Bennington College Launches Scholarship for GIV Alumni
Bennington College announces that beginning in fall 2018, it will award an annual $10,000 merit scholarship to accepted students who have completed one of the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont.
The scholarship honors the memory of Andrea Diehl—a graduate of the Bennington College’s MFA program, former Director of Communications at the College, and Trustee of GIV—and recognizes and supports students whose exemplary commitment to learning has been evidenced by their choice to engage in college-level immersion learning in their spare time.
Governor’s Institutes Executive Director Karen Taylor Mitchell says, “Andrea was an extraordinary person and we’re very grateful to Bennington College for recognizing these students’ potential in this way. Governor’s Institutes graduates come from every type of economic background and this will make all the difference for some to be able to reach their dreams.”
“Bennington has a longstanding relationship with the Governor’s Institutes, and since launching the Governor’s Institute for Young Writers at Bennington, we’ve seen up close just how motivated and talented these students are,” said Bennington College President Mariko Silver. “We’re thrilled to strengthen their connection with Bennington and to honor Andrea’s legacy this way.”
Bennington is extending the same opportunity to graduates of every Governor’s School in the nation. Each state’s Governor’s School is independent, but all are dedicated to providing intensive intellectual or creative learning resources to that state’s most academically and artistically talented young people regardless of economic, geographic, or demographic disadvantage.
Sherry Keffer, president of the National Conference of Governor's Schools, says, “It’s truly visionary for Bennington to invest so strongly in these students, who are poised to be the leaders of the future. How wonderful it would be if all colleges and universities across the country were so far-seeing. ”
Vermont high school students who might like to take advantage of this opportunity should visit the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont website, where applications are currently being accepted for accelerated residential programs in summer 2018 focused on Arts; Engineering; Architecture, Design, and Building; Astronomy; Current Issues and Youth Activism; Entrepreneurship; Health and Medicine; Environmental Science and Technology; Information Technology and Digital Media; Mathematical Science; and Writing. Motivated students are encouraged to apply without regard to ability to pay as participation is by sliding scale tuition.