From The Center For Excellence

November 2005

Dear Colleague,

In this issue, we focus on major national scholarship programs supporting community college students and the recent announcement of Phi Theta Kappa's hurricane relief effort - Students Helping Students - a program to aid students from five colleges severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

Please note the impending deadline - December 2 - for several national scholarship programs. The applications for the All-USA Academic Team ($2,500), Guistwhite Scholarship Program ($5,000), and Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Program ($30,000) are very similar. We recommend that one faculty or staff member be made responsible for identifying and advising students applying for these scholarships.

Finally, we ask for your support of our hurricane relief effort, Students Helping Students, as we attempt to assist those students whose lives have been turned upside down by Katrina. We are attempting to provide the necessary resources to help students lacking only one semester to earn a degree to stay in school and not "stop out." Any support you can provide will be greatly appreciated. All contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Sincerely,

Rod A. Risley
Executive Director

Please Support Phi Theta Kappa's "Students Helping Students" Hurricane Relief Effort

A team of Phi Theta Kappa staff members and International President Arthur Vargas visited three Mississippi two-year college campuses identified by the Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges as the most severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Communications have also taken place with officials from Louisiana's Delgado and Nunez Community Colleges, which remain closed due to hurricane damage.

Our team met with students, faculty, and administrators whose lives have been forever changed by the wrath of Katrina. We wanted to hear firsthand from the students to learn about their needs and determine how Phi Theta Kappa could best assist them. The discussions were emotional and sobering. Many of the students explained that their colleges were the only safe havens remaining in their lives. They want to stay in school, but their sources of income, and their families' sources of income, are gone.

Phi Theta Kappa is calling on chapters and colleges to join Students Helping Students - an organization-wide effort to raise funds to help students within one semester of graduating stay in school and not "stop out." Funds will be used for tuition, books, computers, gas - whatever it takes to meet a particular student's needs. We will work through the Financial Aid offices to set up a system for application and disbursement. Please consider supporting a fundraising effort on your campus.

Already, chapters have conducted fundraising activities and have collected more than $15,000. If you wish to send a tax-deductible personal or institutional donation, the address is:

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
c/o Hurricane Relief Fund
1625 Eastover Drive
Jackson, MS 39211

Visit our website for more information. Contact: Rod Risley, 601.984.3518.

A President's Public Relations Tool for Promoting Quality Instruction

Perhaps three of the best public relations tools available to community college presidents that promote to the community the quality of instruction provided at their colleges are the All-USA, All-State, and New Century Scholarship and Recognition Programs. Only one nomination form is used for entering the three competitions and all have the same nomination deadline. All-USA Academic Team Nomination forms - the form used for all three programs - have been sent to you or your designated representative and are due at the Center for Excellence by December 2. All nominees, not just the national winners, are assiduously recruited by a number of outstanding four-year colleges and universities, and scholarships are designated exclusively for All-USA nominees. Sixty students are named to the national All-USA Academic Team. Twenty students each are named to the First, Second, and Third Teams and are featured in an April issue of USA TODAY. First Team members receive $2,500 each and also will participate in the 2006 AACC Convention in Long Beach, California. Each campus may nominate two students. Phi Theta Kappa membership is not an eligibility requirement.

$40 Million in Scholarships Designated Exclusively for All-State Team Members

Nominees to the All-USA Team are automatically named to a state's All-State Academic Team. Presently, All-State Academic Team recognition programs are held in 34 states. The student's ranking in the All-State program is based on the nominee's score in the All-USA Team judging. More than $40 million in scholarships is designated exclusively for All-State Team members each year. All-State Team programs also provide colleges and students heightened attention in the media and from their state legislatures. For information about establishing an All-State Academic Team program, contact Rod Risley at 601.984.3518.

New Century Scholars - A $2,000 Winner in All Fifty States

The top scoring All-USA nominee in each of the 50 states is designated a New Century Scholar, receives $2,000, and participates in the AACC Convention. So, by simply nominating a student to the All-USA program, your institution and student nominees receive statewide recognition and increased scholarship opportunities. If you have questions or need additional nomination materials please contact Heather Johnson, Director of Scholarship Programs, at 601.984.3560.

