two-step consolidation, thereby providing all borrowers with greater opportunities to find the lowest interest rates and best possible repayment terms. About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006, honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 125 cities and 40 countries. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:27 PM   0 comments

Free higher education in total mess A view is gradually gaining currency that the time has come to see an end to the prevailing `free' university education system. A statement that President (then Prime Minister) Mahinda Rajapaksa made during the last Presidential Election campaign has given food for thought in this connection. Addressing members of students unions at Temple Trees in 2005 he said that the government would not privatize education but around 96,000 students with the required qualifications had no opportunity of having a university education due to limited accommodation and facilities. Only about 15,000 students had been fortunate enough to gain university admission. Although students from both rich and poor students have access to free primary and secondary education poor students are left in the lurch when it comes to so-called free university education. Most of them who fail to enter seats of higher learning despite having the required qualifications are either compelled to enter technical institutions or go for jobs that are unsuited for them. Others through frustration and disillusionment get drawn to anti-social behavior. Even worse political meddling and other factors causing strikes, student clashes and boycott of classes in state-run universities that are frequently closed as a result. This has been the bane of our higher education system. Consequently, only 38,000 out of 119,000 students qualified to enter universities had applied to enter universities, according to the University Grants Commission's report for February this year. This is hardly surprising, considering the doubtful prospects awaiting even many of those who have been lucky enough to enter universities. So a minority of rich people and others who can afford it send their children to foreign universities, spending millions of rupees. Had there been private universities in Sri Lanka it would have cost the country only a fraction of this amount and valuable foreign exchange could have been saved. It is obvious that vested interests want to keep our education system in a mess so that they can manipulate poor youth for their own ends. At every turn, politicized students unions have opposed the establishment of private universities. These misguided young people have become pawns in the hands of power-seeking opportunists who find it advantageous to lead the students astray. We wonder whether we are coming back to the 1960s and `70s when English-speaking GCE O level and A-level students of leading Colombo and Kandy private schools found cushy jobs waiting for them while the Sinhala educated graduates faced an uncertain future. We experienced the bitter results of this lopsided policy in 1971 and 1988-89. Sri Lanka today would have had a large educated population had the proposals for private higher educational establishments were accepted and implemented at the time they were first mooted. And it is a long time since the world has given up the concept that education is only for jobs. But we are still like frogs in the well. It is amazing and hypocritical that a country which allows international schools, other private schools, tutorial institutions, private hospitals, private transport companies etc. refuses to permit the establishment of private universities. If such universities are going to threaten free education what about private tuition given to AL students? What about all kinds of private organizations that award diplomas on various subjects, and institutions that train local students for admission to foreign universities? Why no opposition to them? Sri Lanka is ready to send her young mothers to work as domestics in Gulf States but reluctant to give better educational opportunities to young people. In contrast, our immediate neighbour India has opened its higher education system. Consequently educated Indians are serving in all parts if the world in various capacities. Today there are enough job opportunities in the world for educated youth. The Middle East and Europe have already opened their doors for educated Asians. The fact is that today education everywhere is a massive money making-industry. What is required is not the privatization of State universities but permission to establish private universities. If our unionized undergraduates and their mentors really want to protect free education, they should first campaign for the right of every qualified student to have a university education. It is now quite obvious that State universities alone cannot do it. The solution therefore is to allow the private sector to open additional universities. In such seats of higher learning no political meddling, student clashes, threats to the staff, brutal ragging and boycotting of classes will be tolerated. A socio-economic environment leading to such disturbances will not be there in these establishments. There will be no opportunities for using university students as political tools. It is the government's responsibility to provide the infrastructure for such universities. Initially, private universities should be affiliated to their State-run counterparts and all the admissions, curriculums, examinations, awarding of degrees etc. should be supervised accordingly, since education should be geared to meet national goals. Private universities are bound to expand the scope of our young people, since such establishments would follow the latest educational trends in the world. A system of low-interest loans for educational expenses of students of such universities can also be introduced. In addition, students can be provided with the opportunity of doing part-time jobs as in the developed countries. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 6:24 PM   0 comments

Delhi schools asked to give free education to poor The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed city's private schools, who had got government land at a subsidised price on they condition they give free education to poor students, to implement 15 per cent freeship from the next academic session on a trial basis. "One would forget the failure of the past and we would be happy if institutions honestly offer 10 percent for poor children and 5 per cent less for the wards of the teaching and non-teaching staff free education in the schools," a Division Bench of Justice T S Thakur and Justice S N Aggarwal said in an interim order. It was alleged in a PIL that for the last 40 years schools have been violating the terms in their lease by not providing free education to the poor students. The Court asked 250 schools, who are members of the Action Committee, to strictly comply with the Court order failing which they would be de-recognised and de-affiliated besides cancelling their lease. "Schools, who fail to comply with the directions issued by the court, we direct the Director of Education, NCT to initiate actions to de-recognise, de-affiliate apart from initiating contempt proceedings against them," the Bench observed. Earlier, the Bench asked the schools to ensure 15 per cent free education to the poor students. Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 6:23 PM   0 comments

Tuesday, May 29 Cooke County ROTC Cadet Receives College Scholarship The cadet was selected to receive the scholarship certificate on the basis of comprehensive tests, high school scholastic achievement, and extra-curricular activities. The majority of Air Force ROTC scholarships cover full college/university tuition, provide textbook allowance, and pay most laboratory or incidental fees. In addition, at least a $250 tax-free monthly allowance is paid to recipients during the academic year. The estimated value of the scholarship depends on the student's choice of school and type of scholarship offered. Upon graduation from college and completion of the ROTC program, the cadet will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. She is the daughter of Andrew V. and Leslie C. White of Country Estates Court, Muenster, Texas. White is a 2007 graduate of Sacred Heart High School, Muenster. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:46 PM   0 comments

U of O researches receive $15.7M grant from feds Professors and researchers from the University of Ottawa will receive a total of $15.7 million from the federal government as part of a $583.3-million scholarship program. The 2007 Grants and Scholarships awards are part of an initiative by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to support 10,000 professors and students across Canada in their natural sciences and engineering research. As a result of the 2007 competition, 3,300 professors will receive a total of $458.8 million in Discovery Grants over a five-year period, while 2,402 researchers at the graduate and postdoctoral levels will receive a total of $99.2 million. The government is also investing $19.3 million to give 4,296 undergraduate students a chance to get hands-on research experience in a laboratory in the Undergraduate Student Research Awards. "Our newly released science and technology strategy – Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage – recognizes the importance of doing more to turn ideas into innovations that provide solutions to our environmental, health and other important challenges, and to improve Canada's economic competitiveness," said Dr. Colin Carrie, who is parliamentary secretary to industry minister Maxime Bernier. "These awards will help ensure that this country's best and brightest professors and students can continue their work and their contribution to the prosperity and well-being of all Canadians." NSERC also announced an additional $6 million in new funding in its Discovery Accelerator Supplements program, which is aimed at boosting the productivity of a selected 50 researchers. A total of 15 universities across Canada are receiving funding from NSERC, with the largest share, $65.8 million, going to the University of Toronto. Labels: education online, financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:46 PM   0 comments

