Meredith College, the liberal arts educational institution for women in Raleigh, North Carolina, has established a new scholarship program for students who are dedicated to community engagement and service. The scholarship will be available to incoming first-year students who will enroll next fall.
Students who are accepted into the program will participate in a specialized learning community where they will take courses in a variety of disciplines that deal with issues facing society and will participate in projects with nongovernmental organizations in the Raleigh area.
Callie DeBellis, an assistant professor and chair of the Meredith Community Engagement Advisory Committee, notes that “giving students the opportunity to deeply engage in the communities surrounding our campus provides them with a better understanding of the concerns facing our diverse populations and our environment.” Professor Debellis is a graduate of Colorado College and holds a master’s degree in Hispanic literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Service Scholars will be required to perform 45 hours of community service per semester and to complete a senior project or thesis. In order to be considered for the program, students must have a high school grade point average of 3.4 or higher. They must meet minimum standards on college entrance examinations or be in the top 10 percent of their high school class.