Upfront: Legacy Stipends and Alumni-Sponsored Scholarships
As I travel around the country, I am often asked by alumni whether special tuition considerations will be given to their son or daughter applying for admission to Michigan State. I am pleased to announce that the answer is yes! As our guiding principle puts it so pithily, 'People Matter.' And that clearly applies to all alumni who now live outside Michigan.
Those of you who live outstate, or who intend to move to another state or overseas, and who want your son or daughter to attend Michigan State, will be pleased to hear about the special legacy stipend offered by the university. The MSU Alumni Magazine reported in the Winter 1996 issue that the university now offers a $1,000 stipend to the out-of-state dependents of alumni. It is a move that came at the urging of President Peter McPherson.
Essentially, the stipend is available to the out-of-state dependents of parents who attended Michigan State. The stipend of $1,000 is renewable for up to four years of study, given continuous full-time enrollment. Of course, to be eligible, students must meet minimal composite criteria based on grade-point average and test scores. In addition, after the first year, the recipient must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. I think all of you will agree that this is a step in the right direction.
This action represents a clear demonstration of our guiding principle, 'People Matter.' Alumni matter greatly. By offering this stipend, MSU shows that it not only cares about alumni and listens to their concerns, but it also responds. Certainly, alumni appreciate that the University is entrusted to use Michigan tax dollars to serve the interests of Michigan taxpayers. The legacy stipend is offered without compromising that trust. By the same token, it does express the responsibility assumed by the university to make quality education accessible to the greatest number of qualified students. Without a doubt, it is a strong statement that Michigan State cares for its alumni and their sons and daughters who intend to be future Spartans.
Application could not be simpler. Those eligible will find instructions on each admissions application. Those with questions about this stipend or who wish to have an application mailed to them should contact the Office of Admissions and Scholarships, Michigan State University, 250 Administration Bldg., East Lansing, MI 48824-1046.
In my excitement to announce this step taken by the university to hasten the recruitment of our out-of-state students of alumni, I am moved to remind all alumni of the role they should assume in this effort and indeed in the effort generally to recruit promising students to MSU. In an earlier issue, I wrote of having adopted the 'Alumni as Resource' theme to drive the activities undertaken by the Alumni Association and the alumni community generally. In essence, that theme sees alumni assuming a greater role in providing support for the university through development activity, by providing scholarships and internships for MSU students, being involved in student recruitment, and by providing the university with legislative and community advocacy. 'Alumni as Resource' declares that the menu of Alumni Association programs will be balanced with programs which serve alumni and those, on the other hand, which foster alumni service to the university.
I have found that alumni are quick to respond and be involved in the areas of student recruitment and scholarships. Perhaps alumni are eager to have the MSU experience shared by others and perhaps they remember well the demands of student life. We were all there at one time. In this regard, you need to know that I have directed every alumni group, that is, regional club and constituent association, to maintain scholarships for MSU students. And most have responded quickly by adding scholarships or expanding their existing scholarship program. To be a part of this effort, you should contact your regional club or constituent association to make a commitment to raise scholarship monies for some young man or woman attending MSU.
This summer when I spoke to the freshmen attending the Academic Orientation Program about 'What it means to be a Spartan,' I mentioned that being a Spartan, in part, means understanding that the 'wealth' of MSU is derived from the various contributions received from university constituents. As alumni, you are the natural and enduring constituents of the university. You have the greatest stake in the once and future wealth of this institution. I encourage you to be involved with an alumni group and contribute in ways that increase the 'wealth' of this great institution and which sets models for our newer Spartans to emulate. Go Green.
