| In
an effort to attract and retain more of Montana's
top students, the MSU Foundation has kicked
off the largest fund-raising campaign of its
type in school history. The Putting
Students First Scholarship Campaign seeks
$18 million to increase the scholarship dollars
MSU has available for recruiting, retaining
and rewarding students. |
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| With
competition among universities for talented
students becoming keener, combined with the
rising cost of education, the ability to be
competitive in scholarships offered to freshman
students has become MSU's top priority. |
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| By
increasing scholarships, MSU guarantees that it remains
accessible to all Montana students. |
| "Given
MSU's desire to do everything possible to ensure student
success and, in the present economic and competitive climate,
providing scholarships to deserving students is our number
one priority," said MSU President Geoff Gamble. "The vast
opportunities for student success at MSU must first be
financially accessible." |
| Foundation
President and Executive Director Dave Gibson echoes the
need to better recruit, retain and reward students. |
| "Putting
Students First, the campaign to raise $18 million for
scholarship endowments is the number one fund-raising
priority for MSU," says Gibson. "President Gamble, soon
after his arrival, quickly recognized the need for a greater
base for our scholarship endowments. MSU's students are
tops, they can compete with the best in the country. But
the scholarships available to them are lacking. The university's
scholarships need to be comparable to its peers to insure
that the quality of our student body remains high. To
attract and retain good students, MSU needs more, larger
and renewable scholarships. Often even our best students
must compete each year to retain their scholarships." |
| A
key feature of the campaign is the emphasis on attracting
freshmen with renewable scholarships. |
| Currently
students must compete annually for most scholarship support,
even though they excel in the classroom. |
| "Renewable
scholarships are essential not just to attract freshmen
but also for students to have the opportunity to achieve
their academic goals and to remain at MSU," says Ronda
Russell, director of MSU's Admissions and New Student
Services. |
| For
years, Montanans have bemoaned the "great brain robbery,"
i.e. Montana college graduates who are compelled to seek
employment out of state. Now the exodus occurs also on
the front end with out-of-state colleges offering attractive
scholarships to Montana high school students. |
| Erica
Hanson, a valedictorian of Bozeman high school's class
of 2001 was lured out-of-state by a four-year renewable
scholarship package with which MSU simply could not compete.
|
| "The
scholarship I was offered was just too good to turn down,"
says Hanson, an engineering major. "Seven of the top 10
students in my high school graduating class went out of
state for college." |
| It
is a disturbing trend that MSU has seen develop over the
years and now hopes to remedy, at least in part, by leveling
the playing field. In the few cases where MSU can currently
offer competitive scholarships for top students, the results
prove the point. |
| Ann
Ulvin of Spokane, Wash., received a presidential scholarship
(a four-year renewable merit grant and tuition waiver)
to attend MSU and will graduate this spring with two degrees:
a B.S. in industrial engineering and a B.A. in French.
She was also a recipient of an Award for Excellence in
February. |
| "I
wouldn't have come to MSU if it weren't for my scholarships,"
says Ulvin. "I'm from Washington and my parents are both
public school teachers, so there's no way we could have
afforded out-of-state tuition. My scholarships enabled
me to focus on my studies. It's difficult to imagine what
it would have been like without my scholarships. I know
one thing's for sure: I wouldn't have been an MSU student." |
| According
to Gibson, the campaign, which is scheduled to run through
2005, is off to a strong start. |
| "Early
response from alumni and friends to this need has been
tremendously gratifying. Actual contributions in hand
at this time exceed $10 million, over half the goal. We
are very grateful for this support. We are anxious to
continue to work with donors. Any funds given or pledged
to a scholarship endowment counts toward the campaign
goal." |
| To
receive more information about the Putting Students First
Scholarship Campaign or to make a gift, contact the MSU
Foundation at 800-457-1696; 406-994-2053; e-mail: foundation@montana.edu
or visit the Foundation's Web site at www.montana.edu/foundation.
|
| — by
Rick Jackson, MSU Foundation |
