EAST LANSING, Mich. - Sixteen academically talented students from across the United States have been named Alumni Distinguished Scholars and University Distinguished Scholars for 2000 at Michigan State University.
The Alumni Distinguished Scholarship (ADS) and the University Distinguished Scholarship (UDS) are the most prestigious academic scholarships offered by the university. The scholarships cover the costs of tuition, room and board, books and other academic expenses for up to nine semesters of undergraduate education. Total value of the scholarship is approximately $45,000 for in-state students and $68,000 for out-of-state students over the term of the award.
"The MSU community is extremely pleased to welcome these extraordinary students to our campus," said MSU President Peter McPherson. "This group of scholars joins a distinguished society of MSU students and alumni who have utilized the benefits of this award, venturing forth into stellar careers around the globe."
The scholarships are among the most competitive in the country. ADS recipients are selected from more than 1,000 high school seniors who applied to MSU and who came to campus in February to take an intensive general knowledge examination. The UDS program is also based on merit and is equivalent to the ADS award but does not require scholars to take the general knowledge examination.
Scholarship winners from Michigan are:
- Sandra Amble, Davison High School, Davison (ADS)
- Timothy Bodnar, Plymouth-Salem High School, Plymouth (ADS)
- Kevin Dillman, Haslett High School, Haslett (ADS)
- Charles Doriean, Garber High School, Essexville (ADS)
- Laura Portwood-Stacer, Livonia Churchill High School, Livonia (UDS)
- Andrew Reinink, Tecumseh High School, Tipton (ADS)
- Greta Stahl, Eisenhower High School, Shelby Township (ADS)
- Kimberly Wooten, Brighton High School, Brighton (ADS)
- Meng-Meng Yu, East Lansing High School, East Lansing (UDS)
Out-of-state scholarship recipients are:
- Aric Hall, Saint Joseph High School, Kenosha, Wis. (ADS)
- Tracy Kamikawa, Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii (UDS)
- Melissa Killion, Center Grove High School, Greenwood, Ind. (ADS) ·
- Sara Mess, Northrop High School, Fort Wayne, Ind. (ADS)
- Theresa Sands, Medina High School, Medina, N.Y. (ADS)
- Marita Sheldon, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, Scotia, N.Y. (UDS)
- Joseph Slowik (ADS)
Achievements of the scholarship winners:
- The average high school grade point average of the 16 students is 4.15 on a 4.0 scale.
- The average ACT score is 34 (out of 36); the average SAT score is 1,523 (out of 1,600).
Of the 16 students, 10 plan to major in science fields, including mechanical engineering, mathematics, biology, crop and soil sciences and computer science. Three students will attend James Madison College, one will major in pre-veterinary medicine, one will major in hospitality business and another will study philosophy and psychology.
Alumni Distinguished Scholars and University Distinguished Scholars participate in the programs of the Honors College at MSU in addition to the academic work in their majors.
"We are very excited that these scholarship winners have chosen to attend MSU and participate in Honors College programs," said Ron Fisher, director of the MSU Honors College. "They will join more than 1,600 other Honors College students at MSU who are pursuing honors academic programs, participating in research and enriching the university community."
ADS winners are selected by a committee of faculty and administrators who select the recipients based on results of the scholarship examination, high school programs and achievements, other standardized test scores and interviews of the finalists. UDS recipients are selected on the basis of their high school programs and achievements and standardized test scores.