School Notes: $50,000 agriculture scholarship offered to college students

Graduate and undergraduate students studying sustainable agriculture are being encouraged to apply for the $50,000 Annie's Homegrown Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship.

Eligible applicants must be attending two- or four-year technical or college programs or graduate schools in the U.S. during the 2010-11 school year.

The contest is open to international students if they are studying in the United States.

Those interested must submit applications, a personal statement, official transcripts and two letters of recommendation from someone who can speak to the applicant's commitment to sustainable agriculture to Annie's Homegrown Scholarship Committee; 564 Gateway Drive; Napa, CA 94558.

Recommendations must be from contacts not related to the applicant, and must be in a sealed envelope.

Applications must be postmarked by Oct. 31.

For information, visit www.annies.com/scholarshipapplication

`Enrique's Journey' author gives talk at Whittier College

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario will speak at Whittier College about her national best-selling book, "Enrique's Journey" at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, 6760 Painter Ave.

Nazario will read from "Enrique's Journey," which tells the true story of a Honduran boy's struggle to find his mother in the United States.

Journey" first appeared as a series in the Los Angeles Times and won more than a dozen awards, among them the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, the George Polk Award for International Reporting, the Grand Prize of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award for Overall Excellence.

Expanded into a book, "Enrique's Journey" won two book awards and is required reading for all incoming freshmen at 25 universities and dozens of high schools nationwide.

The event is open to the public and admission is free. To reserve tickets, call the Shannon Center box office at (562) 907-4203.

For information, call the college's Cultural Center at (562) 907-4962.

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WHITTIER

Lowell Joint foundation holds Turkey Trot to benefit schools

The Lowell Joint Education Foundation will host its third annual Family Turkey Trot 5K and Wellness Fair at 8 a.m. Nov. 7 at Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate School, 16430 Woodbrier Drive.

The event is aimed at promoting good health and quality family time among residents, with proceeds going to support programs that directly benefit Lowell Joint students.

Race day registration begins at 6:30 a.m., with the "Diaper Dash" 50-yard run starting at 7:50 a.m.

The 5K race begins at 8 a.m.

Registration fees are $30 per person for adults 19 years and older; $25 for students between the ages of 5 and 18; and $10 for children between 2 and 4 years participating in the Diaper Dash.

Registration fees can be paid by check, by credit card, or by PayPal on the Lowell Joint Education Foundation Web site.

Those who don't wish to run can sponsor a mile-marker sign or "adopt" an athlete who is participating. The wellness fair will feature health screenings conducted by Kaiser Permanente.

For information or an application, visit www.ljefonline.org

British Embassy offers scholarships

The British Embassy's Chevening scholarship program is now open for applications from members of the public.

The prestigious program, named after Chevening House in Kent, the official country residence of the Foreign Secretary, offers talented graduates and young professionals the chance to study for postgraduate qualifications at the United Kingdom's world leading universities.

"I have been fortunate to have met a number of Chevening scholars and alumni and saw how their study in the U.K. has helped them to give further impetus to their careers," said British Ambassador Martin Uden.

Over 800 Koreans have been supported by the scholarship so far, which attracts some of the best and brightest young people from around the world.

Around 30 new scholarships will be awarded to Koreans in the academic year of 2010-2011.

The scholarships cover the cost of tuition fees for a year of study and an additional monthly stipend of just over 1 million won during the study.

On their return to Korea, the alumni benefit from a membership to the Korean Association of Chevening Alumni that provides the returnees with a valuable network of contacts.

Not surprisingly, competition for the scholarships is intense.

"The Chevening program has a reputation for attracting outstanding young people who have the ambition to become leaders in their chosen fields," said Uden. "A typical successful candidate demonstrates the potential to benefit from the scheme and use it to further develop their career."

In the academic year 2010-2011, the embassy will accept applications for scholarships to study politics and history, international affairs, law fields including human rights and international law, conflict resolution, security studies, energy and climate change just to name a few.

Applications for the program must be submitted online by Dec. 7.

For further information or to apply visit www.britishcouncil.or.kr/chevening

Many recipients of Chevening scholarships have risen to senior positions in Korea such as professor Ahn Kyong-whan, former President or the National Human Rights Commission of Korea; Prime Minster Chung Un-chan, and Dr Chung Hee-sun, director general of the National Institute of Scientific Investigation.

The Arkwright Scholarship Trust promotes a partnership between education and industry and this year's awards will be the ninth successive year that th

The Arkwright Scholarship Trust promotes a partnership between education and industry and this year's awards will be the ninth successive year that the Institute of Engineering and technology (IET) has hosted the awards.

This year, Arkwright received 770 Year 11 applications from 650 affiliated schools with 383 students being selected for interview. After sitting an aptitude paper, students were assessed and awarded scholarships over their two A Level/Scottish higher years. To date 2085 students and 1200 schools have benefited from Arkwright Scholarships.

