In conjunction with the Fall 2008 Open House on Sunday, November 9, students are invited to participate in one of eight scholarship contests. Gannon University will award 24 four-year scholarships totaling $192,000. Three scholarships will be awarded for each contest. First place will receive $3,000, second place $2,000 and third place $1,000. The awards are renewable annually, provided recipients maintain a 3.0 grade point average at Gannon. Winners will be determined by a panel of judges from each department and announced approximately four weeks after the exam.
- Students must be high school seniors at the time of the contest.
- Students must enroll as full-time, undergraduates at Gannon University directly upon graduation from high school -- i.e. Fall 2009.
- Students must meet the full-time, regular admission requirements of the University.
- Students must be applicants to Gannon University at the time the test is administered.
- Students may compete in only one of the eight scholarship contests.
- Students must demonstrate outstanding performance on the exams.
- Students must be citizens of the United States.
- Dependents of Gannon University employees are not eligible.
English Writing Contest:
Dr. Cherie Ann Haeger Memorial,
Dr. John Rouch and Dr. Dolores Sarafinski Scholarships
Students must complete an impromptu writing sample the day of the contest. Students will be given one hour to complete the contest.
Additional Requirements:
- Recipients must enroll at Gannon University as English majors; English/Secondary Education majors, Jounalism Communications majors, or Journalism minors.
- Students must submit a folder the day of the contest. It should contain two samples of their writing, for example:
- a creative piece of poetry or prose
- a graded academic sample (two if there is no creative sample) such as a term paper, newspaper assignment or book report
- a letter to Gannon’s English Department describing the strengths they will bring to the department, what contributions they will make to Gannon and what their Gannon degrees will do for them after graduation.
- Students must submit one letter of recommendation on the day of the contest from a high school English teacher.
Foreign Language Contests
Bertl M. Weber Scholarships
The exams test grammar, knowledge of culture, reading comprehension and writing skills in French, Spanish, or German. Each exam will take one hour to complete.
Additional Requirements:
- Recipients do not have to be foreign language majors; however, they may be required to take up to nine credits of a foreign language while at Gannon.
- Students must not have lived, studied or traveled for more than eight weeks (whether all at once or on several different occasions) in the target country for the exam they are taking.
- Native speakers are not eligible to sit for the exam.
Biology ContestElmer F. Kohlmiller Scholarships
The exam covers broad topics including cellular, molecular, organismal and population biology. The exam will take one hour to complete.
Additional Requirements:
- Recipients must enroll at Gannon University as Biology majors.
- Students must submit, on the day of the exam, a letter of recommendation from a high school biology or science teacher.
- Students must submit, on the day of the exam, a short resume (not exceeding two typed pages) including career goals, hobbies, interests, etc.
Chemistry Contest
This exam will take 30 minutes to complete.
Additional Requirements:
- Students must enroll in an academic program at Gannon that requires two semesters of freshman chemistry and labs.
- One recommendation letter from a high school chemistry teacher is required to be brought the day of the exam.
Engineering Design Contest
This design contest will take two hours to complete.
Additional Requirements:
- Recipients must enroll at Gannon University as Engineering or Computer Science majors.
- Students must rank in the top 25% of their graduating class.
- Students must have a minimum 1100 SAT score (out of 1600 Math and Critical Reading sections) or 24 ACT composite score.
Education Contest
Future Educators Award
Students will be given one hour to complete a writing prompt on the day of the contest.
Additional Requirements:
- Recipients must enroll at Gannon University as an Elementary, Secondary or K-12 Education major.
- Students must submit two letters of recommendation on the day of the contest. One letter should describe their leadership qualities and the other should describe their service to children. The letters can be from teachers or community members.
- Students must meet all the requirements for admission to the School of Education.