Class acts: Madison-Grant The Argyll Classic "Big Cup" Golf Scramble is Sunday at the Elks Country Club in Marion. Proceeds from this event benefit the Argyll Action Fan Club and the Lee Leckron Scholarship Fund. For additional information, e-mail Jeff Leckron, argylljeff@aol.com. All class periods will meet for shortened time today with the underclassmen awards program at 1:40 p.m. Summer school is June 4 through 28 from 8 to 11:45 a.m. daily. Summer classes being offered are English 9 and 10 and Algebra 1. Students should speak with guidance counselors about eligibility to take these classes. Open courts will be every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. beginning June 5 for any boy interested in playing tennis this fall. Call Coach Tony Pitt at 661-8599. Madison-Grant Junior High The eighth-grade recognition program is at 9 a.m. today in the Madison-Grant High School auditorium. The eighth-graders will then have a picnic from 1 to 3:20 p.m. in the gymnasium. A dance is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the junior high. Summitville Summitville Elementary will have its annual awards program at 12:30 p.m. today. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:44 PM   0 comments

grant: Wabash One of 11 Awarded Phi Beta Kappa Grant This is an affirmation of an important characteristic of Wabash intellectual life, namely the importance of critical, deliberative thought," Dean of the College Gary Phillips said. "Wabash joins a select company of institutions committed to deliberative inquiry and the life of the mind. We have an opportunity here to extend and deepen what is best about Senior Colloquium, and to affirm the importance of deliberative reflection as part of the day-to-day activitiy of Wabash faculty and students. "A Colloquium-like conversation among interested Wabash faculty and students will enrich faculty and students alike. It is what liberal arts learning is all about." Events on the following campuses will be funded by a grant of $100,000 to the Phi Beta Kappa Society from the Teagle Foundation. The participating colleges include: Arizona State University, Hendrix College, Colorado College, Stetson University, Wabash, Drake University, Hope College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Vermont, and Washington State University. The coordinating body on each campus is a partnership between the Phi Beta Kappa chapter and a campus curricular authority, such as the Honors College, the Dean of Arts and Sciences or the Curriculum Committee. In all cases, the partnerships will not only engage students and faculty in deliberative activities, but they will also observe and analyze those activities with the aim of coming to understand what happens when people deliberate well, how people learn the skills involved and how they acquire the disposition to use those skills. The Society’s intent is to have an impact on these campuses and, following the project, to produce a white paper of general interest on this topic in order to spread what we have learned to others. The Society also aims to strengthen the role of the chapters involved on their campuses and to raise the visibility of Phi Beta Kappa as a champion of the liberal arts and sciences. Phi Beta Kappa has awarded chapters at 276 institutions and has half a million members throughout the country. Its mission is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, to recognize academic excellence, and to foster freedom of thought and expression. Among its programs are academic and literary awards, lectureships, a fellowship, a professorship, and publication of The American Scholar, an award-winning quarterly journal. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:44 PM   0 comments

College students find ally on aid college student, Reginald B. Smith does quite a bit of traveling in North Mississippi to help university students, and it's a job he loves. Since late January, Smith, 34, has been financial aid adviser for University of Mississippi students at Ole Miss satellite campuses in Southaven, Tupelo and Booneville, in addition to spending one day a week at the main campus in Oxford. SRC="http://images.scripps.com/1x1.gif" WIDTH=336 HEIGHT=280 BORDER=0></A> The Senatobia resident is in Southaven at the DeSoto Center campus from 2 to 8 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday. Smith got into his current role by way of the insurance business. After graduating from Ole Miss in 1995, Smith worked in areas that included claims, loss control and risk management for insurance companies. "I enjoyed my time in insurance, but it seemed like any time I would get too comfortable, I would get downsized," he said, noting today's trend in corporate America. He worked for a time in another job and noticed the university's advertisement of a vacancy in the financial aid position. He was attracted by the chance to work for his alma mater, and the fact that his work hours on the satellite campuses would be in the afternoons and evenings. "My schedule is to accommodate the nontraditional students who work full time and go to school in the afternoons and evenings," he said. Smith was born in Memphis, and his family moved to Senatobia when he was about 3 years old. He graduated from Independence High School in Tate County. "I deal with students of all ages," he said. "I enjoy the variety of people and personalities." As for what students need to know about financial aid, Smith said some students are missing out on available aid because they have not applied. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:33 PM   0 comments

Let all students dream When a California student is handed a high school diploma at graduation, no one asks if they are a citizen, legal resident or undocumented graduate. When the state sets aside money for the Cal Grants they look at the size of the potential applicant pool to determine funding needs, not legal status. In a recent editorial, the Los Angeles Times did not tell the full story of how financial aid is awarded in our state and also on my bill, the California Dream Act (SB 160) [pdf]. The Times suggested that state financial aid dollars granted to undocumented students come at the expense of students with legal status and that for this reason SB 160 was unacceptable. The vast majority of new student applicants benefiting from SB 160 would qualify for the Cal Grant High School Entitlement Award and there is no displacement of students in this program. In fact, the program is underutilized. The High School Entitlement program is the largest Cal Grant program, and is guaranteed to every graduating high school student who meets rigorous academic eligibility requirements and demonstrates financial need. Of the 145,185 applicants for a High School Entitlement Award last year not one applicant was turned away for lack of state funds. More likely applicants are not matched with funds due to errors or missing information on the application form, or for not meeting financial criteria. You might say there are too few applicants for these Entitlement grants. Although the program receives 100% annual funding, moneys go unused in some years. According to Department of Finance and California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) reports, during the previous two academic years only 64% of allocated grants were awarded. Many students are not aware of the statute on Entitlement grants, and allotted funds go unclaimed. Because the state determines the size of the applicant pool for the Entitlement grants based on the number of graduating seniors, and not legal status, undocumented students are accounted for in the allocated grants. However they are unable to use the federal application form so their portion of the allotted grants goes unfulfilled as well. There are so few students participating in the Entitlement program that the CSAC maintains an aggressive campaign to entice students to complete the application. The Times editorial claims that SB 160 might further distress the Cal Grant Competitive Award program. The Competitive Awards are a smaller program which targets older, non-traditional students, with slightly lower academic achievement. There is a statutory cap or limit on the number of Competitive grants provided; however any additional students eligible for this program as a result of SB 160 would be finite and very limited in scope. Finally, I'd like to address the misperception or misunderstanding related to existing law. Federal law provides states the authority to issue non-federal student aid to undocumented students. Because California has not passed a specific law on the issue, dispersing funds falls within a legal grey area. While there are some private scholarship funds available which do not require proof of legal status, as noted by the Times, there is not a legal statute or protocol enabling the institution to release these funds to undocumented recipients. Many private scholarship funds never make it to students. SB 160 would resolve this matter, provide a specific statute, and thereby expand access to financial aid dollars. Increased access to education and workforce development is why CSAC, the University of California and California State University systems, the Los Angeles and San Francisco Chambers of Commerce and numerous community colleges support the California Dream Act. The proposal clearly states that one student will not have an advantage over another student, a concept referred to as "equal access." California needs more college applicants, more college graduates, not fewer. In a report released Wednesday, "Can California Import Enough College Graduates?", the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) noted that at current rates, the state is not capable of producing enough college graduates to meet future economic demands. The report suggests that migration of college-educated workers from other states and countries alone will not fill our need. The authors advise that the state has a role in "encouraging and enabling" Californians to obtain degrees and urges timely action, "of all the times to make an effort to increase educational attainment, doing so now may be particularly advantageous and can lead to better economic opportunities for Californians and possibly better outcomes for the state." In closing, I'd suggest the Times assertion that awarding financial aid to undocumented students, "amounts to saying there's no reason to obtain legal residency in the first place" misses the point. Given the academic and business community's support for SB 160 and PPIC's analysis of the need for more college-educated workers in our state, the more mainstream opinion seems to focus on economic benefits. Distributing financial aid to our best and brightest students is not a matter of immigration policy; it's an investment to secure our economic prosperity. Passage of the California Dream Act does not place one student's future above another student's future; it opens the door for all students. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:33 PM   0 comments

