On February 23, 2016 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the J.D. Boyd Library Auditorium the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) visited Alcorn State University in an effort to better educate students on the opportunities that they have available.
The event was hosted by Dr. Wanda Arrington, the Assistant Director of the Honors Curriculum Program and Lenora Longstreet-Haire, the Manager of Talent Acquisition and Campus Relations recruiter. Myquis Levels-Morgan, an Alcorn State Student Ambassador who attended the event said, “One of the best things about the Thurgood Marshall College Fund is that they help you find jobs, they’re putting you in front of Fortune 500 companies, and they’re putting you in front of employers who want to hire diverse employees.” The Thurgood Marshall College Fund was founded in 1987 to provide support to students who were attending publically supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Their mission is simple: increase access, retention, and graduation rates of students, identify and prepare students who are in school and who have significant leadership potential, and to create a pipeline for employers to students and alumni. The TMCF offers seven types of scholarships that can go up to $25,000 a year which include: the Graduate Assistantship Program (GAP) scholarship which is intended for senior students who are about to graduate and fall short of funds.
In order to qualify for any of the scholarships, students must have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, be a U.S. student or permanent resident, be a Sophomore age 18 and older, and be recommended by a faculty member. The Science, Mathematics, & Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship is available with the Department of Defense and pays a stipend that can range from $25,000-$38,000. It is intended for summer research internships and is primarily for students who are interested in Electrical Engineering and things closely related. The scholarship also gives the student $1,200 per calendar year for health insurance and covers a miscellaneous supplies allowance with a $1,000 stipend per academic year for the student. To apply for the SMART scholarship, visit www.smart.asee.org. Education majors can apply for the Teacher Quality Retention Program (TQRP) which is an opportunity for future educators to join together with the TMCF to do workshops, and it’s a three-year relationship between the two. Longstreet-Haire’s suggestion to students who wished to pursue these scholarships was to, “Make sure that your resume is definitely up-to-date, make sure that it’s very well-organized, be open to our feedback on your resume because we do that as a service to the students. In addition, make sure that your GPA is a 3.0 or above, and be able to express yourself both written and verbally.
For more information on the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, please contact Dr. Wanda Arrington at warrington@alcorn.edu or (601) 877-6138.