Spring 2011 - The University of Akron

( feATure sTory )
Osher Scholarships Assist Adult Learners
For the third consecutive year,
the Bernard Osher Foundation will ease the financial burden
of adult students through a $50,000 grant to The University of
Akron to continue The Osher Reentry Scholarship Program – a
scholarship specifically dedicated to adult learners.
UA Adult Focus will award 20 scholarships of $2,500 in the
2011-12 academic year. Award recipients, called Osher Scholars,
will receive the first awards in the fall 2011 semester.
“The Osher Reentry Scholarship has become an anchor
for new interest in adult scholarship opportunities,” said
Laura Conley, director of UA Adult Focus. “It has shed light on
the scholarship needs of nontraditional and adult students.”
Those eligible for the scholarship must be between 25 and
50 years old; have been away from school for a minimum of
five years; be working toward the completion of their first
baccalaureate degree; be enrolled full-time (carrying at least 12
credit hours); have a minimum of one semester completed at UA;
and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
UA is one of 73 institutions, including Pennsylvania State
University, Northwestern University and UCLA, to receive this
grant funding, which recognizes excellence in adult learning
programs.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San
Francisco, was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected
businessman and community leader. The foundation seeks to
improve quality of life through support for higher education and
the arts.
Call the ua adult Focus office at 330-972-5793 for more information.
Osher Scholars
Carrie andrews
Carrie made the decision to return
to school in order to provide a better
life for her family and to be a role
model for her four children. A single
mother, Carrie has had to work three
jobs while still attending classes fulltime
as she pursues a degree in
sociology/criminology/law enforcement. By receiving this
scholarship, it has helped to make Carrie’s dream of getting
a degree more attainable while enabling her to spend more
time with her children.
Joe meister
After graduating from high school,
Joe did not feel that going on to
college was the right thing for him.
He decided to enter the workforce
where after years of hard work in hot
kitchens he decided to take his life
to the next level. He took the adult
Student Success Seminar class his first semester which
helped him transition from an adult worker to an adult
student. He plans to graduate with a degree in exercise
science and continue to graduate school for a degree in
physical therapy. The Osher Scholarship has helped him to
continue with his goal.
Kevin messick
Kevin started college years ago but
never finished. After working fulltime
in the construction industry
and starting a family, he realized he
did not want his son to pursue his
goals and dreams without a college
education. Being someone that firmly
believes in leading by example, he chose to return to college.
Kevin is a senior with expectations of graduating in 2011
with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in
corporate financial management and is very grateful for
the Osher Scholarship.
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