Dig into student loans A student loan company was paying Florida Atlantic University $50 for the names of each recent graduate who signed up. The University of Central Florida's alumni association took a lender's money to host a homecoming event. Florida International University allowed loan company reps to process loans during busy times, in its financial aid office, no less. Given those lapses, university system Chancellor Mark Rosenberg is correct when he says that a code of conduct is the minimum that should result from Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's probe of the preferred-lender arrangements that, so far, seem to be even worse in other states. Last week, Columbia University fired its financial aid director who, after he received some of the $100,000 in stock he owned in Student Loan Xpress' parent company, put the lender on a preferred list for which the company had not bid. While promoting the lender to parents and alumni, reports The New York Times, he also advised it on marketing strategy, even helping to draft talking points against another lender's charges about universities taking kickbacks to steer students. Also, as with the longtime Johns Hopkins University financial aid director who was fired last week for her $65,000 in fees and such from Student Loan Xpress, the benefit occurred without any disclosure of financial interest in the lender. As New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told The Times, it seemed "that the aid officials were working more for Student Loan Xpress than for their universities." Florida's probe follows Mr. Cuomo's investigation, which finally spurred scrutiny of the unconscionable gouging of students and their parents that has become standard practice in the $85 billion student loan industry since the end of the Clinton administration. Because of a disputed government subsidy that guaranteed a 9.5''percent return on many of its loans, for example, Nebraska-based Nelnet received an artificially high rate of return. The Education Department's inspector general said the lender should repay most of the money. Instead, the department in a January settlement said it made Nelnet stop but would not try to recover the $278''million in overpayments. That warrants the Justice Department investigation of which Congress is hinting. Things may not as bad at FAU where, as The Post reported, University Financial Services was using the school's name on its Web site, in its Web address and in its (877) 2PAY-FAU phone number. But it probably will take more pushing to find all the places lenders pushed for unfair favors. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:28 PM   0 comments

State legislature proposes increase in student financial aid The state Senate and House have both released their recommended budgets for 2008 including about $3 million for student financial aid - but members of the Arizona Students' Association want more. On May 17, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee released the state Senate's engrossed 2008 budget proposal, which includes $8.4 million in state-funded financial aid, an increase of $3.4 million from last year. The state House engrossed budget proposal, released Mar 23, includes $8 million in financial aid, an increase of $3 million. Both numbers fulfill the amount of financial aid requested by the Arizona Financial Aid Trust Fund - a partnership between the state and its students that allocates 1 percent of student tuition into the trust. The state then matches that contribution 2:1. But neither of the proposed budgets meet the amount of financial aid - $13.4 million - requested by Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Board of Regents. The Regents make up the body that sets tuition and fees for the three in-state universities. Devin Mauney, undergraduate student government director of government relations and an ASA board member, said both USG and ASA - an organization that fights for financial aid for the instate universities - endorsed the amount the regents and governor requested. "It's a good first step, because it fully funds the program [AFAT]," Mauney said of the Senate's recommended financial aid. "But originally we asked for more to offset the tuition increase." ABOR approved a 5 percent tuition increase for the 2007-08 school year at its meeting Nov. 30. That increases resident undergraduate tuition at the Tempe and Downtown campuses $230, for a total $4,821. Tuition at the Polytechnic and West campuses will be $4,620, an increase of $220. Nonresident undergraduate tuition at all campuses increased 7 percent to $16,853. But Senate-recommended financial aid still fulfills AFAT, only the second year since the program began in 1989 that financial aid would be fully funded to the agreement's standards. "If we end up with the amount in the senate budget, it's still a big victory," Mauney said. Tiffany Troidl, the government affairs director for ASA, said students played a big part in lobbying the state legislature for financial aid, the organization's biggest issue. Earlier in the year, students from all three instate universities sent more than 800 e-mails to their legislators urging them to increase financial aid, Troidl said. Mauney said members of ASA have been working to increase state-based financial aid by hosting a lobby day, where more than 60 students from ASU and UA visited the legislative building downtown to fight for funding. Some students have also gone down and talked to legislators about the issues, Mauney said. But now that the spring semester is over, fewer students are taking action at the legislature. "Mostly it's private conversations at this point between the Senate and House and governor's staff," Mauney said. "It's hard to have a big event." Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:24 PM   0 comments

YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund Establishes Strategic Alliance with The Geoffrey Beene Foundation The Geoffrey Beene Foundation have formed a five-year strategic alliance to further their mutual goals of expanding support for students seeking careers in the fashion industry. The Geoffrey Beene Foundation will contribute $2 million to the fund over the next five years. The pledge is in addition to the $1 million contributed by the foundation in 2006. "We are gratified by the foundation's continuing generosity and belief in our mission. This contribution exemplifies Geoffrey Beene's passion for educating young people and will enable us to significantly expand our scholarship program in support of outstanding college students planning careers in our industry," said Virginia Mainiero, president of YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund. "Geoffrey Beene has always stood for excellence, and the best way to achieve excellence is through education. The Geoffrey Beene Foundation is proud to be at the forefront of the fashion industry by giving back and supporting highly qualified students to achieve their goals and dreams. I couldn't be more gratified," said Tom Hutton, president of Geoffrey Beene, Inc. and the trustee of the foundation. Commencing this year, the fund will award the "Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship" to four enterprising students majoring in fashion and related disciplines. These $25,000 scholarships will be given annually to the most outstanding students identified at the fund's 25 participating colleges and universities across the U.S. "We want to help our most gifted students to succeed and believe that recognizing them as Geoffrey Beene award winners will be an honor they will cherish throughout their careers," continues Mainiero. "Our hope is that when they are successful, they will assume an active role in encouraging the next generation of gifted students to join our industry. This strikes me as a fitting way to perpetuate the enduring legacy of the great Geoffrey Beene." The foundation's contribution will also underwrite a major portion of the fund's annual awards dinner, one of the premier events on the New York fashion calendar. The event will now be known as "The YMA Geoffrey Beene Fashion Scholarship Dinner." In addition to funding the organization's scholarship program, which provided 90 grants totaling $450,000 in 2007, contributions are utilized to establish fashion studies endowments at affiliated colleges and universities. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 9:59 PM   0 comments

Ada student wins Native American scholarship Ada High senior David Scott won a major scholarship and was among 645 outstanding high school and collegiate Native American students honored by The Oklahoma Council for Indian Education (OCIE) recently at the organization’s annual Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society (OISHS) Induction and Banquet in Oklahoma City. A total of 117 Oklahoma school districts nominated the students. In order to qualify, these Native American students must have maintained a cumulative 3.9 grade point average and have demonstrated moral character, leadership skills and participation in cultural activities, as well as service and involvement to the tribe and community. Honorees received certificates, eagle pins, and t-shirts. Scott was awarded the $700 Marlene LeClair/Helen Wright Scholarship. Honored along with Scott were two other winners of the scholarships, named in honor of an outstanding and committed Oklahoma Indian educator and active members of OCIE. Kali K.Lynn Bassett of Grove High School was the recipient of the Alice Tonemah Memorial Scholarship. Charbrice Rhea, of Westville High School, was presented the John Sam Memorial Scholarship. Local honorees in attendance from Ada City Schools in addition to Scott were Joel Allen, Joel Barrick, Jennifer Bell, Derrek Bond, Kyle Burris, Kristen Klub, Paige Covington, Lindsey Elliot, Taylor Howard, Lance Keenan, Katie Newport, Allyn Ross, Brandon Russell, Lindsey Russell, Jordan Scott, Megan Scott, Paige Simpson, Alayna Stout and Hannah Whiting. The LeClair/Wright award was established in 1989. LeClair and her daughter, Wright, were Kansas Pottawatomie. LeClair was a member of the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education Board of Directors and a member of the 1988 National Indian Education Association Conference steering committee. The scholarship was founded by sitting OCIE President Alice Tonemah after the untimely death of LeClair and her 9-month-old daughter in a tragic accident caused by a drunk driver. The organization’s first honor banquet was held in the spring of 1990 with 300-plus members. Membership has increased each year with the present 2007 induction showcasing 645 high achieving students. To date, over 6,500 Native American students have been inducted into the Honor Society. Labels: free education, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 9:52 PM   0 comments