All-USA Nominees Should Apply for $5,000 Guistwhite Scholarships

Phi Theta Kappa members who are nominees for the All-USA Academic Team are excellent candidates for Phi Theta Kappa's top scholarship. Phi Theta Kappa annually selects 20 members to receive Guistwhite Scholarships of $5,000 each for baccalaureate studies. The Guistwhite Scholarship application form is contained within the All-USA Academic Team nomination materials. Be sure your All-USA nominees who are also Phi Theta Kappa members complete this extra form and submit it along with the All-USA nominations to be received at Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters by December 2. Phi Theta Kappa members who are not All-USA nominees are eligible to apply for the Guistwhite Scholarship as well. Downloadable applications are posted on the Phi Theta Kappa website. Contact: Heather Johnson, Director of Scholarship Programs, 601.984.3560.

Does Your College Have a Jack Kent Cooke Faculty Representative?

Nomination materials for 2006 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships are now available on the Foundation website. Approximately 25 scholarships for baccalaureate studies are awarded annually and may cover tuition, living expenses, fees and books. The maximum amount available per student is $30,000. This scholarship is the largest offered in the United States to community college transfer students. If your campus does not have a designated Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Faculty Representative, please consider appointing one immediately. We encourage you to consider naming your Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisor or your All-USA Academic Team contact to fill this position. Guidelines, applications and information on appointing a Faculty Representative are available on the Foundation website. Please give your students access to this outstanding scholarship by appointing a Faculty Representative today. Nominations are due February 1, 2006. Contact: Sarah Levin, Program Manager, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, 703.723.8000.

Applications Needed for Coca-Cola Scholarships for Two-Year College Studies

For the past five years the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has provided as many as 400 scholarships of $1,000 each to community college students to assist them in continuing their education at their two-year colleges. But more scholarships could be offered if more students applied. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, wants to increase the number of scholarships awarded each year, but cannot make a case to his board unless more applications are received. Only 600 colleges submitted nominations in 2005. Fewer nominations may mean applicants stand a greater chance of receiving a scholarship, but more scholarships could be offered and thus more students assisted if only more colleges would participate. Students must have demonstrated academic success and participated in community service activities within the previous 12 months to be eligible, and must be planning to continue their education at a two-year college in the upcoming fall term. Each community college campus may nominate two students for this honor. Applications for the 2006 Coca-Cola Scholarships for two-year college students will be available March 1. The submission deadline is May 31. Students may receive this scholarship more than once. Contact: Ericia Ward, Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, 1.800.306.2653.

Leaders of Promise Scholarships Help Members Complete Associate Degrees and Engage in Campus Activities

Do you need student leaders on campus? We may have the tool to help. The moment students become Phi Theta Kappa members they may apply for $1,000 Leaders of Promise scholarships for associate-degree studies. The purpose of the program is to help defray education costs so students can engage in leadership roles on campus. The program has been remarkably successful as scholarship recipients have become chapter and regional officers, student government leaders, candidates for International Office, All-USA, Guistwhite and New Century Scholars. The application is simple to complete and selection is based on academic achievement and leadership potential. Thirty scholarships are awarded each year. Phi Theta Kappa members may apply directly for these scholarships. Leaders of Promise Scholarship Applications will be available in early 2006, and must be received at Phi Theta Kappa by April 29. Contact: Amanda-Paige Whittington, Scholarship Programs Coordinator, 601.984.3539.

Featured Member and Administrator

Dr. Robert H. Sandel, President of Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia, and member Robin Hubert are spotlighted in this edition. Robin, a spring 2005 graduate of Virginia Western Community College, was an All-USA Academic Team nominee and named to the All-Virginia Academic Team. To submit a photograph for consideration, please contact Melissa Mayer at 601.984.3684. Submissions for the next edition will be accepted until February 1.