Linda Scott OBE, Arkwright's chief executive said: "The partnership with the IET is extremely beneficial to all involved and very much appreciated. It provides an opportunity for talented young people to attend their presentation of awards at a very prestigious venue and to gain awareness of the work of the institution and its members. The Scholars and their parents are very inspired by the day."

The scholarships are sponsored by a variety of companies and charitable trusts, ranging from Thales, Rolls Royce and the RAF to The ERA Foundation and Lloyds Register Educational Trust. The Awards presentation are to take place on 30 October

Internet marketing, also referred to as i-marketing, web marketing, online marketing, or eMarketing, is the marketing of products, or, services over t

New Century Scholarship wins long-term backing

Students who make the cut for a New Century Scholarship would be guaranteed one, for years to come, under legislation unveiled Wednesday.

But the value of the scholarship could vary, based on the availability of funding.

Attempts this year by the cash-strapped State Board of Regents to reduce scholarships provoked outrage among parents and students who were banking on the money. After an outpouring of angry phone calls and e-mails, lawmakers restored funding for this school year.

But with no relief in sight from budget cuts, Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said "tough" choices must be made in order to preserve the popular state scholarship program.

Students and parents objected to "changing the rules" mid-game, said Hughes. "But now we're defining the rules in advance, so people can plan."

Under his bill, funding for New Century would hinge on "future budget constraints." And if there's not enough money to go around, the State Board of Regents would be free to cut the scholarship amount.

To earn New Century Scholarships, students have to earn associate's degrees while still in high school and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Their reward: a two-year scholarship at a four-year university.

Lawmakers already limited awards to no more than $5,000 a year starting in 2011.

Other changes under the new bill would go into effect starting 2012. It would require students to enroll in college immediately after

high school. And the measure dictates that a student must complete the associate's degree on graduation day.

"Right now it's mushy. Some are completing the courses a week before they start college," said the bill's co-sponsor, Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem.

To better gauge demand for scholarships, Regents already have set an earlier deadline for applications.

No vote was taken at Wednesday's Education Interim Committee, though the bill appears to have widespread support.

One controversial provision, though, would remove private schools, such as Brigham Young University and Westminster College, from the list of four-year institutions that New Century students can attend.

"Why limit it to state institutions? With that philosophy we're basically saying we'll give the scholarships to those students who already get a tax-related benefit by going to tax-subsidized higher education institutions," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. If the intent of the scholarship is to save taxpayer dollars by moving students through college more quickly, "maybe we should give preference to [private universities] and low-priced leaders in the state, like community colleges," he argued.

Valentine said he looked at that, but "everyone would suspect the political motivations of driving it that way if it came from this particular sponsor since Utah Valley University is the low-priced leader and BYU is the largest private institution that presently uses these scholarships." Both universities are within Valentine's district.

Anne Bird, a South Jordan mother of two New Century students, wants private schools retained as an option.

"Our kids only want to go to BYU," she said. And while she understands the need to pare expenses, she said lawmakers need to commit to funding the scholarships, even if it means smaller amounts.

"Either that or make it competitive and award scholarships only to those students with the highest GPAs," said Bird. "Something that the kids can control."

Scholarships.com College Scholarship Winner Uses Architecture to Redesign Her World

Cheuk C. credits the cramped condos of her childhood as her inspiration to pursue architecture. Growing up in Hong Kong in a lower- to middle-class
neighborhood dominated by utilitarian architecture, she began to sketch dynamic structural spaces where home could be more than a place to "sleep, eat, and take
showers." To help her complete a degree in Architecture at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and foster that creative spirit,
Scholarships.com has named Cheuk the 2009 recipient of the annual $1,000 College Design Scholarship.

Scholarships.com has been awarding Area of Study College Scholarships since summer 2008 to help students like Cheuk meet their college and career goals. The
competition grants a $1,000 scholarship each month to a high school senior or undergraduate student planning to pursue a career in one of 13 areas of study,
such as Design.

"The design scholarship is among the most competitive of all our scholarships," said Kevin Ladd, Vice President for Scholarships.com. "The overall diversity and
quality of the entries made this particular decision a tough one for our panel of judges. Cheuk very eloquently expressed her background and her goals and, as
a result, was awarded the scholarship."

Scholarship applicants are asked to describe what influenced their career choices. In her submission, Cheuk described how her passion for architecture
grew under her father`s guidance after her family left Hong Kong for Oakland, Calif. While helping build furniture and make repairs to their "new" 80-year-old
house, she was able to begin designing everything around her, turning "every typical object" into a part of her "unique world."