Monday, May 28 Boys & Girls club names Carolyn West scholarship In life, Carolyn West was a caring and dedicated teacher, helping Miss-Lou students to reach their educational goals. To carry on that legacy, the Boys & Girls Club of the Miss-Lou is starting a scholarship in her name. “When Carolyn’s death came about, we wanted to do something in her honor,” Boys & Girls Club Director Fay Minor said. “She was one of our first supporters. She donated $400 worth of brand-new books to the club when it first opened.” West, wife of Mayor Phillip West, died April 19 at the age of 56. She taught young children in the Miss-Lou for years. The club will award the scholarship to one Boys & Girls Club student every year, Minor said. That money will go toward college tuition, she said. The student will have to have good behavior, a GPA of 3.0 or higher and complete a required number of volunteer hours in the community and with the club. But before that can happen, the club has to raise the money for the scholarship. So far, they’ve raised some, but not enough to ensure the future of the program. Minor said she hoped to kick off the fundraising at Friday’s celebrity golf tournament. “We’ll have a big table set up with Carolyn Mosby West Scholarship Foundation across the front,” she said. The tournament, the Boys & Girls Club’s biggest fundraiser, will start at 1 p.m. at Beau Pr/, but food and festivities usually start around 11 a.m., Minor said. Kareem West, Carolyn and Mayor Phillip West’s older son, said he and his family were honored by the club’s decision. “Her work was community-oriented,” West said. “It’s definitely a privilege and a blessing to get money for a school and have someone honor her in that way.” More than that, the scholarship was a testament to the community’s support of his family and of children, he said. “She really believed in this community, and I think she’s smiling right now to see the way the community is doing things to support itself,” West said. “That’s what she was about, not just helping young people but helping everyone.” Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 10:13 PM   0 comments

Commentary: Rethinking Cuba - Taking off those Miami sunglasses may help clear up the picture he recent politicized dismissal of the indictment against Luis Posada Carriles by federal judge Kathleen Cardone has brought the historically thorny relationship between the US and Cuba once again to the forefront of the news. With both governments presenting wildly contradictory scenarios in a confrontation that defies easy resolution of this case against one of the most ill-reputed mass terrorists of the day, it is difficult to reach an informed and unbiased opinion on the matter. The same can be said for generating educated insights on almost all other aspects of US relations with Cuba. At the behest of White House ideologues and their Miami colleagues, information about life in Cuba has long been filtered and strained for public consumption, resulting in a general perception of Cuba that is massively distorted and divorced from reality. The Debate Which Never Occurred Washington’s standard take on Cuba is that long-time ruler Fidel Castro has always been an oppressive dictator and the country a veritable prison. As recently as April 29, President Bush yet again propagated this science fiction at a commencement address in Miami, calling Cuba’s political system a “cruel dictatorship that denies all freedom in the name of a dark and discredited ideology.” Yet there are a growing number of scholars and analysts who approach the subject of the Castro-era in much more measured terms, insisting that careful research would turn up any number of divergent findings from the White House’s conclusions. Approaching what will be fifty years of bitter hostility between Cuba and the US, it seems a highly appropriate moment to re-examine what has to be seen as Washington’s failed Cuba strategy – one that hasn’t produced meaningful rewards on either side. Recent Anti-Cuba Initiatives in the White House In 2006, the Bush administration allocated US$80 million in public funds to the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba (CAFC), a controversial body of faithful bureaucrats and Miami political militants set up by the White House in 2003 to “explore ways the US can help hasten and ease a democratic transition in Cuba.” Those familiar with the work of the CAFC know that it would be hard-pressed to pass a review by the Government Accountability Office for being balanced in its perspective, pluralistic in its make-up or professional in its approach. In other words, it is doomed to be simply one more boon-doggle aimed at pouring taxpayer funds into exile institutions to satisfy the wishes of anti-Castro proponents. Its first report, which totalled almost 500 pages, would have left little room for Cubans to have a say in the make-up of their government in a post-Castro era and was seen as being offensively arrogant, even to Cubans wishing to see changes in their political system. The commission, which was reconvened in 2005 by Condoleezza Rice, was subsequently granted more funding to issue a second report. According to official government websites, one of the pillars of CAFC’s mission is to help Cubans “meet their basic needs in the areas of health and education.” This new infusion of federal funds and proclamations about the betterment of Cuban society reinforces the negative and chronically inaccurate perceptions of daily life in Cuba that US authorities have disseminated for years. If one takes the time to look further into the actual living conditions for ordinary Cubans, the CAFC, though seemingly ebullient in its would-be crusade, reveals an initiative and policy hopelessly out of touch with modern day Cuban realities. CAFC Funds Might Be Better Spent in the U.S. than Cuba A good place to start in upholding the above thesis is to look at Cuba’s education system, one of the areas of “basic need” targeted by the CAFC. The fact is that 100% of Cuban children attend well-funded and adequately equipped elementary schools, where the student-teacher ratios are among the most favorable in the world (well below the average of even some of the most developed nations). In addition, university and professional training are accessible to all. Although this island nation is smaller than the state of Virginia, it contains 57 centers of higher education, with the government guaranteeing the right to free education at all levels in any of these institutions, provided that admission standards are met. This commitment has resulted in an exceedingly highly educated population. At 98%, the adult literacy rate in Cuba is on a par with the world’s most developed nations and averages 15 percentage points higher than the literacy rates found in other Latin American countries. This does not mean that the system is perfect; Cubans face a grievous shortage of resources, sometimes including food for mandated meals served during school hours. What it does demonstrate, however, is that the CAFC is seemingly divorced from reality in identifying Cuban education as a sector desperate for American succour. In fact, with annual tuition at US colleges skyrocketing into the tens of thousands of dollars - meaning that routinely, higher education in the US is increasingly limited mainly to those who can pay for it - there are undoubtedly some beneficial pointers to be taken from Cuba’s educational methodology and its prioritization of formal learning within a societal matrix. The Latin American School of Medicine (LASM) in Havana, for example, epitomizes Cuba’s egalitarian educational approach, demonstrating that a population might be better served when education is viewed as a basic right and not as a purchasable commodity. LASM is the largest medical school in the world, with its current enrollment approaching 12,000 students. The school is world-renowned for its high calibre of teaching, along with its provision of such services as free tuition, accommodation, board and a modest stipend for students from Cuba and 29 other nations. As of 2007, there were 91 students from underprivileged communities throughout the US who were studying there cost-free. These students, like many of the other foreign students at LASM, would have most likely been unable to pay for their education in their own countries. It is rather ironic that the Bush administration now funds a commission – CAFC – to allegedly help a post-Castro Cuba meet basic education needs, when it is readily apparent that Cubans on average already have far better access to quality education than many Americans are able to obtain or afford. Where the Left has got it Right - Healthcare in Cuba Another sector targeted by the CAFC is Cuba’s healthcare system. Contrary to what one would expect of a “cruel dictatorship,” the Cuban government has been committed to the provision of universal health services since it first came to power. Prior to the advent of the Castro administration, Cuba had 6,286 practicing physicians, which meant that only a small elite sector of society had access to physician care, while health services in the countryside were virtually non-existent. By 2002, the number of doctors had meteorically risen to 67,079, with the physician-civilian ratio improving from 1 doctor for every 1,076 citizens in 1958 (pre-Castro) to an extraordinary 1 for every 168 in 2002 in revolutionary Cuba. Cubans today have an average life expectancy that exceeds that of other Latin Americans by 8 years and its mortality rate for children under 5 is staggeringly low compared to other countries in the region (in 2005, Cuba’s child mortality rate was lower even than in the U.S.). While these are not the genera of statistics that normally make their way into the American media, Cuba is viewed throughout Latin America and other parts of the world as providing an exemplary model for the provision of universal healthcare to its people. In Washington, however, anti-Castro imperatives continues to cloud the picture with heavily politicized information, generating misguided and sterile initiatives as epitomized by the CAFC. To put matters into perspective, the recent death of Deamonte Driver, the 12-year-old American who passed away in Maryland from a dental infection, has drawn attention to the considerable financial difficulties plaguing the American poor in its attempt to access healthcare services. The Institute of Medicine, a body that advises Congress on health issues, estimates that 18,000 Americans die every year because they lack basic health coverage. One cannot help but wonder if the US$80 million boon-doggle assigned to finance CAFC in “helping [Cubans] meet basic needs in the area of healthcare” would not be more constructively spent improving the availability of medical services within U.S. borders. On May 24th, Washington’s own Greater Southeast Hospital was described by the Washington Post as being in “critical condition” and in desperate need of US$16 million. What Happened When Cuba was on the Brink of Collapse What is particularly significant about Cuba’s healthcare and education systems is that the services and public institutions heretofore discussed have been maintained in the face of a severe economic crisis producing draconian conditions in all aspects of Cuban national life. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 meant that overnight, Cuba lost 85% of its trade and its national GDP was reduced by more than one-third. Spare parts disappeared and agricultural production, which depended largely on Soviet oil to fuel its machinery, came to a near halt as transportation was frozen. The country appeared to be deconstructing and on the brink of collapse. With Cuba no longer allied with a menacing superpower or posing any security threat whatsoever to the US, one might expect US-Cuban relations to have even slightly normalized during this period. This would be entirely plausible, given that Havana was introducing a number of political and economic reforms, usually in the direction of liberalization and amelioration. Yet the US government took a very different stance, viewing the end of the Cold War as the opportune moment to step up its economic sanctions against the island and go in for the kill. Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 10:12 PM   0 comments

