$10,000 Nichols Scholarship -
Due Friday, February 28

One of the ways the Oklahoma Heritage Association achieves its mission of preserving Oklahoma’s history and promoting pride in the state is by offering annual cash scholarships and tuition grants to students across the state.

By offering more than $4,000,000 in scholarships each year to Oklahoma high school students, the Oklahoma Heritage Association hopes to encourage students to continue their education in the state and then make their homes here.

More details:
http://www.oklahomaheritage.com/Scholarships.aspx

For information on how to become a scholarship donor, volunteer as a proctor at a test site, or to request additional information, please contact Gini Moore Campbell, director of publications and education, at 405.523.3202, toll free 888.501.2059, or gmc@oklahomaheritage.com.

Nov. 6th -- This is good information for the students.
-- Janice Fields
Indian Education Director
Collinsville Public School

Is the admissions office Googling you? More colleges screening applicants' online profiles
The Star-Ledger By Kelly Heyboe

More college admissions officers are checking out applicants' Facebook and other social media pages as they screen students. If you are about to send out your college applications, you might want to think about cleaning up the language in your Twitter posts and deleting those racy photos from your Facebook page, according to a new survey.

The number of college admissions officers using Google, Facebook and other social networking sites to check out applicants’ online profiles is rising, according to a survey released yesterday by Kaplan Test Prep.

Nearly 29 percent of college admission officers have Googled an applicant’s name and 31 percent said they checked out Facebook or other social networking pages to learn more about a student, according to Kaplan, a private test tutoring company that is a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company.

The percentage of admissions officers doing internet searches on students has been rising steadily since 2008 when the company began polling colleges on the issue. In the first survey, just 10 percent of admissions officers said they had looked for an applicant’s Facebook page.

“Granted, most admissions officers are not tapping into Google or Facebook, and certainly not as a matter of course. But there’s definitely greater acknowledgment and acceptance of this practice now than there was five years ago,” said Seppy Basili, vice president of Kaplan Test Prep. Kaplan surveyed 381 admissions officers by
phone over the summer, company officials said.

The survey also found students may be getting more cautious about what they post online. This year, there was a decline — from 35 percent to 30 percent — in the number of admissions officers who said they found something online about an applicant that negatively affected the student’s chances of getting accepted into college.

“Many students are becoming more cautious about what they post, and also savvier about strengthening privacy settings and circumventing search,” said Christine Brown, executive director of college admissions programs at Kaplan Test Prep.

If admission officers at New Jersey colleges are Googling applicants’ names or checking Facebook pages, they are reluctant to talk about it. Several college officials said they don’t have time during a busy admissions season to check hundreds or thousands of students’ social media pages.

“Quite honestly, we’re very busy,” said Alyssa McCloud, vice president for enrollment management at Seton Hall University in South Orange, which does not regularly screen applicants’ online profiles.

Items posted on students’ Facebook or social media pages might only influence admission decisions in extreme cases at Seton Hall, McCloud said.

“If something ever came to our attention, it might give us pause,” McCloud said. “It would have to be something very, very severe.”

Officials at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, the state’s most selective public college, said students don’t have to worry that their applications will end up in the reject pile based on something that pops up during a Facebook search.

“We don’t look at applicants’ social media sites,” said David Muha, a College of New Jersey spokesman.

At Montclair State University, admissions officials also said they are not regularly doing internet searches on potential freshmen. But, they advised students to start cleaning up their online profiles as soon as possible.

“Now is the time for them to start. Irresponsible social media conduct could negatively impact a student’s education in other ways, their future careers, and/or relationships with peers,” said Lisa Kasper, Montclair State’s director of undergraduate admissions.

Montclair State recently began including an article from Mashable.com, titled “12 Things Students Should Never Do on Social Media,” in its guide for first-year students. The article advises students against posting anything about illegal activities, trashing teachers online or threatening violence on social media sites. Students also should never rely on a site’s privacy settings and assume information is hidden from the public, the article said.

CLOSE DATE: 1/15/2014 11:59 PM EST

PROGRAM TYPE: Scholarship

DONOR: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS: 1000 per year

INDIVIDUAL AWARD:

Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help aid, including graduate school funding for continuing Scholars in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

MINIMUM GPA 3.3

ETHNICITIES
African American, American Indian - Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, Hispanic American

RESIDENCY STATUS
U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident / Foreign National

ACADEMIC CLASSIFICATION
High School Senior, GED, High School Graduate

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
GMS Practice Form

Apply for This Scholarship

https://scholarships.gmsp.org/Program/Details/0fb486dd-d32c-4a4f-a0c5-d911d7d89cb7

Write a Reference

Preview Forms

GMS Online Application

Welcome to the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) online application system. To begin or continue the application process, click the "Log On" button at the top of the page. Once you click the "Log On" button, you may register by clicking the register link. If you have already registered, enter the e-mail address and password you used when you originally registered to access the application.

