Phi Theta Kappa Announces Increases in Scholarships, Recognition for All-USA and All-State Academic Programs
JACKSON, MS - Community college students nominated for the 2009 All-USA/All-State
Academic Team Programs will be eligible for a total of $500,000
in scholarships and awards and more recognition than ever before.
"Thanks
to the generosity of USA TODAY and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation the
scholarship dollars available to students through this one application
process have tripled this year," said Rod A. Risley, Executive Director
of Phi Theta Kappa. He noted that the scholarship offerings and awards have
increased from $150,000 to $500,000 through two recognition programs,
the USA TODAY All-USA Academic Team and Coca-Cola All-State Academic Team.
These programs share a common application and eligibility criteria.
Although
USA TODAY announced last spring it would suspend the community college
recognition program due to budgetary concerns, the newspaper has now reinstated
the All-USA Academic Team program. As in previous years 20 students will
be selected for the national team, each receiving a $2,500 stipend, obelisk,
and medallion. These students will be featured in an April issue of USA TODAY
and honored at the Phi Theta Kappa Presidents Breakfast held during the
Annual Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges Convention
(AACC) in April of 2009, in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Coca-Cola
Scholars Foundation has announced the establishment of the Coca-Cola
All-State Academic Team program, providing up to $450,000 in stipends.
As in previous years the top scoring student from each of the 50 states will
be named a New
Century Scholar and will receive a $2,000 stipend. New Century
Scholars will be recognized at the AACC Convention.
The new
Coca-Cola All-State
program will name 50 Gold Scholars, who will each receive $1,500;
50 Silver Scholars, to receive $1,250 each, and 50 Bronze Scholars, who
will receive $1,000. A state may have multiple Gold, Silver, or Bronze Scholars.
All scholars will also receive special medallions and will be listed in
an April issue of USA TODAY. An additional 150 national finalists selected
from multiple states will each receive a $1,000 stipend.
AACC
and Phi Theta Kappa will continue to serve as partners in supporting these
programs, with Phi Theta Kappa administering both recognition programs.
Selection is based on the same nomination form and criteria. These nomination
forms must be submitted by community college presidents or CEOs, who received
nomination materials this fall. The submission deadline is December 1,
2008.
Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, headquartered
in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest honor society in American higher
education with 1,250 chapters on two-year and community college campuses
in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, the
Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia,
the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial
possessions. More than two million students have been inducted since its
founding in 1918, with approximately 100,000 students inducted annually.
