Tag Archive for: scholarships

Scholarship to benefit Native American Studies Program at SOU

First Presbyterian Church of Ashland gifts scholarship to SOU Native American Studies

(Ashland, Ore.) — What began as a partnership among Southern Oregon University and community organizations to see Indigenous Peoples’ Day instituted at SOU and in the City of Ashland a number of years ago has continued to evolve into further advocacy for Native people. Representatives of the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland signed documents this week to establish a three-year scholarship commitment for Native students and the university’s Native American Studies Program.

The scholarship agreement is a collaboration by Dennis Slattery, an associate professor of business at SOU and First Presbyterian elder; Brook Colley, chair of the SOU Native American Studies Program; the Rev. Dan Fowler of First Presbyterian; and the SOU Foundation’s Cristina Sanz. The amount of the scholarship will be driven by congregants’ donations, but it will start at $2,000 per year.

“Dennis and I worked together to build a coalition for recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on campus and in the community a number of years ago, and we continue to work on building opportunities for our various communities,” Colley said. “Today, we take another step and I am very happy to sign a letter of commitment with the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland for scholarship support of the SOU Native American Studies Program.”

Fowler, the church’s minister, said the scholarship fund represents an opportunity for his congregation to be more than symbolic in its support of Native American people.

“We honor the fact that the land our church sits upon is the ancestral land of people who were here long before us,” he said. “We recently installed a plaque in our church with a land acknowledgment recognizing this. However, the plaque we placed upon the sanctuary is meaningless unless it includes some kind of action. The scholarship for Native American Studies is one action of many we hope to do. We pray for healing and reconciliation. We pray in time that Indigenous people would come to see us as an ally.”

Slattery credited the “team effort” that resulted in the scholarship, and said the incremental approach will allow church members to grow into their new role in helping Native American students.

“Everyone pitched in to make it all happen, from the Foundation to Brook and her program to the church’s board,” Slattery said. “This is a humble effort. We look to encourage others to take these kinds of small steps – many small steps will lead to something big. We can’t just talk about recognizing or honoring Native peoples, we need to also act. This is a step in that direction, one of many we hope to accomplish in the future.”

The underlying purpose of the First Presbyterian Church of Ashland’s partnership with SOU’s Native American Studies Program is to show and provide support for NAS Students. The church acknowledges a need to do more – to continue to work on equity matters for Native communities and to provide ever greater access for Native people to higher education.

Those who are interested in establishing a scholarship of any kind may contact the SOU’s Foundation office.

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Students at SOU to benefit from new ScholarshipUniverse app

SOU simplifies and broadens student aid options with ScholarshipUniverse

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has launched a new suite of software intended to keep students in school by helping them identify and apply for relevant scholarships – both internal and external.

The ScholarshipUniverse platform, from the higher education support vendor CampusLogic, automates much of the scholarship screening and application process for students. It matches scholarships to students based on their responses to a series of questions and guides them through the application process.

Students can login to the ScholarshipUniverse website or use a mobile app to check the status of their scholarship applications. It also helps to keep students on-task – those who have started scholarship applications will receive live alerts and text messages, reminding them to finish the process.

A majority of SOU students are eligible for financial aid in one form or another – scholarships, grants, institutional aid or work-study. But many students at SOU and elsewhere don’t make the most of their financial opportunities – CampusLogic estimates that almost three million students across the country leave college each year because of finances, while many scholarships go unfilled.

Almost 500 colleges and universities nationwide use products from CampusLogic to help their students navigate the financial aspects of higher education.

SOU’s recent strategic planning process identified student success through service excellence as a key component of the university’s mission. Its addition of the ScholarshipUniverse software is intended to help more students remain in school, complete their degree programs and go on to lead successful lives.

The ScholarshipUniverse platform helps students track and manage both internal scholarships available through the Southern Oregon Scholarship Application (SOSA) and external scholarships offered by a spectrum of organizations, foundations and private companies.