Free enrollment reiterated for public school students; "voluntary" fees later San Fernando City, La Union (28 May) -- While enrolment is now going on in all public elementary and high schools, and to ensure a smooth enrollment period, DEpEd Secretary Jesli Lapus, reiterated his call to all regional directors and public school heads to strictly comply with DepEd Order No. 20, “ that public school students should be enrolled without being compelled to pay other fees or contributions.” Further details of the Order include, public schools are prohibited from requiring/forcing enrollees to pay “voluntary contributions “ before admitting them, the only authorized fees to be collected are Boy and Girl Scouts, Red Cross & the anti-TB campaign, school papers & student organizations recognized by DepEd will be collected later and to be collected by the PTA-PTCAs while contributions pertaining to student activities or for the improvement of school facilities shall be done only on a voluntary basis. In a telephone call to the Office of the La Union Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Edna C. Leal, CESO VI, will adopt the same enrolment scheme in all public schools in her area. DepEd La Union encourages zero or free enrolment fees while “voluntary contributions “ will come later. "Long before the start of enrolment period, teachers were already instructed and reminded to strictly comply with the DepEd Order to allow all students to be enrolled without requiring them any financial obligations or collection of “voluntary contributions” but for those who can afford and willingly give their dues, are welcomed. And in cases wherein students have arrears for the past year, as these are always the perennial burden of teachers, they were also reminded time and again to be gentle and if possible avoid harassment and still may be allowed to enroll." Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 10:11 PM   0 comments

Without an education, life's rewards are few Why don't we take advantage of free education? As a high school student, I see a lot of teens my age who don't like to come to school. I don't understand why people wouldn't want to take advantage of 12 years' worth of free education. It's bad enough that our parents pay taxes. We should at least use the few free sources we do have. How long is it going to take for teens to realize that not getting an education is pointless these days? Why would they want to wait until they have a family and have to pay their way to get a GED or a high school diploma? Why would you want to work for a business if you have the opportunity to own it? All in all, I hope we get a grip on life. Without an education, you can say hello to flipping burgers or pushing a basket. It's your choice. Labels: financial aid, free education, scholarship posted by ^%&^ @ 10:10 PM   0 comments

Free education: Barbados shows the way This week's guest column is from a Jamaican resident in Barbados, writing in reaction to a local letter expressing doubts about the prospects of free education here. Beverley J. Walrond describes the extent and impact of free education in her adopted home in the southern Caribbean in the following terms: Please allow me to respond to the letter of Xavier Allen, one of your readers, in which he mocked the dream of another of your correspondents, that Jamaica should institute free education for its children. He speaks about the expense of it and asks how Mr. Golding expects to implement it. I am a Jamaican but I have not resided in Jamaica since 1974. I wish to make it clear that I have no interest in electoral politics in Jamaica. I would have understood Mr. Xavier Allen's point of view had I not had the opportunity to reside in Barbados since 1974. Upon arriving, I was stunned by the fact that that country was providing free primary, secondary and tertiary education to its citizens. I had the temerity to ask Prime Minister Errol Barrow how Barbados could afford to educate all of its children in that manner? He did not respond to me immediately I was speaking to him in his living room, and it was only after I got to know him much better that I realised how much he had been angered by the question. When I was leaving his home that evening, he quietly told me that the question ought not to have been how Barbados could afford to do it, but rather that I should have asked myself what self-respecting country would not decide that it owed its citizens an education and proper health care at a minimum. He further explained that I was talking about expense, whereas it was the most solid investment that any country could make, as it was the one that would keep on giving back to the country. In Barbados, both parties are fully agreed that development is not mainly about roads or tall buildings or about expensive cars Barbados has those too, but that development is about developing people, and I would invite Jamaicans to visit Barbados to see the difference that educating one's population can make. Everyone in Barbados has a chance to make something of himself or herself; it matters not who your parents are or what they have or do not have, one is required to simply send your child to school. Both parties are agreed that there should be no discrimination between rich children and poor children - all children are entitled to be provided with all textbooks for a small yearly rental fee of $80. It results in a much more peaceful country where I can sit outside on my verandah at all times of the evening without fear. It results in citizens who have the ability to think and be creative and who can read and understand instructions. It results in a country where most things work and where most persons have hope. Not all children make the best use of their education, but many do. Tuitions paid by gov't Barbadians, once they enter the University of the West Indies, have their tuition paid by the Government on whatever campus they may be and children who obtain three or four A-levels or CAPE at Grade A are awarded a Barbados scholarship. They may go to any university in the world which will accept them and the Barbados Government will pay the tuition fees and supply a further stipend. That accounts for several children from poor families being able to attend the very best universities in Canada, England and the United States of America - Waterloo, Toronto, McGill, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, University of Heriott-Watt, you name it - where they gain exposure and compete with the world's best and brightest. One year, the Government was so distressed to learn that only seven children qualified to be granted a Barbados scholarship that it launched an enquiry into the matter. Wasted human capital Jamaica will not do much better until it has tapped into its human capital and I believe that it has wasted this most precious resource over the years. The children of the poor have just as much chance at being brilliant and contributing to a country as the children of persons who are financially better off. Many of Barbados's top professionals, architects, engineers, lawyers, actuaries, etc., were from poor families and are proud to have achieved. Jamaica for too long has had a kind of selection process based on wealth, which excludes many children from access to the kind of education that would allow them to make the most of their talent. I picture my beloved Jamaica as being like an out-of-gas bus, carrying persons, too few of whom have the energy to push it uphill and which is burdened by too many more persons who are incapacitated and so are unable to help it move along. I urge us all to come to the realisation that without proper education of ALL of its citizens, which will give them hope and the means to earn a legitimate living, our future will be dark indeed in a world where education is the surest means of propelling any country forward. It is time to make the necessary investment in our people and to stop talking foolishness about the expense of it. Ignorance is far more expensive and costly to the national good. Labels: financial aid, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 10:10 PM   0 comments

