Scholarship America

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The Scholar News and Notes from Scholarship America ® Letter From The President Spring 2008 Dear Friends, You may have already noticed a change in this publication: in December, Scholarship America ® rolled out a new logo and color scheme. This is not a simple modification of our previous logo; it is a bold change and represents the bold future of our organization. While market research bears out the change— a majority of the other scholarshiprelated organizations are using a mortarboard in their logo treatments, and so a change differentiates us in the market—we selected the eagle because of what it represents: freedom, vision and tenacity. With its recent resurgence, leading to its removal from the endangered species list in 2007, the eagle also represents spirit, determination, hard work and perseverance. These are the very characteristics that students must have in order to be successful in their postsecondary careers and beyond. Scholarship America President and CEO Dr. Clifford L. Stanley, Major General, USMC (Retired) Along with the new logo, we recently launched an updated Web site designed to help our visitors get the information they need more quickly and easily. In addition to a content-rich home page and easier navigation, the Web site boasts an interactive blog and a more robust media landing page that includes recent news, downloadable publications and more. This is also the area of the Web site in which we will post our news releases and upcoming events. As a result of our new Web strategies, we are already reaching more individuals who are as passionate about education as you are and are willing to share their time and resources with aspiring students. I invite you to visit our Web site often to stay informed and in touch. Late in 2007, Scholarship America was selected by the Kisco Foundation to administer the Fund for Veterans’ Education, a privately funded scholarship program for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This fund, which currently stands at $8 million, awards scholarships that fill a gap left by the GI Bill, and assures that a college education remains within reach of those who have served our country. We are already working on plans to launch additional new programs in 2008, designed to assure a college education remains within reach of every student who desires one. News will be reported as it happens on our Web site (scholarshipamerica.org), as well as in our next issue of The Scholar. Thank you, as always, for your support of our mission. Warm regards, Dr. Clifford L. Stanley Major General, USMC (Retired) President & CEO 2 scholarshipamerica.org
News and Notes from Scholarship America ® Spring 2008 The Scholar Dreamkeepers Program Gets a Boost The Dreamkeepers Emergency Financial Aid program, which helps address the high drop-out rates of community college students who are faced with unexpected expenses, will be expanded in 2008 thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation. “A sudden health care crisis, reduction in work hours or family emergency can quickly derail the efforts of low-income students striving to get a college education,” said Dr. Clifford Stanley, president and CEO of Scholarship America. “Emergency financial aid can make the difference between reaching their dreams and dropping out of higher education. We thank Wal- Mart Foundation for supporting this important initiative.” The Dreamkeepers program was started by Scholarship America in 2005 with a grant from Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based private foundation dedicated to expanding access to and success in education beyond high school. Today, Scholarship America administers the program at 11 community colleges throughout the country. The colleges were chosen because they enroll large numbers of low-income students and students of color – groups with high rates of attrition that have traditionally been underserved by the education system. In its first two years, the program delivered dramatic results that changed people’s lives. The Dreamkeepers program provided nearly $595,393 to 1,566 students – easing student worries about housing, food, scholarshipamerica.org “ Dreamkeepers gives colleges the ability to give promising students a helping hand when it feels like the world is conspiring against their dreams of a college degree. Margaret McKenna, President, Wal-Mart Foundation utilities, tuition, books, transportation, child care and medical needs. The result was a significant impact on attrition. In 2005, 64 percent of students re-enrolled or graduated after receiving assistance; in 2006, retention rates went up to 85 percent at participating schools, with three reporting retention of 90 percent or higher. Funding from the Wal-Mart Foundation will expand the emergency financial aid program to additional community colleges located in Wal-Mart’s opportunity zones. “The Wal-Mart Foundation is pleased to support and expand the work of Scholarship America’s Dreamkeepers program. Dreamkeepers gives the colleges the ability to give promising students a helping hand when it feels like the world is conspiring against their dreams of a college degree,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. “College education is the ticket to a better life, especially for disadvantaged students working their way toward better jobs and more security.” Posters advertising the Dreamkeepers Emergency Financial Aid program hang in Scholarship America’s office. These are distributed to participating schools to assist in making students aware of the program. 3
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Scholarship America

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