In tough times, students want any financial aid they can get. SCAD officials say they have been working to offer a considerable amount of scholarships to current students. Cynthia Brayton and Rebecca Nort, both of the department of institutional advancement at SCAD-Atlanta, gave a rundown of some of the college’s efforts to provide more of scholarships to students in need.
Did the recent economic crisis affect existing scholarships?
Rebecca Nort: Unfortunately, endowed scholarships have their money in stocks, and when stock value decreases, we have to reduce them as well.
Cynthia Brayton: Instead of just putting them in a bank, we invest them. Sadly, when the economy goes bad, we don’t get as much interest as we would like to, and need to reduce awards a little bit.
Has anything been done to overcome this loss in endowed scholarships?
CB: All of us in the department of institutional advancement have a fundraising role. My role is to talk to corporations. We have been working hard to raise funds for new and existing scholarships.
RN: I work more directly with scholarships. I also work with the phone-a-thon and, of course, the Scholarship Gala. I work more specifically with the silent auction part of it.
Overall, who are the main donors?
RN: Most scholarships come from endowments and miscellaneous donations. In many cases, families want to honor a loved one. In other cases, funding comes from companies. There are also scholarships that were inherited from the ACA and Woodruff Arts Center endowments.
CB: Basically, we receive donations from private corporations, individuals and foundations. We do not get funding from the government yet, but we are working on that. We also have the Scholarship Gala. It is a fundraiser that helps us add to existing scholarships and create new ones. We were very fortunate this year, even with a rough economy. We had several sponsors and donors. Also, there were people and companies who provided services for free, reducing the event cost.
And are there any good results so far?
CB (In a recent e-mail): Last year’s gala produced five, not four, scholarships. These should be described as need-based awards. These five (Communication Arts Endowed Scholarship; Film and Digital Media Endowed Scholarship; Liberal Arts Endowed Scholarship; School of Design Endowed Scholarship; and School of Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship) are listed on the website and there is one for each school within SCAD-Atlanta.
CB: Also, faculty and staff can also choose to help fund scholarships through the Annual Faculty Staff Campaign. We also hope that this year’s gala helps us add more funds to current endowments and create new scholarships altogether.
This year’s scholarship application process is open until the end of April. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?
RN: Sure. Overall, there are eighteen Atlanta-specific scholarships, and just shy of one hundred campus wide. Students can apply for as many institutional advancement scholarships they want, but they can only receive one. It is very simple to do that. Just go to MySCAD, click on “Student Workspace,” go to the “Student Toolkit” section and click on “Scholarships for Current Students.”
How many applications do you all receive?
RN: More than a thousand students apply every year.
CB: I would also add that some scholarships are very competitive, with more than fifty people applying to it. Others, however, have almost no competition.
What are the criteria for awarding scholarships to students?
RN: It is all different. It depends on the scholarship. Overall, most of them require 30 to 45 hours for undergraduate students and 15 hours for graduate students. They take into account academic performance and financial need. Some are destined to specific areas of study as well. Scholarships are, for the most part, available for both U.S. citizens and international students.
How do you ensure that this process is as transparent and honest as possible?
RN: First of all, students can add a résumé and a 2,000-character essay to their online application. Aside from it, each request is reviewed by a group of faculty from the student’s major department. We look for students who have a wonderful academic performance, but also who are engaged in campus activities and who are seen as competent and talented by their professors.
The application process will be over in May and happens once a year. However, sometimes students need immediate help, and the scholarship selection process is still months ahead. What can they do?
CB: It is important for students to go to the bursar office and inquire them about financial aid and scholarships. They are qualified to provide information related to it year round.
Finally, how do you feel working with scholarships and helping students in need?
CB: To me, we are part of fulfilling the mission of SCAD. It is exciting because I know that we really are helping students to stay at SCAD, finish it and be talented professionals. It’s rewarding to say we’ve made a difference.
RN: It helps me grow professionally to be able to see students have individual success from start to finish with the scholarship process. I’m also happy and more than willing to meet students individually and help them.