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From Nursing To Aviation

Colleges and universities throughout the country have established scholarships and partnerships that can make tuition and fees more affordable for students. For the academic year beginning in fall 2010, however, Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, offered four full-tuition scholarships. The scholarships, provided as part of an essay contest and tailored to high school and transfer students with minimum 3.7 grade point averages, also covered fees and books.

Several other institutions also launched scholarships and partnerships this year that make college and university studies more affordable for students. Herzing University Online, through a partnership with the Tribal Education Departments National Assembly, for example, is offering members of the departments a free one-credit course. Participants who complete the free course and decide to enroll in the institution receive a scholarship for the duration of their attendance, according to an announcement from the Milwaukee institution.

The Tribal Education Departments National Assembly is a non-profit organization representing Education Departments of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes members who join it. In addition, Herzing University-Brookfield in June announced that it had established a new scholarship for area residents. The Herzing University Community Commitment Scholarship follows the March opening of the institution’s Brookfield, Wisconsin, campus. The scholarship awards $3,000 to a first-place finalist and $500 to four other finalists.

Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, this year awarded its first Dr. Winston S. Churchill scholarship. The Churchill Scholarship, intended for aviation students and awarded to senior Sarah Morris, recognizes students for academic and leadership abilities. Morris is an aviation and flight management major who serves as co-captain of the institution’s flight team. Churchill, the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill and an author and member of Parliament, in 1984 was provided an honorary doctorate degree from Jacksonville University.

Jacksonville University also was provided a grant that is to be awarded to students as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarships. The scholarships, provided through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing are designed in part for students who are typically underrepresented in the field of nursing. Jacksonville University plans to award eight $10,000 scholarships to students who enroll in its accelerated nursing programs for the 2010-2011 academic year.

US Health Resources and Services Administration information provided as part of the Jacksonville University announcement suggests that nurses who begin work in the field after obtaining bachelor’s degrees are more likely to move on to a graduate degree in nursing than other nursing professionals. In all, 63 grants for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarships were awarded. They included grants to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR; Azusa Pacific University in San Diego, CA; Boston College; the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN; Kent State University in Kent, OH, and Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.

At Kent State University also, a $30,000 grant from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender support, advocacy and education group is to provide for endowment of a scholarship for students who minor in LGBT studies at the institution. The grant was provided by the Akron chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgendered individuals, according to the announcement from Kent State University. The hope is that others contribute money to increase the scholarship amount, the announcement noted. In March, Kent State University opened a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Center as part of an overall diversity effort on campus.

In addition to colleges and universities, large companies, non-profit organizations, professional associations and community and civic groups provide scholarships. Some are intended to increase diversity. Others are geared toward students who live within certain geographical regions. These awards might also be based on academics, financial needs or a combination of factors. Many, if not most, private scholarships, as well as those provided by colleges and universities, require that students first complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is available online.


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