Guidelines for Undergraduates and Graduates
GUIDELINES AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR NEW LEADER SCHOLARSHIP
TUITION AND LIVING EXPENSES 2012-2013 ACADEMIC YEAR
APPLICATION POSTMARK DEADLINE: THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012
Note: You need not be a resident of Marin County to apply. To qualify for a Graduate scholarship you must previously have been a New Leader Scholar.
INFORMATION
The New Leader Scholarship was established with the Marin Community Foundation for the purpose of helping fund the education of undergraduate students and graduate students who were previous New Leader Scholarship recipients. Recipients attend one of the Bay Area’s public universities – California State University, East Bay; San Francisco State University; San Jose State University; Sonoma State University; or University of California at Berkeley – and demonstrate financial need and high academic achievement. The fund honors Dr. Ruth Goldman, San Francisco State University psychology professor emerita.
Several scholarships of up to $8,000 each are awarded annually with the potential for renewal. Awards are limited to upper division students who have attended the school for one academic year or more. Funds can be used for tuition and/or living expenses. Additional assistance for costs of graduate school application and graduate entry exams may also be available to recipients. The Fund's financial administrator is 10,000 Degrees.
PURPOSE
The New Leader Scholarship is especially designed to provide aid to students who come from financially and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and demonstrate leadership capacities. Preference and priority are given to recent immigrants and students of color. Students should be planning to pursue advanced education in the social sciences, human services, health-related fields or public service and be able to demonstrate a commitment to serving others. Students will be expected to remain connected to The New Leader Scholarship Fund and awardees’ network in order to contribute to the goals of the Fund.
ELIGIBILITY-UNDERGRADUATES
- Enrollment in one of the following Bay Area public universities: California State University, East Bay; San Francisco State University; San Jose State University; Sonoma State University; or University of California at Berkeley
- Will be an upper division student who has attended the school for one academic year or more, with 24 units that were attained at the present university
- Studying the social sciences, human services, public interest law, health-related fields, or public service.
- A minimum 3.5 GPA either at the current school or at a combination of the current school plus all schools previously attended; consideration will be given to students with a GPA of 3.2 – 3.49 with special circumstances
- Must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units each in the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 semesters
- Must be willing and able to attend an interview session on April 27 or 28, 2012
- Demonstrated financial need.
ELIGIBILITY-GRADUATES
- Prior New Leader Scholarship recipient at the undergraduate level
- Plan to enroll in a graduate program at a public university in California in 2012-2013
- Demonstrated financial need
- Must be willing and able to attend an interview session on April 21 or 28, 2011
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
All applicants are required to complete a New Leader Scholarship application, which includes a financial statement, an essay, two letters of recommendation, and official transcripts through the Fall 2010 semester.
Applications are available online at www.newleaderscholarship.org or at 10,000 Degrees’ website, www.10000degrees.org. Applications are also available at 10,000 Degrees’ office and in the Financial Aid and/or Scholarship Office at the Bay Area's public universities: California State University, East Bay; San Francisco State University; San Jose State University; Sonoma State University; or University of California at Berkeley.
Contact 10,000 Degrees at (415) 459-4240 or e-mail info@10000degrees.org for application questions.
AWARD SELECTION PROCEDURE
Applications will be reviewed by 10,000 Degrees to determine eligibility and completeness of application. Qualifying application packets will be presented to the New Leader Scholarship Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will review applications and select finalists. Finalists will be required to attend an interview with the Advisory Committee. All applicants will be notified of their status in writing.
Scholarship checks will be made payable to the student in two payments with, the first payment made during the fall semester and the second payment made during the spring semester of the school calendar. Students are required to provide specific documents to 10,000 Degrees before payments are released.
REQUIREMENTS AT SEMESTER END
All recipients of a New Leader Scholarship must provide – at the end of each funded semester – a report of scholarship expenditures along with transcripts, a report of work experience (if relevant to the purpose of the scholarship), and type/extent of volunteer activities in which they have participated, along with the approximate amount of time spent in each. At the end of the fall semester, all recipients must provide enrollment verification for the spring semester. Additionally, students will be asked to complete a questionnaire each semester indicating any mentoring experiences that they had or provided to others.
