Welcome Students
What is the Gates Millennium Scholars Program? n The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program is funded by a $1.6 billion dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was established in 1999. n The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential. 2
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the Administrator of the GMS initiative and has partnered with the following organizations: American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS) Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) UNCF Gates Millennium Scholars APIASF Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) AIGC Scholars (AIGCS) 3
The GMS Scholarship Award funds academic financial support covering unmet need & self help. Continued graduate school funding up to Ph.D. in the 7 areas of : Computer science Library sciences Education Engineering Public Health Sciences Mathematics 4
Eligibility Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American Are a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States Have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on an unweighted 4.0 scale or have earned a GED Will enroll for the first time at a U.S. located, accredited college or university in the fall of 2011 as a full-time, degree-seeking, first-year student (with the exception of students concurrently pursuing a high school diploma). First-time college enrollees can also be GED recipients. Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria Have completed and submitted all three required forms: the student s application (Nominee Personal Information Form), an evaluation of the student s academic record (Nominator Form) and an evaluation of the student s community service and leadership activities(recommender Form) by the deadline 5
GMS Provides Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help Renewable awards for Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress Option to transfer Graduate School Funding for continuing Scholars in the 7 selected areas Leadership Development programs with distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities 6
Not Just About Money Student Leadership Conferences GMS Leadership Academies Scholar Connection Alumni Relations Program Mentoring Program 7
The Application Process 1. Nominator Form Educator/Guidance Counselor Educator who is familiar with the student s academic background completes the Nominator Form 2. Recommender Form Community Service/Leadership Advocate Community member or individual who is aware of the student s community service and leadership activities completes the Recommender Form and 3. Nominee Form Student Student completes comprehensive Nominee Personal Information Form. Independent readers complete individualized reading and scoring assessment of each eligible Nominee in three major areas: A. academic achievement, B. community service, and C. leadership potential 8
The Application Process.. Nominees (students) Be Prepared To: List activities by high school year Summarize the academic record, honors and awards Summarize community service activities Summarize leadership opportunities Write clearly and with vigor regarding your accomplishments, goals, and dreams 9
Leadership examples Church group youth leader Boys and Girls Club volunteer Caretaker for different generations of family members Youth leader at local Temple Translator for parents Starting a cultural club at your high school Involvement in Student Government Team Captain/Co-captain 10
Community Service Examples Habitat for Humanities Senior Citizen Centers Helping others Learn to Read Animal Shelters Political Campaigns Park and Recreation Volunteers Food Banks Neighborhood Clean-up projects 11
Tips for Nominees.. Nominee SecIon Longer is not better; be concise Your chance to articulate how your background conveys who you are PROOFREAD COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION!!! Nominator SecIon Select an individual that is familiar with your academic background Encourage your Nominator to submit as early as possible MUST BE AN EDUCATOR! Not a relative! Recommender SecIon Select an individual that can attest to your community service & leadership skills Encourage your Recommender to submit as early as possible Not a relative! 12
Nomination materials are available at www.gmsp.org A Complete Application Packet Consist of: 1. Student Application (Nominee Personal Information Form) 2. Educator s evaluation of the student s academic record (Nominator Form) 3. Evaluation of the student s community service and leadership activities (Recommender Form) 13
Applications do not need to be submitted in the same format or at the same time ü Forms can be mailed or submitted online online submission are preferred and post instantaneously online application detection will alert you of errors ü No attachments ü All forms must be submitted by the deadline 14
All three forms are linked by the student registration identification number. The student s registration identification number is a combination of their five digit zip code and the last four digits of their preferred phone number. For example, if their five digit zip code is 22031 and their preferred phone number is 703-205-2080; then the registration identification number would be 22031-2080. 15
Nominees (students), must select one telephone number to use for their student registration identification number to prevent any possible confusion. The student s registration identification number is automatically displayed by the system as they complete page one of the online application. Nominators and Recommenders will have to enter the student registration identification number to access the Nominator or Recommender Form. Nominators and Recommenders, do not have to wait for the Nominee to start their application before they begin their nomination or recommendation for the student. 16
Who are Gates Scholars? 17
Contact GMS Gates Millennium Scholars Program United Negro College Fund 1-877 690- GMSP (4677) www.gmsp.org 18