The Michigan Daily -- 114 Years of Editorial Freedom - Toyota gives $150,000 grant to Engineering program

Last week, the Toyota USA Foundation named the University (of Michigan)’s College of Engineering the recipient of a $150,000 grant. The grant will support the college’s 2005 Summer Engineering Academy — a program that targets middle and high school minority students throughout America.

Western (Missouri State University) unveils new scholarships: "Other scholarships include the James and Lauren Scanlon Service Scholar, Western Discovery Scholarship, Western Leadership Award, Western Gold Scholarship, Western Achievement Awards, and Western Excellence Awards. The scholarships award between $500 and $9,500 a year. Complete scholarship descriptions are available online at www.mwsc.edu/finaid. Students may also apply online."

Gates Gives $750 Million to Poor African Nations - The Hilltop - Nation & World: "The money will be distributed through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), a network of several health organizations, governments and scientists from around the world.

GAVI reports that, on average, two million children die every year of preventable diseases. The organization aims to have 90 percent of the world's children vaccinated in 10 years, which will require an extra eight to $10 billion. "

HBCU in W.Va. working to recruit more blacks - The Clarion-Ledger

Bluefield State College in West Virginia has the largest percentage of white students — 88 percent — of any HBCU in the country.

It is among at least five HBCUs where the student population is more than 50 percent nonblack, according to the latest figures available from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, an organization that champions the interests of historically and predominantly black colleges and universities.

The Daily Collegian - First Choice Program to benefit students who choose UMass for early decision: "Students accepted through the First Choice program will receive $2,000 scholarships from the Alumni Association, priority for summer orientation, class registration and housing selection, and the option to enroll in a special online course to earn credits towards their degree."

Wal-Mart Expects to Award $7.6 Million in Scholarships This Year: "Every Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market may award up to two Sam M. Walton Community Scholarships to high school seniors in their local area, according to a news wire report.

The Sam M. Walton Community Scholarship is a $1,000 award to defray the expenses of tuition, books, and on-campus room and board. Winners become eligible for state and national recognition. State winners will receive a total of $5,000 and the national winner a total of $25,000 in scholarship assistance. Applications are only available online at www.walmartfoundation.org. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2005. "

Bloomberg.com: Harvard Grad Finds College Scholarships Pay: "Kaplan graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics. The 27-year-old, who lives in Portland, Oregon, founded the Web site http://www.scholarshipcoach.com , which is one of many Web sites offering free searches of databases for scholarship aid. The site also sells Kaplan's books and software on how to obtain financial assistance. "

FOR OHIO RESIDENTS: 88 more full-ride scholarships up for grabs - The Lantern - Campus: "First-year students attending Ohio State next autumn will have an opportunity to receive a full ride under the new Land Grant Opportunity Scholarship.

OSU will be supplying an additional 88 scholarships to one student from each county across the state. Those chosen will receive full tuition and housing for four years or the equivalent of 12 quarters. In addition, the scholarship will also provide money for books, supplies and transportation to campus.

To be qualified for the scholarship, the student's family income must be less than $40,000 a year. The student must also apply to OSU by Feb. 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1."

Race For Education to Award $300,000 in Scholarships - bloodhorse.com: "The national nonprofit organization offers two types of scholarships; the Thoroughbred Scholarship, and the Horsemen's Scholarship. The Horsemen's Scholarship is available to children of racing industry workers, including, but not limited to; foremen, grooms, hot walkers, trainers, riders, and maintenance workers, and is open to any field of study.

The Thoroughbred Scholarship is available to students who wish to pursue a racing-related career, such as veterinary medicine, agricultural science, racetrack management, or equine business management. This scholarship is open to students from all walks of life.

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$2 Million in Sallie Mae Fund Scholarships Available for Low Income and Minority Students: "RESTON, Va., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, announced today that it will award more than $2 million in college-access scholarships for the 2005-2006 academic year. The scholarships target under-served populations in an effort to increase access to higher education. Applications are now available online at http://www.salliemaefund.org.

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Kansas City Star | 01/16/2005 | Dig a little and you can unearth scholarships

"The University of Missouri-Kansas City has streamlined its online scholarship process. Its Web site now categorizes its scholarships, allows students to use just one form to apply for several scholarships and offers links to other scholarship-related sites.

“For the most part, they can do all the basic ones from the general university with that one form,” said Debbie Gaggens, assistant director of scholarships at UMKC. “Plus they can use shared recommendations. If they're applying for four different things, they can have one person write one recommendation.”

For a national search of scholarships, she suggests using an online scholarship search tool designed for parents and students. Many are free, including Princeton Review's (princetonreview.com), while others will charge a fee.

