Future for state scholarships is uncertain
James Baker
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: News
The extended deadline for universitywide student scholarships ended Tuesday, while a whirlwind of change in extolling scholarships takes place in the state Capitol. The number of applications the Office of Academic Scholarships received for 2009 compared to last year remains to be seen.
"We don't have a full picture yet on where we're at," said Bryan Hembree, director of Academic Scholarships, who also described this time of year as the "busiest" for the Office of Academic Scholarships.
Some colleges have seen increases in students applying.
"We saw a 20 percent increase in scholarship applications over last year," said Laura Gamble, scholarship administrator for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
As the UA decides on scholarship recipients, scholarship legislation is being pushed through the state Legislature.
The state House of Representatives passed legislation Monday that would reduce the amount that colleges and universities spend on scholarships to halt bidding wars that drive up tuition costs for other students in the state. Gov. Mike Beebe was expected to sign the legislation.
The state lottery proposal voters passed in November also is being hammered out. The scholarships derived from the lottery could be given to students who meet lower eligibility requirements of either a 19 on the ACT or a 2.5 grade-point average, replacing the traditional sliding scale.
The lottery could garner $100 million, and increases in lottery sales could bring more scholarship opportunities along with larger amounts.
Such scholarships depend on the success of an industry that has proven not to be recession-proof. The economic crisis has caused decreases in state lottery sales across the country, from California to Massachusetts, which is a departure from the trend of increased sales in down economic times.
The effects of the lottery remain to be seen for months, but there are millions of dollars that are readily available to Arkansas college students.
Reserve scholarship money in the Department of Higher Education reached $53 million in 2008 and is ready for qualified students to cash in, according to a Dec. 5 article in the Traveler.
The need has never been higher, as the average debt of graduating UA seniors in 2007 was $19,000, according to the article.
Bill Bond, a senior in environmental soil and water sciences, is one student who hasn't failed to cash in on the $53 million sitting in the state reserve.
"I get more than half of my scholarships from the state and the remaining amount from the Honors College," Bond said. "I don't receive the smaller departmental scholarships that most in the department have."
About 15 years ago, if scholarship money wasn't used, it was the students' and the university gave them a refund check at the end of the semester, Bond said, though things have unfortunately changed.
More information on scholarships can be found at Scholarships.uark.edu.
"We don't have a full picture yet on where we're at," said Bryan Hembree, director of Academic Scholarships, who also described this time of year as the "busiest" for the Office of Academic Scholarships.
Some colleges have seen increases in students applying.
"We saw a 20 percent increase in scholarship applications over last year," said Laura Gamble, scholarship administrator for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
As the UA decides on scholarship recipients, scholarship legislation is being pushed through the state Legislature.
The state House of Representatives passed legislation Monday that would reduce the amount that colleges and universities spend on scholarships to halt bidding wars that drive up tuition costs for other students in the state. Gov. Mike Beebe was expected to sign the legislation.
The state lottery proposal voters passed in November also is being hammered out. The scholarships derived from the lottery could be given to students who meet lower eligibility requirements of either a 19 on the ACT or a 2.5 grade-point average, replacing the traditional sliding scale.
The lottery could garner $100 million, and increases in lottery sales could bring more scholarship opportunities along with larger amounts.
Such scholarships depend on the success of an industry that has proven not to be recession-proof. The economic crisis has caused decreases in state lottery sales across the country, from California to Massachusetts, which is a departure from the trend of increased sales in down economic times.
The effects of the lottery remain to be seen for months, but there are millions of dollars that are readily available to Arkansas college students.
Reserve scholarship money in the Department of Higher Education reached $53 million in 2008 and is ready for qualified students to cash in, according to a Dec. 5 article in the Traveler.
The need has never been higher, as the average debt of graduating UA seniors in 2007 was $19,000, according to the article.
Bill Bond, a senior in environmental soil and water sciences, is one student who hasn't failed to cash in on the $53 million sitting in the state reserve.
"I get more than half of my scholarships from the state and the remaining amount from the Honors College," Bond said. "I don't receive the smaller departmental scholarships that most in the department have."
About 15 years ago, if scholarship money wasn't used, it was the students' and the university gave them a refund check at the end of the semester, Bond said, though things have unfortunately changed.
More information on scholarships can be found at Scholarships.uark.edu.
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