News Releases

2012 "Hoosier Heroes" Essay Contest Winners Announced

Indiana Dollars for Scholars, a program of Scholarship America, congratulates the following students and Hoosier Heroes. These students' essays, celebrating the achievements and inspiration of the Heroes that they nominated, are the 10 winners of Hoosier Heroes scholarship awards for 2012, and will be honored at the 2012 Hoosier Heroes Celebration. The celebration will be held on Thursday, May 10th at U Indy Hall on the University of Indianapolis campus.

Mimi Daly Larson Named Senior VP, Strategic Marketing & Development

Scholarship America is pleased to announce that Mimi Daly Larson has been named Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Development. Larson has been serving as vice president of strategic marketing and branding since joining the organization a year ago.

In her new position, Larson will provide hands-on strategic, coordinated leadership for the marketing and development teams. This collaborative operating structure will allow Scholarship America to rapidly and proactively capture new opportunities for both awareness and fundraising.

Robert C. Ballard Joins Scholarship America's Board

Scholarship America is pleased to announce that Robert C. Ballard, Senior Vice President, Access and Outreach for USA Funds, has been elected to serve as a member of Scholarship America's Board of Trustees. He brings with him more than 29 years of higher education finance experience.

"I am honored to be selected to serve on the Scholarship America board of trustees. Scholarship America has been a valued partner to USA Funds in helping families prepare and pay for college. I look forward to working more closely with the organization to open the doors to college to every deserving student," said Mr. Ballard.

Cobalt Mortgage Pioneers New Dollars for Scholars Chapter

Cobalt Mortgage, one of the largest privately owned mortgage banking firms in the Pacific Northwest, has partnered with Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars program to establish the first corporate chapter in the nation. “We are honored to work with Scholarship America’s Dollars for Scholars program to promote higher education for students in our communities,” said Keith Tibbles, President and Co-founder of Cobalt Mortgage.

EducationDynamics Donates $20,000 to Scholarship America

EducationDynamics, the leading marketing information and technology services company dedicated to helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students, today announced that in lieu of holiday gifts it has made a $20,000 donation to Scholarship America, a national education service organization that mobilizes support for students getting into and graduating from college. The donation will support Scholarship America’s goal to help 750,000 students complete education beyond high school by 2025.

Search Early and Often—And Embrace Social Media—When Looking For Scholarship Dollars

Students planning to go to college need to start looking for scholarships as early as age 14, search often and use a variety of methods including social media, according to Scholarship America, the nation’s largest distributor of scholarships.

“With the cost of attaining a college education at an all-time high, scholarships have become a much-needed resource for students seeking to complete a degree,” said Lauren Segal, president and CEO of Scholarship America. “Students should plan to start the search by age 14 and consider the search a part-time job that they should spend several hours each year looking for scholarships. The time spent will have immense benefits in the long run by providing a financial base for a student’s higher education.”

College costs have risen more than 400 percent in the past 25 years and student debt recently hit $1 trillion, topping credit card debt. Now more than ever, students need to find scholarships of all types, including recurring scholarships, which will enable them to not only get into college but also complete their education.

Click through for our tips on starting early and looking often to increase the likelihood of landing scholarship dollars.

Scholarship America Board Members to Honor First President, Joseph F. Phelan, by Renaming St. Peter Location October 26

Scholarship America will be officially renaming its St. Peter, Minn. office location in memory of former Scholarship America president, Joe Phelan. The new name of the building—The Joseph F. Phelan Center for the Pursuit of Postsecondary Education—will be unveiled during a dinner and special naming ceremony, hosted by Scholarship America’s Board of Trustees on Thursday, October 26.

A special plaque inscribed with the message, “Joe’s vision built this campus and furthered our mission,” will also be unveiled at the event.

AXA Equitable Launches Pass It On! Game and Sweepstakes

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company announced today the launch of Pass it On!, an online game of chance that distills the concept and value of life insurance into a series of choices. Pass it On! players create avatars and guide their virtual families to a better financial future by saving game currency, managing expenses, and making important decisions about life insurance. Players also have the chance to win $25,000 or $15,000 cash prizes as part of the Pass It On! Sweepstakes.

Participants can also help AXA Equitable help others by voting for one of three great charities – the American Red Cross, CARE, and Scholarship America – during game play. Each organization will receive a grant from the AXA Foundation based on the number of votes received by Pass It On! players.

Read the full press release at www.axa-equitable.com.

The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund Will Provide More Than $11 Million in Needs-Based Scholarships to 9/11 Family Members and Rescue Workers for 2011-12 Academic Year

Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund® announced today that it will provide more than $11 million in needs-based postsecondary scholarships to 641 members of the 9/11 community for the 2011/2012 academic year. By the end of this academic year, the Fund will have distributed $74 million to 1,876 students since its establishment in the days immediately following 9/11. Over the recently completed 2010/2011 academic year, the Fund dispersed $13.7 million in scholarships, making the full 2010/2011 distribution the highest since the Fund’s inception.

Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund has been able to transform the lives and support the educational dreams of financially dependent children, spouses and domestic partners of those who were tragically killed on September 11, 2001. Beneficiaries of the Fund include families of airplane crews and passengers, World Trade Center and Pentagon workers and visitors, and those who were permanently disabled.

September Through November: Peak Times To Apply For Scholarships

September through November are the peak times to apply for scholarships; Scholarship America is also advising students currently in high school as well as post-secondary institutions to be creative and search far and wide to find scholarship dollars to offset record-high tuition costs. In addition, students shouldn’t stop searching for scholarships after getting into school, but rather continue to search year after year while they are earning their advanced degree.

Scholarship America Recognizes Volunteers, Student with National Awards and Scholarships

Scholarship America is pleased to announce the national winners of the 2011 national awards of excellence to Dollars for Scholars chapters as follows: Dr. Irving Fradkin Chapter of the Year: South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars, Aurora, Indiana; H. Stuart and Marlys C. Johnson New Chapter of the Year: Sunnyside School District Alumni Association Dollars for Scholars, Tucson, Arizona; and Cy Seifert National Volunteer of the Year Award: Danuta Lysy, CSF Westfield Dollars for Scholars, Westfield, Massachusetts. All award winners received $1,000 awards, in addition to the $500 they received for winning the regional competitions.

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