“The key to successfully earning college scholarships is to become the savviest scholarship searcher around,” said Robert Franek, publisher of Princeton Review Books, which published Paying for College Without Going Broke."

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Education chief defends deal with conservative commentator: "Documents released last week by the department under the Freedom of Information Act stipulated that Williams would use his relationships with black television producers to encourage them to 'periodically address' issues raised by No Child Left Behind. The contract also envisaged on-air interviews with Paige and other Education Department officials with Williams, host of a syndicated TV show, 'The Right Side.'

Williams has apologized for what he described as 'a lapse of judgment' in agreeing to the contract, which he did not disclose to viewers. Like Paige, he has insisted he did nothing illegal."

KSBI-TV - Home: "High school seniors in Oklahoma were awarded $10,000 in scholarships last year through the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oklahoma City. The scholarships will be awarded to deserving high school seniors again this year through three scholarship programs: African American Future Achievers, Hispanic-American Commitment to Educational Resources and Asian Students Increasing Achievement.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2004-2005 RMHC scholarship programs. Applications are available from high school guidance counselors or online at www.rmhc.com. Applications are accepted through February 15, 2005."

NDOL: Fumbling Education Reform: "Over and over, the administration has given ammunition to critics of NCLB and undermined bipartisan support for the initiative, notes Rotherham. 'Initially, it was slow to work with states and school districts and explain what the new education law requires, causing confusion among all parties.... Playing politics with the law's financing also gave its critics an easy target. Considering the overall lack of fiscal constraint typical of this administration, its decision to suddenly become stingy on crucial programs called for in the law is inexplicable.' "

ARRLWeb: Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Awards and Scholarships, Kid's Day, JOTA, Hamfest Youth Activities and More The National Association For Amateur Radio is offering Scholarships. DEADLINES LOOM

The Michigan Daily -- 114 Years of Editorial Freedom - Background, finances factor in differing graduation rates: "Former Engineering student Michael Powers describes the three years he spent at the University [of Michigan] as an isolating, upward battle that he eventually lost because of financial and health issues."

DOE presents National Education Technology Plan - Computerworld: The DOE has a plan for a new "golden age" in American education. I usually offer these posts with little or no comment but this one begs for a bit of spleen venting. American education seems to be an oft neglected subject no matter which party is ascendent. And I realize that some pretty intelligent and better read people than I say that the government should not even be bothered with education. I respectfully disagree but if this is the best they can do then I'm willing to change my mind. My favorite quote from the article: "It said paper textbooks become outdated quickly and are 'physically cumbersome,' and recommended that schools train teachers in using online and multimedia instruction. It also said schools should consider online content but also place rigorous academic standards on that content. " - I don't know for sure but this seems like a bald contradiction. - Barry

USATODAY.com - Pundit's role in education 'propaganda' draws ire; column cut: "Revelations that the Bush administration paid pundit Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote its education policies to black audiences drew a quick rebuke from lawmakers on Capitol Hill yesterday and prompted Tribune Media Services to cut its ties with the syndicated commentator."

The Galveston County Daily News - Mass Mutual and USTA Team To Provide Scholarships

"'MassMutual’s philanthropic initiatives continue to focus on education,” said Robert O’Connell, chairman, president and chief executive officer of MassMutual. “Through this innovative scholarship program, our aim is to help talented students achieve their dream of attaining a college education.'

The application deadline for this scholarship and other USTA Tennis & Education Foundation scholarships is Feb. 4.

For information, visit the USTA Web site at www.usta.com."

KRT Wire | 01/04/2005 | Claims of academic success rely on anecdotes, flawed data analysis: "Studies routinely cited as evidence that home-schooled students perform better than public school students don't prove anything because there are huge, untested segments of the home-school population that may be failing, according to many researchers."

BlogAid: "Help Support The Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Appeal

Aid is desperately needed both in the short and long terms. In the short term money is needed to help clothe, feed and provide shelter to the victims of this terrible disaster. Medicine and medical supplies are urgently required to treat the injured, with fresh water and water purification tablets needed to prevent the spread of disease.

In the long term a huge amount of money will be needed to rebuild homes, roads and other basic infrastructure. Indonesia has estimated that it will take around 4 years to rebuild the Northern city of Banda Aceh alone."

USA Funds Accepts Applications for $3 Million in New Scholarships: "The program offers $1,500 scholarships to qualified full-time undergraduate, graduate and professional students and $750 scholarships to qualified half-time undergraduates. Applicants for the scholarships must be enrolled or plan to enroll in coursework at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational/technical school beginning with the fall 2005 term through Feb. 1, 2006.

The program targets students from households with annual incomes of $35,000 or less. Link: http://www.usafunds.org/"