The Scholarships.com Area of Study Scholarships are open to all U.S. citizens who will be attending college in the coming fall, regardless of age, test scores
or grade point average. To apply for the Scholarships.com Area of Study College Scholarships, students can visit www.scholarships.com, conduct a free college
scholarship search and complete an online scholarship application.

About Scholarships.com

Scholarships.com is a free college scholarship search service and financial aid information resource that allows members to create a user account and search a
database of millions of scholarship and grant opportunities worth billions of dollars.

Financial Times Ranks Sawyer Business School EMBA Program in Top 95 Worldwide

The Executive MBA program at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School has been listed in the Financial Times 2009 EMBA rankings as one of the top 95 EMBA programs worldwide.

The Sawyer Business School’s Executive MBA program, the first in New England when it was established in 1975, is the only ranked EMBA program in the region.

The Saturday-only Executive MBA program continually evolves to meet contemporary graduate business education needs. Today, it emphasizes global business leadership in response to an identified need to prepare managers who can fill the shoes of retiring “Baby Boom” leaders.

“Making the Financial Times list is a well-deserved recognition for the students, faculty, administrators and alumni of the oldest Executive MBA program in New England,” said Suffolk Professor Michael Barretti, director of the Institute of Executive Education and academic director of the Executive MBA program. “Everybody has worked very hard to get the program to this level of distinction.”

The Financial Times, an international business newspaper based in London, uses extensive alumni surveys in preparing its rankings. This year’s list was based on interviews with the Class of 2006, evaluating how completion of the Executive MBA program impacted graduates’ career progress, salary growth, and realization of personal and professional goals.

The rankings also reflect faculty scholarship, professional qualifications and international experience; the EMBA curriculum; program management; and University oversight.

“That so many alumni responded so positively to the survey shows that they want to continue to be involved with Suffolk University as emerging business leaders,” said Suffolk Executive MBA Program Director Kristin Polito. “The professional businessmen and women who choose this program – and they do not choose lightly – are prepared to lead despite any hurdles that may confront them. They come away with a strong sense of the many tools they can use to transform obstacles into opportunities.”

“This is an academically rigorous program that demands a significant work-life balance for 21 months,” said Barretti. "However, if you were to ask any of our alumni -- which, by the way, includes me -- I think they will tell you it was very much worth it."

Executive MBA graduates now make up 5 percent of the total 140,000 MBAs who graduate worldwide each year, resulting in a strong point of distinction in the job market. To remedy the continuing demands of students’ work and personal responsibilities, the Sawyer Business School program employs a blended curriculum of in-class and online coursework to provide greater flexibility. Its students are business leaders who choose the program due to its multidisciplinary, cross-functional approach to achieving desired outcomes. They have access to a global alumni network and tuition-free postgraduate learning opportunities. For more on the Executive MBA, see http://www.suffolk.edu/business/1629.html.

Suffolk University, located on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, with international campuses in Madrid and Dakar, Senegal, is a comprehensive global institution distinguished by the teaching and the intellectual contributions of its faculty. Suffolk University offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 90 areas of study. Its mission is to provide access to excellence in higher education to students of all ages and backgrounds, with strong emphasis on diversity. Learn more at www.suffolk.edu.

US universities seek more Qataris

DOHA: A large number of the international students enrolled in some universities in the United States are from the Gulf region, a university official from the US said.
Agnes Hoffman, an associate vice provost for enrolment, Management of Student Affairs, from the Portland State University, said their university alone, which is based in Oregon, has quite a large number of students from the region – more than 300 from Saudi Arabia, around 26 from the United Arab Emirates, a number from Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Bahrain. “… And we want to increase the number of our Qatari students,” she said.
Hoffman, one of the delegates of the Linden Educational Fair at the Doha Marriott Hotel, said she is very optimistic the number of interested students will double from last year.
“Last year, all the booths got a number of visits from a number of students with their parents, who were very much interested about the programmes available in each university, the tuition, the scholarship programmes, and requirements for admission, among others,” said Hoffman at a reception at the US Ambassador’s residence here.
Hoffman said there are a number of universities in the US that offer scholarships. She said at the Portland State University, they offer international students partial awards of $4,500 each year for the duration of their enrolment. “So if they are freshmen students, they would have renewable scholarships for four years, if they are graduate students, it would be for two years… We have international scholarships at all levels.”
She said the representatives of each school at the school fair will not only talk about enrolment costs, the programmes and the scholarships offered, but they will also shed light on the location of the campuses or the learning environment and whether the programmes are comprehensive or focused.
According to her, admission requirements of each school vary but most of them require SAT scores and letters of references. She said students can apply online and must have their official transcripts sent from their high school or universities and colleges they have attended.
At least 17 accredited American Universities will take part in the US University Fair today. The participating universities include: Bryant University, University of Denver, Portland State University, Florida Institute of Technology, Seattle University, Western Michigan University, University of Kentucky, Ohio Weslyan University, Loyola University Chicago and Rutgers, and the State University of New Jersey.
Hoffman said two universities from Oregon are participating: the Portland State University and a small private school. “We have 20,000 students, a large campus, and the other school … the University of Portland, a small private school of 3500 students…”
Hoffman said the University of Portland has good Sciences, Engineering, Business, Fine and Performing Arts majors

Top 10 tips for securing a scholarship

As markets crash and parental incomes plummet, so school fees continue their serene and untroubled upward course. With more and more families worried that private education is getting beyond their grasp, here is a 10-point guide on how to go about getting a scholarship or bursary.

