$17,000 Obama Scholarship to Be Awarded to 1,600 Arizona Students
Arizona State University officials have decided to rename the
school’s largest financial aid program after President Barack Obama
in honor of his commencement address to ASU’s 2009 graduating class,
reports The Arizona Republic (“1,600 ASU Freshmen Will Qualify for
Obama Scholarship,” May 7, 2009).
Approximately 1,600 incoming ASU freshmen could now qualify for an
award under the President Barack Obama Scholars Program, after the
school increased the qualifying family income from $25,000 to
$60,000. Worth up to $17,000, the need-based scholarship will cover
tuition, fees, books, and room and board and will require recipients
to take on a work-study job on campus.
The decision to rename the scholarship program came shortly after
ASU began receiving negative publicity for not choosing to award
President Obama with an honorary degree. ASU President Michael Crow
apologized for the stir created by the university’s controversial
decision but stood by his adherence to the school’s policy, which
doesn’t allow for honorary degrees to be awarded to sitting
politicians.
Crow says that the scholars program meets Obama’s goal of allowing
more students to attend college. He said, “This is an important
commitment on our part to make certain (that) students still have
access to the universities.”
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