492 High school principals sent invitation to nominate

PULLMAN — Washington State University has sent out invitations to 492 high schools principals and tribal chairs inviting them to nominate their top-two outstanding juniors for the WSU Regents Scholars Program.

As part of the packet, high school principals will receive a letter from WSU President V. Lane Rawlins as well as nomination forms.

Eligible schools include public high school and private schools approved by the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction as having at least 100 students in grades 9-12.

More than $4 million may be awarded to nominees who choose to attend WSU.

This year WSU is extending the invitation to the chairs of nine Native American tribes who signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WSU. This agreement will help the university to transcend the borders of the state and extend the Regents Scholars Program, which generally is limited to Washington state residents, to the many Native Americans whose traditional tribal lands include parts of the state, but who may live outside state lines.

“I am pleased that we have included Native American schools in our Regents Scholars Program,” said Rawlins. “We are eager to have more Native American students and we believe that we offer an excellent opportunity for them to attain a superb education while maintaining contacts within the Native American community.”

Every qualified nominee who completes the scholarship process is eligible for a two-year scholarship worth $6,000. Additionally, 75 students will receive two-year scholarships worth $8,000. The top 25 Regents Scholar nominees will receive four-year scholarships covering the full cost of undergraduate tuition, student fees and room and board in the university’s residence halls—worth more than $54,000.

All nominated students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.80. In addition, they must have minimum test scores of 1,200 on the SAT, 180 on the PSAT or 26 on the ACT. Scholarship recipients must meet WSU admission requirements for the 2006 fall semester. Students must be Washington state residents and juniors in an eligible Washington state high school. High school juniors nominated by a participating Native American tribe also qualify.

In addition to the criteria above, Regents Scholars nominees must have demonstrated leadership capability, community involvement and extracurricular involvement. In the past, some of the recipients of the scholarship met all of these expectations while facing extraordinary family situations, special personal circumstances or holding part-time jobs.

Last year, 285 students were awarded a Regents Scholarship. Almost 2,000 students have received one of the scholarships since the beginning of the program, four year ago.

Nominations must be received by the WSU Office of Scholarship Services by May 26. The selected students and their parents will be notified by June 16. Questions can be directed to April Seehafer, scholarship and financial aid counselor, Office of Scholarship Services, at 509/335-1059 or scholarships@wsu.edu.

For more information about the program, visit http://regents-scholarship.wsu.edu.

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