EUGENE, Ore. – (April 16, 2012) – More scholars will soon put their stamps on the University of Oregon. Thanks to a generous $1.5 million gift from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, the number of UO students receiving full-tuition scholarships will rise by at least 20, and funds will be available to help the scholars get the most out of their college experience.
Starting in Fall, 2013, five incoming students per year will receive full-tuition scholarships, including room and board, to attend the UO for four years. A total of 20 students will be awarded the merit-based scholarships from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. Recipients will also be awarded enrichment funds to help them pursue study abroad or other experiences.
The UO will match the foundation’s gift to establish the Penelope W. and E. Roe Stamps IV Leadership Scholar Awards. Students will be selected based on merit and how well they exemplify a set of core values, including leadership, perseverance, scholarship, service and innovation.
“In recent years, the UO has seen unprecedented growth and a dramatic increase in the quality and diversity of our entering classes,” said UO Interim President Robert Berdahl. “Thanks to the Stamps’ generosity, we can ensure access to the University of Oregon for the best and brightest students.”
In addition to covering tuition, fees, room and board, the awards are supplemented by an enrichment fund of $12,000 per student. Stamps Leadership Scholars will submit proposals to use this money for activities such as study abroad programs, research, unpaid internships or academic conferences.
“The enrichment fund will be an extraordinary resource,” said Roger J. Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management. “With the UO’s commitment to creating educational opportunities beyond the classroom, from the Service Learning Program to our 165 study abroad programs, the fund will be a powerful tool for talented students to take advantage of all the UO has to offer. We are grateful to the Stamps Foundation for their visionary leadership in supporting students to succeed in the classroom, across the university, and around the world.”
The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation has worked with universities across the country to help promising young scholars. With the establishment of the Stamps Scholarship program, the UO joins a roster of 24 institutions that includes the University of Chicago, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan and UCLA.
“Higher education had a powerful impact on our lives,” said Penelope W. Stamps, president of the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. “We are dedicated to helping young people achieve the best possible university experience. The University of Oregon, with its excellent academic environment and outstanding faculty, is the ideal place for students to excel. We are delighted to be partnering with the UO to create a new class of Stamps Scholars.”
“The partnership with the University of Oregon builds on the success of the Stamps Foundation’s other collaborations to benefits students,” said Randy McDow, Stamps Family Charitable Foundation executive director. “The scholarships and access to the enrichment fund provide for experiences that are crucial to a well-rounded education, giving students global experiences and professional preparation that can lead to successful careers.”
The Stamps Scholarship program will join an expanding list of financial aid programs at the UO, where over 65 percent of students receive financial aid. For more information and application details, visit http://financialaid.uoregon.edu/.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
MEDIA CONTACT: Julie Brown, UO media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Link:http://stampsfoundation.org/
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with satellite uplink capacity, and a radio studio with an ISDN phone line for broadcast-quality radio interviews.
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