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Scholarships-application-deadline

March 1 deadline approaches for more than 600 OSAC scholarships

(Salem, Ore.) – The Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) of Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission is encouraging Oregon students to apply for privately funded scholarships at OregonStudentAid.gov by the March 1 deadline.

Oregon students may explore more than 600 privately funded scholarships and apply for as many as 40 with a single application. There is no cost to apply, but students must submit their completed OSAC scholarship applicationsand all other required materials by 5 p.m. on March 1.

SOU students may also seek help with their financial aid options at the Financial Aid Office in Britt Hall, or on the university’s financial aid website.

SOU’s Financial Aid Office is urging current and future students to complete their Southern Online Scholarship Applications (SOSA) by March 15 for financial aid during the 2019-20 academic year. Completion of the SOSA form is required for those seeking any from a pool of scholarships – both need- and merit-based, for undergraduate and graduate students, and for Oregon residents and nonresidents.

The scholarship funding available through Oregon’s HECC office is for groups including graduating high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students at colleges or universities, GED and homeschooled students, community college and vocational school students, and single parents returning to school. Details on specific scholarships that are available through HECC can be found on the OSAC Scholarship Catalog.

Students who want to be considered for federal or state financial aid, including grants and loans, must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) in addition to the OSAC application. The ORSAA is Oregon’s alternative to the FAFSA for undocumented students, including students who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

OSAC uses data from the FAFSA or the ORSAA to determine students’ eligibility for the Oregon Promise, the Oregon Opportunity Grant and numerous scholarships. Information from the FAFSA is also used to determine eligibility for federal aid, including the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans and Federal Work-Study.

More information about deadlines and eligibility for the Oregon Promise and the Oregon Opportunity Grant is available at OregonStudentAid.gov. OSAC also hosts several webinars and resources for students, counselors, students, parents, and educators on financial aid opportunities.

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U.S. BANK in Southern Oregon and Northern California Provides $12,500 Grant to SOU Foundation in Support of New Honors College

Gloria Schell and Mary CullinanAshland, OR – U.S. Bank, through the U.S. Bancorp Foundation, is presenting an educational grant in the amount of $12,500 to the Southern Oregon University Foundation to provide a named scholarship for the University’s new Honors College.
U.S. Bank’s educational grants are provided to innovative programs that help low-income and at-risk students succeed in school and prepare for post-secondary education, provide financial literacy training or offer effective mentoring programs.
The SOU Honors College offers talented students the opportunity to work closely with faculty in small classes and to build dynamic relationships with employers and community leaders through a personalized mentoring program. The Honors College will open in the fall, and is expected to grow to 100 students in four years.
“U.S. Bank is honored to award this grant to the Southern Oregon University Foundation,” said Gloria Schell, market president for U.S. Bank in Southern Oregon and Northern California. “The SOU Honors College is an exciting new development and we want to be on board from the beginning to help it attract top-flight students from around the region.”
“The Honors College is a transformational opportunity for students and SOU,” said SOU Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the SOU Foundation Sylvia Kelley. “We are grateful for community partners like U.S. Bank for generously supporting Honors College students.”
U.S. Bank is a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB). The U.S. Bancorp Foundation contributes to the strength and vitality of local communities through partnerships that improve the educational and economic opportunities of low- and moderate-income individuals and families and enhance the cultural and artistic life of the communities in which U.S. Bancorp operates.
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SOU Foundation Awards Scholarships to Single Mothers

The Columbia Pacific Foundation creates three $3,000 scholarships for single moms
(Ashland, Ore.) — The SOU Foundation awarded three new Columbia Pacific Foundation Scholarships this month—funds that will help three single mothers attend college.
Business administration junior Daniella Bivens (Grants Pass) and graduate students Johanna Morris, a special education student (Klamath Falls) and interdisciplinary studies student Kathleen Gamer (Ashland) each received a $2,000 Columbia Pacific scholarship, which was then matched by $1,000 from the SOU Foundation.
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