For Immediate Release August 4, 2005

For More Information Contact: Diane Brown, 317-274-7711 habrown@iupui.edu

Indiana University announces Inaugural Class of Hoosier Presidential Scholars

BLOOMINGTON - Indiana University President Adam W. Herbert announced today (Aug. 4) that 33 students have accepted offers to attend IU as members of the inaugural class of Hoosier Presidential Scholars.

The highly competitive program, initiated by Herbert and funded by a $10 million grant from the Lilly Foundation, is aimed at placing more of Indiana's top high school students at IU campuses, with the hope that they might be more inclined to stay in Indiana after they graduate.

This fall, nine Hoosier Presidential Scholars will enroll at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Eighteen scholars will enroll at the IU Bloomington campus, and one each at regional campuses in Columbus, Gary, Kokomo, Richmond and South Bend. One scholar is delaying her enrollment at Bloomington until 2006 to take advantage of an overseas study opportunity.

Unlike IU's other competitive scholarship programs, such as the Wells and Kelley Scholars, eligibility for Hoosier Presidential Scholarships is limited to Indiana residents.

These students will receive renewable scholarships ranging from $6,000 to $12,000 a year for four years, plus a new laptop computer. In their junior or senior year, the students will also receive a $1,000 award toward the cost of a semester of international study abroad.

"This exciting program gives each of our campuses a significant new tool to attract more of Indiana 's most academically talented high school students," Herbert said. "These students have the potential for high levels of success in their chosen professions. They will be Indiana 's future leaders. Our responsibility is to offer them an educational experience commensurate with their exceptional abilities -- and we will do so."

Charlie Nelms, vice president for institutional development and student affairs, said the Lilly Endowment's $10 million investment will enable IU to offer 30 to 40 scholarships each year in perpetuity.

"This is a program that over the long term will benefit IU and the state as well as the individual student participants," Nelms said. "IU is better able to attract students of exceptional achievement, and we hope many of them will remain in Indiana after they complete their undergraduate work. We are very grateful to the Lilly Endowment for its foresight in helping us establish this program."

Nelms said he is very pleased that IU was able to attract so many exceptional students in the first year of the program.

The average grade point average for the 33 inaugural class members exceeded 4.0 because so many were in advanced placement and honors classes. The average SAT score was 1394, and 86 percent of awardees came from public high schools.

One-fourth of the inaugural class are minority students. Thirty-nine percent are female and 61 percent are male.

Hoosier Presidential Scholars to enroll at IUPUI are: Cameron Eugene Carter, Greenwood; Peter Joel Sempsrott, Arlington; Virdiana Auger-Velez, Indianapolis; Jonathan Wah Liang, Indianapolis; Holly Sue Brockman, Shelbyville; Karissa Corrine Guerrero, Valparaiso; David Robert Sempsrott, Arlington; Paul G. Riccio, Indianapolis; and Amy Marie Niebrugge, West Lafayette.

For more details, visit the Web site http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/2319.html.

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