Speaker Dennis M. O’Brien
169th District
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Contact:  Jeanne H. Schmedlen

Director of Special Projects and Chief of Protocol

(717) 705-1894

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 14, 2008

Speaker O’Brien Announces 2008-09 House Scholarship Applications Available

HARRISBURG—Speaker of the House Dennis M. O’Brien today announced that applications for the 2008-09 House Scholarships are available online and by mail.

“The House Scholarship program is a great opportunity for the House of Representatives to acknowledge and award students’ academic achievements and accomplishments, as well as assist young people in their dreams of affording post-secondary or higher education,” said O’Brien. 

“We are pleased at the high caliber of students who applied in the past for the scholarships,” O’Brien said. “Young people who value education and strive to fulfill their potential stand out.  This program is a way that we, their elected representatives, can reward exceptional student scholars and help them reach their education goals.”

Applicants are required to write essays based on the following statement: “The year 2009 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, on February 12, 1809.  This great 16^th president of the United States led the nation with both courage and compassion and delivered his transformational speech in Gettysburg on November 19, 1863.  Discuss how this address was one of the most significant articulations of the purpose and promise of the American people.” 

Each scholarship grant, which can be renewed for each of the student’s four years of college, for a total of about $10,000, consists of the value of one semester of tuition at a State System of Higher Education school, which was $2,500 in 2007-08. 

The scholarships can be used to attend any public or private Pennsylvania postsecondary “eligible educational institution” as defined by Sec. 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.  Next year’s scholarship amount will depend on the cost of a semester by SSHE to be announced this summer.

Students may also be eligible to receive matching funds from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s PATH Program.  The recipients’ names are automatically submitted to PHEAA and matching awards are granted based on the students’ remaining financial need.  In years past, this program matched the House Scholarships in the amount of $10,200 on average.

Additional tuition help also may be available from the SAGE Program if the students attend any of the 42 SAGE (Savings and Growth for Education) affiliated schools in Pennsylvania.

Each applicant will be scored and reviewed based on their personal essay,

demonstration of leadership qualities and commitment to community, academic

achievement and extra-curricular activities.  In addition, students must have a minimum 3.0 Grade Point Average and plan to attend a Pennsylvania college, university, or professional training school full-time.  In the past, almost every student applicant was at the top of his or her graduating class.

The scholarship foundation and selection process is independently administered by The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (formerly The Greater Harrisburg Foundation), a non-profit organization designed to stimulate philanthropy and enhance the quality of life in the community through accumulating, managing and disbursing financial assets and by serving as a catalyst and neutral convener to meet a wide range of community needs.

Conceived in 2003, the House Scholarship Program uses no taxpayer funds, but rather, is personally funded by former and current House members as well as by funds raised at events during the year.

The House Scholarship Program currently has a balance of more than $600,000 invested in the Pennsylvania Tuition Account Program at the state Treasury Department.  By an actuary’s estimate, this endowment ensures that the program, with at least two new scholarships awarded annually, will continue into perpetuity. 

Criteria and other background information can be found online at www.pahousescholarship.com or www.tfec.org.

An anonymous donor provided the program with an additional $5,000 for scholarships in 2005-06 for two additional scholarships. The students receiving those scholarships were chosen last year and will receive annual funding through the course of their college careers as long as they qualify.

“We are grateful for this donation, which enhances our efforts by adding two more scholarships annually and underscores the integrity of the program,” said O’Brien.

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