Lynn sends students out to make them worldly She tried to go shopping during the afternoon siesta. And, oh yeah, she watched black-and-white foreign films in a tiny country movie theater with no air conditioning, as her professor explained Italian neorealism. Schindler is among a record number of students attending Lynn University's international summer school programs that have helped the Boca Raton school rank third in the country for overseas study. The 21-year-old Schindler said the 10-day trip to Italy taught her more about movies - and the world - than she could ever learn in a classroom. "I literally came back a different person," Schindler said. "I realized how ignorant I was of other cultures." About 130 students, or 5 percent of Lynn's enrollment, are taking summer classes this year in the markets, museums and malls of a dozen countries, including Vietnam, Spain and South Africa. With as many as 700 students enrolled in some kind of study-abroad program last year, Lynn University came in behind only Elon University in North Carolina and James Madison University in Virginia for having the highest number of students traveling to other countries for classes. The rankings, from the Institute of International Education, were for universities whose highest degree is at the master's level. "We really want our students to be prepared to go out in the workforce, and a lot of the workforce is international," said Nicolette Orezzoli, assistant director of Lynn's study-abroad program. The private university emphasizes multicultural studies as part of its liberal-arts curriculum and requires each student to complete four credits in a study-abroad program. The school has students from more than 90 countries and touts its diverse enrollment as something that sets it apart from larger schools. Professors also are encouraged to teach students in the real world instead of staying full time in the classroom. In March, students taking a class called the "Final Four Experience" visited Atlanta to study the marketing and management of teams competing in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Tickets to the games were included in the $3,250 trip cost. For study-abroad classes, Lynn students can enroll in traditional semester-long courses where they attend school in another country while living with a family, or they can enroll in special academic study tours. The study tours, which usually last about two weeks, are led by Lynn professors who teach about the culture of the country as well as the subject matter the class is studying. A business class now in China is visiting Hong Kong's commercial district, but also will take a tour of the Great Wall. A communication class going to Ireland next month will attend lectures at the American College Dublin and visit the Guinness brewery. The brewery, the syllabus explains, will "provide experiential activities regarding the history of educational and business opportunities in Ireland." The tours, which cost between $1,500 and $6,000, earn students three credits. Financial aid is available for students who can't afford the trips. Labels: high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:07 PM   0 comments

Scholarship time for local college, high schools The South San Francisco resident is one of 11 community college students who received the prestigious award. She will receive $10,000 each year for two years as well as a paid or volunteer summer work experience complementing her academic studies. Cervantes graduated from Skyline this year with an Associate of Arts degree in university studies, and Associate of Science degree in natural science and biotechnology. While at Skyline, she was active in the Associated Students of Skyline College as vice president. She was also involved in the Latin American Student Organization, Pre-Medical Club, Phi Theta Kappa, Puente and Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) Center. She will study biology at UC Santa Cruz with the goal of becoming a pharmacist. San Mateo High senior Eugenia Garcia received the Amici di Scuola Most Improved Student Scholarship Award for $600 on May 16. She was selected for this honor by faculty and staff at the school. She doubled her grade-point average while enduring two back surgeries that forced her to miss a lot of school during her sophomore and senior years. Garcia plans to attend College of San Mateo. Amici di Sculoa (friends of the school) presents this award annually. Burlingame High School student Geoffrey Horn was selected as the school's spring 2007 Jefferson Service in Schools Program Award winner for volunteering hundreds of hours at the school. Burlingame High is one of 25 schools in the Bay Area participating in the Jefferson Awards for Public Service/Service in Schools Program, which was created to encourage young Americans to volunteer in community service. For the past four years Horn has spent close to 500 hours working in the school's theater, setting up protocols for use of the facility and training personnel. Notre Dame High School senior Ariana Afshar will receive a $5,000 scholarship from the Professional Business Women of California. It will go toward her education at Stanford University starting this fall. The San Bruno Park School District will hold its Centennial Picnic on Friday from 5-7 p.m., celebrating its 100 years in the community. The event, which will be in San Bruno Park, will be modeled after what a typical community picnic would have been like in 1907. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and beverages will be provided. There will also be contests such as a three-legged race and sack race. For more information, call Superintendent David Hutt (650)624-3110. A team of Notre Dame High School students won the highest honors in the year-end standings at the 2006-2007 WordMasters Challenge, a national competition for high school students requiring close reading and analysis of prose and poetry. Participating against 572 other high school teams, Notre Dame's 11th-grade team tied for 10th place in the nation in the cumulative standings at the end of four meets. While not placing in the year-end standings, the school's 10th-grade team tied for 10th place in the nation in the year's final meet. Two students won highest honors for year-long individual achievement. Junior Laura Sanford was one of the 11 highest-ranking juniors in the entire country in the year-end standings, and senior Kelsey Hayes was one of the 17 highest-ranked seniors. Two summer schools in the Jefferson School District will provide free lunches as part of the National Seamless Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided without charge to all children in summer school programs at Ben Franklin Intermediate School and Susan B. Anthony Elementary School. Labels: financial aid, high school, scholarship, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 10:06 PM   0 comments

Davis & Davis Scholarship: Brownsville girl Lisa Fraley is confident, determined and focused. And a little bit of a perfectionist as well. Fraley will finish high school as Brownsville Area's salutatorian, ranking second in a class of 150 with a 3.97 grade point average. But according to Fraley, she could have done even better. "The only regret I have is not taking school a little more seriously in the beginning," Fraley said. "I didn't think I would get to where I am now." That's Fraley the perfectionist talking. Way back when, during her first year of high school, Fraley received a 'B' of all things in Algebra II. Maybe she isn't perfect, but Fraley fashioned superb academic and athletic careers while at Brownsville, and because of her accomplishments, will be recognized as one of the area's top student/athletes. Fraley, the daughter of Robin and Karen Fraley of Brownsville, was selected as the top female student/athlete at Brownsville Area High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program. The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County's best and brightest student/athletes. A banquet will culminate the program on Sunday, June 3, at the Historic Summit Inn. At that time, each of the 14 honorees will receive $500 toward a college education. HSTV will videotape the program. Advertisement The granddaughter of Dorothy Fraley, of California, and Leonard and Francis Kromer, of Penn-Craft, Fraley will continue her academic career at Indiana University of Pa., where she will double major in marketing and fashion merchandising. Fraley got a taste of what her future may hold when she was chosen as Chairperson of the Prom Fashion Show, the biggest fundraiser for Brownsville's senior class. "It was a very good experience," Fraley said. "This was a really big project and it required people to really put time and effort into it. It really showed me how much work you have to do to be successful, and it made me realize that I couldn't do it myself. I needed to rely on other people to help out." Fraley picked IUP over West Virginia University because of several factors. The smaller, more personal confines of IUP appealed to her, as did the high academic standard the school requires of its students. Indiana was also one of the few schools that offered a four-year program in fashion merchandising. "I've always liked fashion merchandising and I realized I could do something on the business end of it after college," Fraley said. "There's a vast array of directions you can take it. I'd prefer to stay on the business end and work in a corporate office." Fraley worked hard to achieve her success in high school, both in the classroom and on the playing field. She was a member of Student Council, Senior Cabinet, the National Honor Society, the Spanish National Honor Society, Treasurer of Interact, a member of the Ski Club and played a prominent roll in helping her class raise over $2,000 with the Prom Fashion Show. The past two years, Fraley worked at McDonald's, and this summer she will waitress at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa. Fraley was also a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Republic, where she helped with vacation bible school and youth group. Sometimes, just finding the time to study proved a challenge. "Time management was very important," Fraley said. "When I wasn't at work or at practice, I had a meet. I usually wouldn't get home until 10 p.m., so it was a busy day." But Fraley learned early in high school to make the most of her time, which is why she usually didn't have to stay up late studying. "I never stayed up past 10:30 p.m.," Fraley said. "I tried to get everything done as soon as I possibly could in school. I knew if I had to stay up late, I wouldn't be able to pay attention in class. "It was just a matter of finding ways to get my homework done and finding time to study in between everything I was doing." As a freshman, Fraley was a member of the volleyball and softball teams. She decided to try two new sports - track and field and cross country - as a sophomore, and participated in both her final three years of high school. Fraley took up jumping late in her high school career, and although she missed qualifying for the WPIAL finals, her effort didn't go unnoticed. "Last year was one of the first years she started jumping and she worked out on her own during the offseason and came back very excited for her senior year," said Falcons cross country and track and field coach Brian Nicholson. "She was our senior captain and a strong motivator for the team. I think if she would have started jumping earlier in her career, she probably would have made it to the WPIALs. "She's a very intelligent young lady. She'll excel at anything she puts her mind to." Labels: financial aid, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:00 PM   0 comments

