By Sharron Hannon
shannon@uga.edu
Sixty prospective freshmen competing for UGA’s most prestigious scholarship award for undergraduates visited campus for the last stage of the selection process Feb. 23 and 24.
The students—from Georgia and 11 other states—are finalists for the Foundation Fellows Program, which not only covers the full cost of attendance at UGA, but also provides travel-study and professional-development grants, and a variety of academic enrichment opportunities. The finalists were selected from a record number of applicants and boast an average SAT of 1513 and average GPA of 4.09 (on a 4.0 scale).
Though only about one-third of the group will be named Foundation Fellows, all will be offered significant scholarships, thanks to the Bernard Ramsey Honors Scholarship Fund—named for the university’s most generous benefactor, who died in 1996. The fund, established last year, provides $3,000 awards to in-state students and $5,000 awards to out-of-state students who attend the Foundation Fellows interview weekend.
“The Ramsey Scholars fund gives us the opportunity to place all of the finalists for the Foundation Fellowship on major scholarships,” says Jere Morehead, associate provost and director of both the Honors and Foundation Fellows programs. “That’s extremely helpful in our efforts to attract these outstanding students.”
This year’s finalists are about evenly divided between males and females, and 22 of the 60 are from out of state, indicating the rising national profile of the program, says Steve Elliott-Gower, associate director of the Foundation Fellows Program. While most have not decided on a major, several are interested in biology or political science, two of the university’s strong academic areas.
“In addition to their academic qualifications, the finalists have been active in their communities and have held numerous leadership positions,” says Elliott-Gower. “They have demonstrated excellence in a remarkable array of non-academic activities and talents.”
Several of the students have experience as Web-site designers, several are scholar-athletes and others have excelled in artistic endeavors, according to Nancy McDuff, director of undergraduate admissions. The group includes debate team members and student government leaders, as well as top performers in academic competitions ranging from science fairs to the National Latin Exam.
While on campus, the finalists participated in seminars and spent time with current Fellows before Saturday interviews with senior faculty, Foundation trustees, and admissions and student affairs staff.
The Foundation Fellows Program was established in 1972 by the trustees of the University of Georgia Foundation and is supported by a $56 million endowment. Currently, 80 students are in the program. |
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