A new scholarship for Metro students has been established by the McElhiney Family to honor their adopted South Korean grandson, Maxwell Jee Min McElhiney, "Max." (Annette McElhiney is a retired professor of English and women's studies from Metro.)

The scholarship is a one-time, $400 award for students who are currently enrolled in a First Year Seminar or have taken a First Year Seminar. The scholarship is open to first-year and upper-division students and is sponsored by the First Year Program, the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the MSCD Foundation.

The First Year Seminar, a course in critical reading, writing and thinking, is designed to prepare students for college-level academic work. According to First Year Program Director and Assistant Professor of English Reneé Ruderman, who is helping to administer the scholarship, statistics show that students who take the First Year Seminar tend to perform better academically and graduate at higher rates than those who don't.

Application deadline for the The Max McElhiney First-Year Scholarship is 5 p.m., Oct. 20. Interested students must submit a FAFSA, an up-to-date transcript and an application form, which includes a short essay. Students must demonstrate financial need and make a persuasive case in the essay for how the scholarship might help during his or her college career.

A winner will be announced in Spring 2005.

Click HERE (pdf-13k) to download and print the nomination form.