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New Alumni Scholarships Awarded, Including One to Grandson of Grad Who Waited 50 Years for Diploma
Bama Alums #1 in Nation In Supporting Academics through Scholarships

New Alumni Scholarships Awarded, Including One to Grandson of Grad Who Waited 50 Years for Diploma

John Hill received his diploma 50 years after graduating in 1951. (photo courtesy Andalusia Star News)

Andalusia's Ryan Mitchell is one of nearly 300 University of Alabama students participating in the first year of a new scholarship program based, in part, on a parent or grandparent's graduation from UA.

And Mitchell, a pre-med student, is confident he will receive his UA diploma more quickly than did his grandfather, who graduated with honors in 1951, but received his diploma 50 years later.

UA's National Alumni Association has awarded the new Alumni Heritage Scholarships to 278 students, including Mitchell, who are enrolled as freshmen this semester, according to Pat Whetstone, director of alumni affairs. The new scholarships provide 10 percent of the cost of tuition to incoming freshmen who have at least one parent or grandparent who earned a degree from UA and who has been an active member of the National Alumni Association for three of the last five years.

"The new scholarship program our executive board voted to establish has been popular," Whetstone said. "The Board wanted to send a clear signal that we want our graduates' children and grandchildren to look at The University of Alabama first. I expect the program will grow in popularity in coming years."

The program is already quite popular with Mitchell's grandfather, John Hill, not only because it added another scholarship to his grandson's lengthy list of academic awards, but also because the program led to him finally obtaining the sheepskin he earned five decades ago.

Hill said he had always considered himself a graduate of the class of 1949. "I lacked five hours graduating in 1949. I ran out of money, so I went out and went to work," said Hill. "At the time, the University offered correspondence courses, and I took one." He completed the course in 1951, satisfying all the requirements for his bachelor of arts degree, with a journalism major and an industrial management minor.

When his grandson began filling out his Alumni Heritage Scholarship application, he asked his granddad which year to list as his graduation date. Hill phoned UA to check and during the course of the conversation, mentioned he never received his diploma, explaining the circumstances to a UA representative, who verified his standing with UA's academic records office.

Then Hill, at age 75, and 50 years after he completed his degree requirements, was invited to attend the graduation ceremony. Although he could not attend the ceremony for health reasons, he said he's pleased to see his grandson follow his path to the University.

UA's Graduate School is in its first year of a similar program. Qualifications for the parent and grandparent are the same as with the freshman scholarships, and it pays for 10 percent of tuition for one year. The Graduate School has awarded 15 scholarships through its program.

For more information about the Heritage Scholarships, call the UA National Alumni Association at 348-5963.

Bama Alums #1 in Nation In Supporting Academics through Scholarships

Group of students who receive NAA scholarships

These students are among 900 currently receiving NAA scholarships.

The University of Alabama National Alumni Association (NAA) is ranked first in the nation among public universities for its creation and support of academic scholarships.

For the 2002-2003 academic year, the NAA has provided scholarship assistance to some 900 students for more than $2 million.

And financial assistance and scholarships are very varied. Some are for freshmen; some are for graduate students. Some recognize academic excellence; others assist solid "B" students who have demonstrated a serious commitment to their education. There are scholarships for transfers from community colleges; there are scholarships for freshmen who have shown excellence in leadership in high school; there are scholarships for books. The NAA supplements funding for UA's National Merit, Achievement, and Hispanic scholars and for Presidential Scholarships.

NAA's chapters across Alabama and the nation have provided more than $450,000 supporting their local students. The Collegiate License Tag Endowed Graduate Education Fund has allowed almost $400,000 in fellowships. Now there are scholarships for children and grandchildren of NAA members (see above item on Alumni Heritage Scholarships).

Motor homes, dressing children in cheerleader and player outfits, donning sweatshirts and T-shirts covered in Crimson Tide designs -- all these highly visible activities surrounding football and other athletic events might lead people to think UA alumni only like athletics.

Not so! says Pat Whetstone, director of alumni affairs at the University. "Our approximately 30,000 active alums are the envy of other public universities," he said. "Their financial commitment to academics has made the sky the limit for many students to get their educations."

NAA scholarships include Crimson Scholarships, Alumni Honors Scholarships, Alumni Leadership Awards, Alumni Junior College Honors Scholarships, Chapter Scholarships, Academic Walk-on Scholarships, and Graduate Scholarships, as well as funding for other endowments and scholarships. For information about these and other funding programs, as well as donating to scholarship funds, call Paula Jeter at 348-1556 or go to the Web site at http://alumni.ua.edu/.