Carson High School 2007 scholarship recipients Alaniz, Ariana: John Ascuagas Nugget Scholarship, Merry & Jason Bayer Broad Horizons Scholarship, Mom and Pop's Scholarship Alemon, Juan: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Anderson, Blake: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Asp, Sarah:National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship Beaupre, Bryttny: John & Grace Nauman Foundation Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship, Richard Thoreson Memorial Scholarship Berggren, Matthew: Sierra NV Assoc. of Realtors, Inc. Scholarship Bernhard, BreAnna: Mom and Pop's Scholarship Bevans, Amanda: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Bleuss, Lindsey: NV Class. School Empl. Assoc. Chap. Scholarship, UNR Pack Pride Scholarship Boehnke, Mats: CHS Soccer Booster Club Inc. Scholarship, Capital/AYSO Soccer Club Scholarship Borgman, Rebecca: Carson City Area 4-H Scholarship Boyd, Ashley: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Burroughs, Kaitlin: Mom and Pop's Scholarship, CHS National Honor Society Scholarship Caloiaro, Laurie: UNR Pack Pride Scholarship Carter, Meagan: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Chacon, Arianna: Cottey College Academic Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Charles, Kristen: Kerri Oxoby Memorial Scholarship, NAHAS Scholarship, Lottie Scott Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Chatwood, Timothy: Albert & Francis Seeliger Scholarship, Larry Holloway Memorial Music Scholarship, Brandon Putzer Memorial Scholarship, Military Aptitude Scholarship Award, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Cook, Ashley: J&W Presidential Academic Scholarship, Pro-Start Scholarship, J&W Recipe Contest Scholarship, Skills USA VICA Scholarship, EANGUS Scholarship, Virginia Nuzum-Jim Albee Kiwanis/Trade Scholarship, Adele's Culinary Arts Scholarship, National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship, International Food Service Exec. Asso. Scholarship Cook, Brittany: South Western College Technical Thtr. Scholarship Cooper, Kaitlynn: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Csiga, Kerry: Albert & Francis Seeliger Scholarship, OCEA Scholarship, Carson-Tahoe Hospital Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship DeRosa, Jennifer: National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship Diamond, Jennifer: Greater Nevada Credit Union Scholarship, National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Dooley, Jessica: Masonic Centennial Lodge #47 Scholarship Easby, Lauren: TR Garrett Memorial Scholarship, Boston University Digital Imag. Arts Scholarship, University of Oregon Dean's Scholarship Eich, Lexy: UNR Pack Pride Scholarship, Sierra Nevada College Project Scholarship Gansberg, Josh: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Easby, Lauren: CSU, Chico WUE Program Garcia, Juan: Ronald McDonald House Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Gohr, Elizabeth: Academy of Art U. Portfolio Scholarship, Robert Z. Hawkins Scholarship, Kiwanis Club Scholarship Goles, Kevin: Barry University Athletic Scholarship, Barry University Athletic Book Scholarship, Barry University Academic Scholarship, Barry University Remote Access Scholarship Gorra, Brett: CHS Football/Mac Wilson Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Greene, Jamie: US Naval Academy Foundation Scholarship American Legion High Desert 56 Scholarship Gunn, Caitlin: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Gutierrez, Elysa: Pack Pride Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Hamer, Nathaniel: Larry Holloway Memorial Music Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship, UNR Pack Pride Scholarship Hollett, Yvette: Soroptimist Intl. Girl of the Month Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Hoote, Whittney: National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship, UNR Academic Scholarship, J&W Presidential Academic Scholarship, J&W Prostart Scholarship, Culinary Inst. of Las Vegas Mngt. Team Award, J&W Career Exploration, J&W National Recipe Contest, J&W Culinary Essentials Scholarship, J&W Management Team Award, Skills USA Leadership Scholarship Hutchins, Courtney: CC Natives and Newcomers Scholarship Jasso, Neil: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Judd, Courtney: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Judge, Danielle: Sheryl Deveau Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship, Kerri Oxoby Memorial Scholarship Kitchen, Rebecca: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Knutson, Tory: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Lambert, Heather: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Landes, Ryan: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Larson, Kristin: Carson Masonic Lodge #1 Scholarship, Edith Milo/CC Retired Teachers Scholarship, NDPSA Scholarship, Faralee Spell Memorial Scholarship Leatham, Joseph: Mark S. Miller Memorial Scholarship, Tahoe Fracture Ortho. Medical Scholarship, Robert Z. Hawkins Scholarship, Kiwanis Club Scholarship Leonard, Jessica: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Macquarie, Anna: Robert C. Byrd Scholarship, CHS Soccer Booster Club Inc. Scholarship, Capital/AYSO Soccer Club Scholarship, CHS National Honor Society Scholarship Malkiewich, Jillian: Kiwanis Club Scholarship, OCEA Scholarship, Cal-Nev-Ha Kiwanis Found.Youth Scholarship, Lewis & Clark Coll. Dean's Scholarship, NY Univ. Coll. of Arts & Sciences Scholarship, Whitman College Scholarship, Carson City Kiwanis Club Scholarship Marcin, Heather: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Mauer, Michelle: National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship Medina, Jonathan: Capital/AYSO Soccer Club Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Metcalf, Sarah: National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship Midboe, Lisa: Robert Z. Hawkins Scholarship, Mom and Pop's Scholarship, Tulane Founders Scholarship Midboe, Lisa: Lottie Scott Scholarship Miller, Paige: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Munoz, Arlette: Carson-Tahoe Hospital Scholarship, Marilyn-Elaine Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Norgrove, Richard: CHS Football/Mac Wilson Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship O'Higgins, Katelyn:CC Council Navy League Scholarship Paras, Ashley: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Perkins, Barbara: National Restaurant Achievement Scholarship, National Recipe Contest Culinary Inst. of Las Vegas Award, Johnson & Wales Award, Career Exploration Johnson & Wales Presidential Acad. Scholarship, Johnson & Wales Culinary Essentials, Johnson & Wales Prostart Putnam, Pamela: Dr. Gedney Science Award, Robert C. Byrd Scholarship, Raymond Berner Scholarship, Marilyn-Elaine Memorial Scholarship Remer, Stephen: Sierra NV Assoc. of Realtors, Inc. Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Reynolds, Amanda: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship, UNR Pack Pride Scholarship Roath, Kiona: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Roberts, Anthony: CHS Football/Mac Wilson Memorial Scholarship Rutledge, Candice: UNR Nevada Scholars Sanchez, Eduardo: John & Grace Nauman Foundation Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Sarkissian, Jayne: Dr. D'Ascoli Health Services Scholarship Saunders, Greg: Winn Scholarship, UNR Pack Pride Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Scarbrough, Daniel: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Shroy, Chadwick: US Naval Academy Appointment, Joseph Gilliam Award Simms, Kendra: John & Grace Nauman Foundation Scholarship Sinnott, Ann: Carson City Area 4-H Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Smallman, Nicholas: NIAA/ Lifetouch Top 10 Student Athlete Award, Lewis & Clark College Dean's Scholarship, Linfield College Trustee Scholarship, St. Mary's College Honors Entrance Scholarship, U. of Redlands Achievement Award, U. of Redlands Presidential Scholarship Sosa, J. Martin: Larry Holloway Memorial Music Scholarship, Mom and Pop's Scholarship, Tulane Founders Scholarship, Tulane Alumni Scholarship Stahl, Brittany: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Stair, Amy: John Ascuagas Sorospen Scholarship, CC Host Lions Club "TAZ" Scholarship, Carson -Tahoe Hospital Scholarship, CC Republican Women's Club Scholarship, Raymond H. Berner Memorial Scholarship, AAUW Scholarship, TR Garrett Memorial Scholarship, Nevada Scholars, John & Grace Nauman Foundation Scholarship, Dick Stoddard Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship, Drs. Manoukian & Romaneschi Scholarship Stefonowicz, Kimberly: UNR Silver and Blue Scholarship, US Senate Youth Program Scholarship, Wm. Randolph Hearst Found. Scholarship, Sheryl Deveau Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Stephenson, Andrew: US Naval Academy Appointment, Military Officers Association Scholarship Tronson, Makala: Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Updegrove, Alexander: CHS Soccer Booster Club Inc. Scholarship, George Horton Scholarship, American Legion Eagle Scout Award von Rumpf, Justine: NROTC Scholarship/Marine Corps Option, CHS Soccer Booster Club Inc. Scholarship, Capital/AYSO Soccer Club Scholarship Vondrak, Clinton: John & Grace Nauman Foundation Scholarship, CHS Football/Mac Wilson Memorial Scholarship, Woodrow Loftin Scholarship Labels: scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 10:00 PM   0 comments

