Spring Break
Budget Busts
Part 9: Scholarships
Tyler Will
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: News
12/05/08 - Despite a budget crisis, the University of Rhode Island Centennial Scholarships will not be taken away from current students unnecessarily.
With the budget worries still looming, many students might wonder what is happening to scholarships. But, Interim Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Dean Libutti said students at URI with a Centennial Scholarship are under a contract, and will not lose their scholarship unless they violate that contract.
Some of the terms of the contract include maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or above, enrolling in at least four classes a semester and "continued enrollment," which means students cannot take a semester off.
"You then can come up for review and lose it," Libutti said, but students won't lose it unless they violate the agreement they have with the university.
However, the eligibility for a Centennial Scholarship changes for high school students every year, Libutti said. The minimum SAT score or high school GPA may be changed to reflect what funds the university has available. Due to the budget crisis, Libutti said this is even more likely, but added the alternative to raising requirements would be to reduce the amount the university awards per student.
"And with the current national economic climate, with the current state budget situation, we are always looking how we define and redefine how we spend our financial aid," Libutti said.
The university has not specified what requirements will warrant a Centennial Scholarship for the incoming freshmen of the 2009 to 2010 academic year, he said.
The university awards merit-based and need-based financial aid, which come from the university's Unrestricted Budget, which can come from the state allocation or tuition dollars, he said.
The university has budgeted $59 million in financial aid for next year, according to data at a URI Faculty Senate meeting about two weeks ago. The amount budgeted for financial aid could be higher than what URI gets from the state, which would be the first time in the university's history.
Libutti said college savings have dwindled with the stock market and jobs have been lost.
"It's a national problem, and it's a big concern of mine," he said.
He also expressed hope in President-elect Barack Obama's recent announcement that he may start a government program to offer scholarships for students who do community service. He said URI students borrow $100 million to pay their college bills.
"In this climate, there is a lot of financial need out there," he said.
With the budget worries still looming, many students might wonder what is happening to scholarships. But, Interim Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Dean Libutti said students at URI with a Centennial Scholarship are under a contract, and will not lose their scholarship unless they violate that contract.
Some of the terms of the contract include maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or above, enrolling in at least four classes a semester and "continued enrollment," which means students cannot take a semester off.
"You then can come up for review and lose it," Libutti said, but students won't lose it unless they violate the agreement they have with the university.
However, the eligibility for a Centennial Scholarship changes for high school students every year, Libutti said. The minimum SAT score or high school GPA may be changed to reflect what funds the university has available. Due to the budget crisis, Libutti said this is even more likely, but added the alternative to raising requirements would be to reduce the amount the university awards per student.
"And with the current national economic climate, with the current state budget situation, we are always looking how we define and redefine how we spend our financial aid," Libutti said.
The university has not specified what requirements will warrant a Centennial Scholarship for the incoming freshmen of the 2009 to 2010 academic year, he said.
The university awards merit-based and need-based financial aid, which come from the university's Unrestricted Budget, which can come from the state allocation or tuition dollars, he said.
The university has budgeted $59 million in financial aid for next year, according to data at a URI Faculty Senate meeting about two weeks ago. The amount budgeted for financial aid could be higher than what URI gets from the state, which would be the first time in the university's history.
Libutti said college savings have dwindled with the stock market and jobs have been lost.
"It's a national problem, and it's a big concern of mine," he said.
He also expressed hope in President-elect Barack Obama's recent announcement that he may start a government program to offer scholarships for students who do community service. He said URI students borrow $100 million to pay their college bills.
"In this climate, there is a lot of financial need out there," he said.
