SCHOLARS

Presidential Scholars not only excel in the classroom but also become role models as campus leaders. For example, senior Christina Sambor of Bismarck is serving this year as vice president of the student body.

 Back in 1987 the University of North Dakota took an action that put it ahead of the curve in recognizing how important it was for the region’s brightest high school seniors to choose the University of North Dakota.

  Not that top-notch students weren’t already coming to UND. But, reasoned then-President Thomas J. Clifford, even more freshmen with outstanding credentials would immediately add to the academic excitement of the campus and pay off later in support when they became successful alumni.

  Surveys have revealed that the most promising students choose a university primarily on the basis of academic reputation and specific programs of study.
Sensing growing competition for the region’s whiz kids, Clifford wondered then if new financial incentives — and some targeted special attention — might not be a better investment than was generally assumed.

  Thus was born UND’s Presidential Scholars Program. Today, funded in large part by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation, it provides four-year scholarships to high school graduates who have grades and test scores that can get them into virtually any university in the nation.

  These days, university fundraisers, including UND’s, are redoubling their efforts to raise scholarship dollars. One of them is the University of Minnesota, which has announced a $150 million special campaign for that purpose. Minnesota not only competes with UND for Division I hockey players but also for the academic all-stars in both states.

The spirit of scholastic achievement and high purpose i sreflected in the Reading Room of the Chester Fritz Library.

  One of the reasons cited by UM President Robert H. Bruininks for the new campaign is music to the ears of UND counterpart and friend, Charles E. Kupchella, who sees increasing North Dakota’s population as one the state’s highest priorities. In an Oct. 31, 2004, op-ed piece in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bruininks argued that if a young person attends college out of state, the likelihood of he or she remaining there after graduation is extremely high.

 “That’s exactly the case on both sides of the Red River,” Kupchella says.

 This fall, 645 Presidential Scholars are enrolled at various stages of their undergraduate programs, including 171 who were first-year freshmen in the fall of 2004. More than 800 have graduated and, according to the UND Alumni Association, are rising rapidly in their professions. Nearly 60 percent live in North Dakota and Minnesota.

  Besides recognition and hometown publicity, the new scholars received some perks. Perhaps most appreciated, says Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Alice Hoffert, was the opportunity to come to campus in June, meet people, and register for courses before other freshmen.

  Later, they were welcomed to the campus at a special brunch attended by their parents and were assigned a “mentor” from among the already enrolled Presidential Scholars. In late October they were invited to the first of two special events: an evening of discussion with Professor Emeritus of Political Science Lloyd Omdahl, regarded as North Dakota’s most astute political observer, and longtime political commentator Phil Harmeson, who serves as senior associate to President Kupchella.

  The University monitors the academic progress of the scholars and intervenes as necessary, Hoffert said. To keep the scholarship, they must maintain full-time status and a 3.25 grade point average on a four-point scale. Most do, she said, and most complete their degrees.

  For 2005-2006, UND will offer three levels of Presidential   Scholarships:
     1. National Merit Scholarship Corporation finalists, $5,000 a year plus an annual         $1,000 stipend provided by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
     2. Students with high school grade point averages of 3.65 and above and         32-to-36 composite ACT scores, $3,000 a year.
     3. Those with grade points of 3.65 and higher and 29-to-31 ACT scores,         $2,000 a year.

  Although the Presidential Scholars Program has been expanded in recent years, it remains just one piece of the University’s total scholarship program, says Hoffert, who oversees the student financial aid office.

  Altogether, UND awarded 2,908 scholarships this year, many of them designated by donors for students enrolled in specific academic programs or even from particular places. The UND Foundation alone funded $3.2 million in scholarships.

  As generous as this support has been, UND could use more scholarship money, Hoffert said. The majority of UND’s larger awards are one-year scholarships to beginning freshmen. Fewer dollars are available for returning students, including those gems, she says, who may have had unremarkable records in high school but “find themselves” academically in college. She also would like to have money to recruit outstanding students from the growing number who start in community colleges with the intention of later transferring to a university.

Interested in learning more about UND’s scholarship program? Go to www.und.edu/dept/finaid/scholarships.htm.

New automatic admission     standards take effect this fall Students who hope to enter the University of North Dakota as freshmen in the fall of 2005 should be aware of changes to the automatic admission standards. Students who are transferring to UND with fewer than 24 transferable credits are subject to these new standards as well. The ultimate goal of the change is to attract more students who are likely to succeed in UND’s academic environment. High school graduates entering the University as freshmen (and transfers with fewer than 24 semester hours of transferable credit) in the fall of 2005 will be automatically admitted when they: 1. Achieve an ACT score of 21 or better. 2. Have a high school cumulative GPA of 2.50. 3. Fully meet core requirements (English, four units; math, three units of Algebra I or above; lab science, three units; social studies, four units). Students are encouraged to apply for admission even if they don’t meet the automatic admission standards and are deficient in only one of the GPA or ACT standards. Applications from students who do not qualify for automatic admission are evaluated by the director of admissions and, in some cases, a review committee. The review considers all relevant information and extenuating circumstances to make an admission decision that is in the best interest of the student. For more information about becoming a UND student, go to http://www.und.edu/admissions.