Sunday, May 27 Brown accepts scholarship Georgia Institute of Technology recently announced the presentation of the Frank R. and Kathleen C. Woolford Scholarship to Courtney Grace Brown of Searcy, daughter of Kevin and Wanda Brown. The Woolford Scholarship is presented annually by Georgia Tech to an Arkansas resident seeking a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. The award is for $17,500 per year. Courtney is a 2007 graduate of the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs. She attended Searcy High School through her sophomore year. She will be pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation’s top research universities, distinguished by its commitment to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology. The Georgia Tech campus occupies 400 acres in the heart of the city of Atlanta, where more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive a focused, technologically based education. Labels: education online, financial aid, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 9:51 PM   0 comments

Jamie Hall scholarship established at ACM A $500 memorial scholarship is available to a forestry student applying to or attending Allegany College of Maryland. To be eligible one must be a full-time student enrolled in the Forest Technology or Forest Transfer curriculum at Allegany College, be a resident of West Virginia, have a minimum 3.0 GPA and provide a statement of financial need. The scholarship was established in memory of 18-year-old Jamie Lee Hall by her former employer, TimberLand Consulting of Hampshire County, W.Va. Through the contributions many others, a fund was established to create a perpetual scholarship of $500 to be awarded annually to a forestry student at ACM. Hall graduated early from Hampshire High School to begin her forest technician degree at ACM and start her career in forestry. While attending school, Hall was employed part-time by TimberLand Consulting. Hall was killed in a vehicle accident in 2002 on her way to classes at Allegany College. For additional information or to receive a scholarship application, contact the Guidance Office or Allegany College of Maryland Foundation, 12401 Willowbrook Rd. Cumberland MD 21502-9981 or call (301) 784-5200. The deadline for receipt of applications is May 31. Labels: education online, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 9:51 PM   0 comments

Davis & Davis Scholarship: Albert Gallatin girl Marquis Demniak offers no magic potion when it comes to explaining how she evolved into one of the area's best outside shooters in basketball. "I started playing when I was in third grade," the 17-year-old Demniak said. "I sort of taught myself in the beginning. It seemed like I was always a good shooter, and I got better as I got older. "My dad always pushed me to do better. He and a couple of my coaches showed me how to hold and shoot the basketball when I was young. Then it was just practice, practice, practice." Demniak, one of the WPIAL's top 3-point shooters, led the Lady Colonials in scoring the past two seasons and was voted to the FCCA All-County team both years. The sharp-shooting guard ranks high in academics, too. Her 3.80 grade point average puts her at No. 22 in her class of 295. Demniak, the daughter of Mark and Cindy Demniak of Leckrone, was selected as the top female student/athlete at Albert Gallatin Senior High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program. The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County's best and brightest student/athletes. A banquet will culminate the program on Sunday, June 3, at the Historic Summit Inn. Labels: career training, education online, financial aid, high school, student loans posted by ^%&^ @ 9:51 PM   0 comments

Coshocton Career Center hosts awards, scholarship ceremony Corey Grossenbaugh, enrolled in the electronics program at the Coshocton Career Center, was chosen as the 2007 Outstanding Coshocton Career Center Student for 2007. He will graduate from River View High Sunday night and plans to continue his study in the field of digital electronics at COTC, where he has been concurrently enrolled during the spring quarter. Grossenbaugh also works for Sota Technologies in Coshocton. Grossenbaugh received an engraved plaque, a $1,000 cash award and will have his photograph displayed in the center during the 2007-2008 school year. Tad Johnson, district board president, and Donna Johnson, Superintendent, made the presentation during an awards ceremony attended by 122 seniors. Fourteen scholarship awards totaling almost $27,000 were presented as follows: Sarah Albaugh, Ridgewood High, health careers, Ohio Academic Scholarship Award. Sally Jones, Ridgewood High, health careers, and Danielle Moran, Ridgewood, business marketing career, Coshocton Rotary Scholarships. Jones also received the Coshocton County Board of Realtors Award and R.R. & Mary Jones Memorial Scholarship. Advertisement First Federal Katrina Fulks, River View, culinary arts, Coshocton Restaurant Assn.’s Culinary Arts Scholarship. Moran also received the Harmon and Norma Robinson Memorial Scholarship. Jacob Conrad, River View, auto technology, Walter H. Pomerene Award and Washington State College two-year renewable Tech Prep scholarship. Amy Wright, River View, and Nikita Hunt, Ridgewood, both 2005-2006 health careers, Coshocton Memorial Hospital Scholarships. Amanda Mobley, Coshocton, business marketing, and Aaron Slaughter, Coshocton, building trades, Coshocton County Career Center Employee Education Assn. student leader awards. Joshua Endlich and Richard Hahn, both Ridgewood, welding trades, Imagination America student scholarships. Seven Dollars for Scholars award winners were identified, with awards totaling over $3,600, as follows: Fulks, Blaire Hill, Grossenbaugh, Jones, Mobley, Amy Wilson and Allison Wilt. Labels: career training, education online, financial aid, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad posted by ^%&^ @ 9:50 PM   0 comments