1 Plead poverty

You would be surprised by what some schools consider poor. At Dulwich College, parents qualify for financial assistance if their combined income is below £60,000, while at Eton it's £80,000. And with the Charity Commission insisting that independent schools do more to justify their charitable status, you have got a good chance of getting a big bursary, as schools vie to show their readiness to receive able pupils, regardless of whether their parents can pay. But be prepared to be means-tested, which will mean more than just hiding your Mercedes around the corner.

2 Don't bank on brains

Your child may be brilliant, but these days mere brightness brings no financial returns. Fifty years ago, the boys and girls who did best in the entrance exams got the most money off their fees. Simple as that. Nowadays, though, the whole thrust of independent school thinking is towards subsidising financially strapped students rather than rewarding academically gifted ones. Scholarship values have plummeted from 50 per cent to 10 per cent of fees and, at some schools, they are becoming just honorary (that is, you get a pat on the back and no money).

3 Study the form

Like any punter preparing an investment, you need to inform yourself of all the options. Instead of ploughing through a list of all the independent schools in the country, visit the website for the Isbi (Independent Schools of the British Isles, www.isbi.com), and click on the "school search" button. Next, click "scholarships" and select the kind that interests you (sport, choral, means-tested bursary, etcetera). Choose half a dozen schools from the resulting list and email the admissions office asking for details, in particular, the size of the fee reduction that the award brings.

4 What's your line?

If you or your spouse is an actor or doctor, work in textiles or the motor industry, or were born within the City of London or Scotland, you may find you are eligible for help with school fees from one of the organisations under the umbrella of the Educational Trusts' Forum (05601 503524; www.educational-grants.org), whose advice line is open every weekday from 9-11am.

5 Be prepared to bargain

Just as it's acceptable to haggle over souvenirs in a Moroccan kasbah, so you are at increasing liberty to ask private schools if they can see their way to a bit of a discount. "If, say, your child has a particular talent and two or three schools are interested in offering a scholarship, it is worth asking one school if it can match what its rival is offering," says Hilary Moriarty, director of the Boarding Schools' Association. "Having concentrated on academic performance for so long, schools are now recognising that having a renowned sports or arts department is actually a terrific marketing asset."

6 At rock bottom?

If your family has been the victim of tragedy or trauma and you can demonstrate that your child (age seven to 13) is subject to serious social deprivation, help with school fees can be applied for through the Joint Educational Trust (020 3217 1100; www.jetcharity.org).

7 Get half-price boarding

Consider one of the country's 35 state-run boarding schools, where you pay for meals and accommodation, but not the education. Many of these schools cater for children with specific aptitudes, for example Brymore School of Rural Technology, in Bridgewater, Somerset, which is for pupils with a leaning towards, or family background in, farming. And at the Duke of York's Royal Military School, in Dover, fees for the children of serving Forces personnel are just £550 per term. Details from the State Boarding Schools' Association (020 7798 1580; www.sbsa.org.uk)

8 Swim for it

A surprisingly large number of schools offer swimming scholarships, including Plymouth College, which has 39 children receiving up to 50 per cent off the boarding fees (40 per cent for day pupils). "In eight out of 10 cases, these kids would otherwise have gone to their local comprehensive," says director of swimming Jon Rudd, whose highest-profile recruit is GB diving world champion Tom Daley, who went to Plymouth after being bullied at his previous (state) school. Other big fish in the swimming scholarship pool are Kelly College (Tavistock, Devon), Millfield School (Street, Somerset) and St Felix School (Southwold, Suffolk).

9 You need your country

The Armed Forces offer annual sponsorship of £1,000-£2,000 in the sixth form and twice as much at college, in return for at least three years' service post-education. Contact Army Careers (0845 730 0111; www.armyjobs.mod.uk/education); RAF Careers (0845 605 5555; www.raf.mod.uk/altitude); Royal Navy Careers (0845 670 5555; www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/how-to-join/sponsorship)

10 Don't give up

If you don't get a bursary or similar deal when your child is 11 or 12, try again when they're 14 or 15. Competition for sixth form scholarships sometimes isn't as fierce as in the younger age range. The secret, at all ages, is to apply a year before the proposed entry date.