A Complete Application Consists of:

1. Student Application (Nominee Personal Information Form)

2. Educator’s evaluation of the student’s academic record (Nominator Form)

3. Evaluation of the student’s community service and leadership activities (Recommender Form)

In order to be eligible to be considered for the GMS scholarship, all three forms must be submitted online by Wednesday, January 15, 2014 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Student Registration Identification

All three forms are linked by the student’s registration identification number. The student's registration identification number is a combination of his/her five-digit zip code and the last four digits of his/her preferred phone number. For example, if the student’s five-digit zip code is 99999 and preferred phone number is 703-555-1234, then the registration identification number would be 99999-1234.

As the student, your registration identification number is automatically generated by the system after you enter your personal information in your profile. The educator writing about your academic record (Nominator) and the individual writing about your community service and leadership activities (Recommender) will have to enter your student registration identification number to access their forms.

Individuals writing about your academic record (Nominator) and community service and leadership activities (Recommender) may complete and submit their forms at any time before the deadline and do not have to wait for you (Nominee) to begin your application to do so. Just ensure that they enter the correct student registration identification number.

Why GMS?

The increasing diversity of our society reminds us that all of America's citizens must have access to higher education if our nation is to sustain and advance itself as a global, competitive democracy in the new millennium. The future of our economy and quality of life depend upon the preparation of a diverse cadre of leaders who can help build a stronger society. These potential leaders, especially those drawn from groups that have traditionally and historically been denied access to higher education, require the necessary support and opportunities to earn and complete a college education.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native*, Asian Pacific Islander American**, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest. Continuing Gates Millennium Scholars may request funding for a graduate degree program in one of the following discipline areas: computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science.

In 1999, a bold vision of what America’s future would look like began to take shape. In that view, America’s leadership would include 20,000 individuals, all people of color, who would make a significant impact on the future direction of the nation. Coming from among the most financially needy students and attending the nation’s best colleges and universities, they would represent the extraordinary promise inherent among all highly academically capable individuals, no matter what their background. Moreover, the planners envisioned that the researched experiences of the students’ matriculation and retention, the fact of these individuals’ extraordinary successes to terminal degrees, and the testimony of their voices, would spark conversation, and perhaps debate, leading to public policies and added philanthropic contributions in support of similarly able and financially challenged young people. That vision of Bill and Melinda Gates was funded by a historic grant of more than 1 billion dollars to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF)—still the largest single gift to any scholarship organization.

One of the most unique aspects of the GMS Program is the partnership and collective efforts of the four partner organizations providing services to the continuing Gates Millennium Scholars. GMS Program staff members at the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) and UNCF service students from all fifty states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is truly a national effort.

Who’s Eligible?

Students are eligible to be considered for a GMS scholarship if they meet all of the following criteria:

- Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native*, Asian & Pacific Islander American** or Hispanic American

- Are a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States

- Have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on an unweighted 4.0 scale or have earned a GED

- Will enroll for the first time at a U.S. located, accredited*** college or university (with the exception of students concurrently pursuing a high school diploma) in the fall of 2014 as a full-time, degree-seeking, first-year student. First-time college enrollees can also be GED recipients.

- Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities

- Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria

- Have completed and submitted all three required forms: the student's application (Nominee Personal Information Form), an evaluation of the student's academic record (Nominator Form) and an evaluation of the student's community service and leadership activities (Recommender Form) by the deadline

*American Indian/Alaska Native Requirements: American Indian/Alaska Natives must be enrolled in a U.S. Federal or State recognized tribe or be able to document descent from an enrolled tribal member. If selected as a GMS finalist, applicants will be asked to provide proof of tribal enrollment or descent.

**Asian and Pacific Islander American includes persons having origins from Asia and/or Pacific Islands. Asian includes persons having origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent. Pacific Islander includes persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands. Citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau are eligible to be nominated. This is not an all-inclusive list. Please see the U.S. Census Bureau listing at www.census.gov.

***To be eligible for the GMS scholarship, the student must matriculate at a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The following are accredidation resources: Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education Programs Candidates; American Council of Education published in consultation with the Council for Higher Education Accredidation; Higher Education Directory published by Higher Education Publications, Inc.

Pell Grant Eligibility

If selected as GMS finalists, students must demonstrate eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant Program as part of their financial aid package for the 2014 academic year. Students must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Programs. Students are urged to file a 2014 FAFSA at their earliest opportunity. The 2014 FAFSA form will be available January 1, 2014 at www.fafsa.gov. Federal Pell Grants typically are awarded to families that demonstrate significant financial need. Eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant is a function of many factors, including dependency status, family income, family size and the number of students in the family.

To determine if a student is Pell Grant eligible, he/she and the parent(s)/guardian(s) should meet with a high school counselor or the financial aid officer at the college or university he/she plans to attend.

For more information, visit www.fafsa.gov.

Note: Students should not submit a FAFSA with the GMS application. GMS does not have a school code that a student can use on their FAFSA. If a student is selected as a finalist, GMS will request that he/she send a copy of his/her Student Aid Report (SAR) to the GMS office. We recommend students set a target date of February 15, 2014 to submit the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov.