Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 3, 1 March 1997 — Scholarship opportunities open doors of learning to students [ARTICLE]

Scholarship opportunities open doors of learning to students

by Deborah Ward When Hawaiian students apply for financial aid to go to college they receive help from a consortium of organizations who are working together to provide scholarships for Hawaiians seeking to further their education. As a result, more scholarships are now awarded than ever before. For example, in the University of Hawai'i system (including the Mānoa campus) enrollment by Hawaiians has increased tremendously and is now up to about 10 percent of the total student body ( compared to about 3 percent in 1989), despite an enrollment drop at UH due to a tuition hike. To make sure as many Hawaiians as possible are able to receive financial assistance for their education, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Education Foundation, the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, Hawaiian Homes Commission, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and other private endowments participate in a consortium. Since it was formed in 1990, it has awarded more than $60 million in scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE) acts as a clearing house to process and administer the scholarship awards on behalf of the participating organizations. KSBE also administers scholarships for the federally-funded Native Hawaiian Health Professions program, and the Native Hawaiian Higher Education Act. This eooperative approach avoids duplication of services and expands the available resources to fill as many

requests for hnaneial assistance as possible, according to Bob Worthington, director of financial assistance at KSBE. Approximately 20 percent of awards go to students planning to attend mainland colleges, says Worthington. The rest of the awards go to students who attend learning institutions in Hawai'i. This means more scholarships ean be awarded, since the cost of education in Hawai'i is less than at mainland institutions. Most scholarship recipients attending college on the mainland go to west coast institutions in California, Washington and Oregon, followed by Utah, Colorado and Nevada. After that it's the East Coast from Maine to Virginia, with 16 now in Massachusetts (MIT, Boston University, Yale and Harvard). The south and southeast have the fewest. There are three at foreign institutions in Canada and New Zealand. More than 4,000 awards are being made per year, ranging in amount from $500 to $10,000 for a total annual value of about $16 million. The bulk of the awards, 66 percent go toward baccalaureate degrees, about 9 percent for master's degrees, about 4 percent for Ph.D. and professional degrees, and 22 percent for associate degrees. Women outnumber men two to one in scholarship applications, reflecting a tendency for men to get into military service or employment right away rather than pursue and complete a college higher education. Approximately one-third of students receiving scholarships are "non-traditional" students, who are

25 years or older, may be returning to school for the first time since high school, and are pursuing degrees ranging from a two-year associate's degree to a B.A. to M.A. or Ph.D. Anyone receiving the Kamehameha Schools scholarship is generally ineligible for other consortium funds administered by KSBE. Alu Like has its own federal funds for educating and training Hawaiians for a non-degree vocational and associate degree program. Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate provides Alu Like $250,000 eaeh year to serve a non-degree program in community eolleges. This is Alu Like's area of expertise, says Worthington, so they also work as part of the eonsortium as a clearing house partner. The OHA Education Foundation, in partnership with KSBE, provided 60 scholarships this year for the "gap group" of those who are not funded by others in the consortium. While most scholarship deadines are in March, some scholarships have later deadlines. For information about financial aid and applieahon procedures, contact: — Kamehameha Schools Department of Financial Aid, Kapālama Heights, 1887 Makuakāne St., Honolulu, Hawai'i 96817. Phone (808) 842-8216. — Office of Hawaiian Affairs Education Division, 711 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 500, Honolulu, Hāwaii 96813. Phone (808) 594-1912.