Background

Starting in 1928, the Hattie M. Strong Foundation (HMSF) has run what we believe to be one of the earliest and most successful student loan programs in the country.  We have supported “young people of promise” in their pursuit of higher education across all fields of study in all regions of the country. Our loans always charged zero interest and offered flexible repayment schedules tied to the economic realities of a student’s career choice.

In 2009, the HMSF Board of Directors decided to confront a different kind of economic reality; the astonishingly high levels of debt that today’s college graduates must incur to complete their studies.  Rather than make available yet another layer of debt, we decided to stop lending money and to simply give it away.

In alignment with our traditional focus on education, we have replaced our student loan program with a scholarship program aimed at college students enrolled in teacher-training programs.  Specifically, the HMSF hopes to reduce financial pressure during the student-teaching semester, when a student’s ability to offset expenses with outside employment is curtailed by the rigor of full-time work in the classroom.

Program Operation, Application, and Selection Process

Funds for the $5,000 scholarships are distributed via partnership with six institutions, all located near Washington, D.C., that have demonstrated leadership in preparing outstanding classroom teachers.  Application requirement and student selection will be determined by each institution’s scholarship committee in line with the following criteria in descending order of importance:

·         Students in their final year of study

·         Students with demonstrated financial need

·         Students who have achieved a minimum 3.0 GPA in the two semesters prior to their final year

·         Undergraduate students who have exhibited outstanding success and enthusiasm in field experience prior to the final year of the program or graduate students whose life experiences prior to enrollment reveal the same traits

Inquiries

Students interested in learning more about applying for a Hattie M. Strong Foundation “Strong Scholars” Scholarship, may contact the following institutions:

• Catholic University of America,  Washington, D.C.
   
• Howard University, Washington, D.C.

• Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia

• James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

• Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland

• Towson University, Towson, Maryland
   

Catholic University of America,  Washington, D.C.

Dr. M.J. Schuttloffel, Chair, Department of Education

207 O’Boyle, Cardinal Station

Washington, DC 20064

(202) 319-5805 

schuttloffel@cua.edu

For any other inquiries about the CUA Foundation, please contact:

Jo Anna Norris, Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Office of University Development

106 Aquinas, Cardinal Station

Washington, DC  20064

(202) 319-6913

norrisj@cua.edu

RETURN TO LIST

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Melanie Carter,

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs & Student Affairs

School of Education

ASA Building, Room 104

2441 4^th Street NW

Washington, DC 20059

(202) 806-5743

melcarter@howard.edu

Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia

Dr. Ruth Meese, Ranson Professor of Special Education

Longwood University

201 High Street

Farmville, Va. 23909

(434) 395-2340

meeserl@longwood.edu

For more information regarding the Strong Scholars Program go to

http://www.longwood.edu/cehs/7431.htm

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Dr. Margaret “Maggie” Kyger, Assistant Dean, College of Education

James Madison University

MSC 6911

Harrisonburg, Va.  22807

kygermm@jmu.edu

(540) 568-6317

Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland

Dr. Chin-Hsiu Chen, Assistant Professor
Director of Early Childhood Education

Teacher Education Technology Center (TE) 281G

Salisbury University

1101 Camden Avenue

Salisbury, Md. 21801

(410) 543-6293

cxchen@salisbury.edu