Biology

WKU is committed to helping students graduate; and the WKU Administrative Council has approved a creative new summer scholarship program for 2012 to help current undergraduate students lighten their financial load. The summer scholarship program is provided by WKU Summer Sessions to help undergraduate students progress further toward graduation.

Qualified WKU undergraduate students with a 3.0 GPA or higher who take at least six hours during Summer Sessions 2012 will receive a $337 scholarship. For undergraduate students paying the Kentucky resident rate, this scholarship is like taking five hours and getting one free.

“This initiative has the potential to make a huge impact on our undergraduate students,” said Dr. Beth Laves, associate vice president of extended learning. Laves said that statistics have shown that 80 percent of WKU students who graduated in four years took at least one summer or winter course.

“This summer sessions scholarship is one more way we can help students achieve their graduation goals and decrease their financial burden,” she said. WKU expects to offer more than 700 scholarships to qualified students.

WKU Provost Dr. Gordon Emslie said that the scholarship program is an example of WKU’s dedication to help students graduate. “Our mission is to provide students with the quality education and practical skills they will need to become leaders in our rapidly-evolving global society. WKU Summer Sessions courses offer a wealth of diverse opportunities for our students, and we hope that this scholarship initiative will ease some of the financial challenges that students face,” Emslie said.

“Summer courses are designed to help students graduate,” Laves said. WKU typically has more than 4,000 undergraduate students enrolled in summer courses each year. Many of them are students who change majors and need to add additional classes. Others want the opportunity to travel. Others want to lighten their course load during the fall and spring semesters.

“WKU Summer Sessions provides students with the flexibility to design a schedule that fits their individual needs,” she said. Summer offers include general education and major/minor courses through face-to-face and online formats.

Study Away and Study Abroad opportunities are also available, and students will qualify for the scholarship as long as they take at least one additional face-to-face or online course during the summer. There are a few exclusions to the scholarship program. It will not apply to Navitas, ESLI, National Student Exchange, Dual Credit, or students on a WKU Faculty/Staff or Kentucky Employee waiver.

Currently, WKU Summer Sessions offers more than 1,000 classes, which are available online, at the Bowling Green campuses, at the WKU Regional Campuses in Glasgow, Owensboro and Elizabethtown/Ft. Knox/Radcliff and through Study Abroad or Study Away. Students can register for classes beginning March 12. Undergraduate students can take up to 15 credit hours over the summer.

Student Financial Assistance Director Cindy Burnette said that the scholarship will help many students who otherwise couldn’t afford to take a summer course. “Many students exhaust their aid eligibility during traditional fall and spring semesters,” Burnette said. “This resource will give them additional financial assistance during summer term.”

There is no separate application process for this summer scholarship program – the scholarship will automatically be deducted.

Summer scholarship information is available at www.wku.edu/summer/scholarship. For more information on WKU Summer Sessions, visit www.wku.edu/summer.

Contact: Beth Laves, (270) 745-1900.