WSU Receives $72,000 in Scholarship Funds for Nontraditional Students

Feb. 25, 2008

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State University has received $72,000 in Daniels Opportunity Scholarship funding to provide need-based scholarships to nontraditional, veteran, teaching and paramedic students this year.

WSU has received funding for 10 yearly scholarships (two semesters) and 4 two-year scholarships (four semesters). The scholarships are intended for nontraditional students (typically 25 years or older, have children or are married) and who meet certain criteria for each designated program.

This year for the first time, students in the Emergency Care and Rescue (EMT/Paramedics) program can apply for a two-year scholarship if they are eligible for admission or already admitted into the associate degree program. Nontraditional veteran students, particularly those ineligible to receive financial assistance from the Montgomery G.I. Bill, may apply for this funding to continue or start their education, and students pursuing a teaching certificate or degree through the Teacher Assistant Pathway to Teaching (TAPT) program also may be eligible for these scholarships.

Daniels Opportunity Scholarship funding is awarded through grants to colleges and universities that convert them into scholarships for nontraditional students such as adults pursuing education later in life, GED recipients, students exiting the juvenile justice system, returning military personnel and others.
“Students who most desire a college education are often the least able to afford one,” said Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund.  “Daniels Opportunity Scholarships are intended to give a boost to students of all ages and at all levels of society who are seeking to secure the economic and social benefits of a college education.”

In selecting candidates for a Daniels Opportunity Scholarship, institutions are encouraged to seek out those who reflect the qualities identified by Bill Daniels for the Daniels Scholarship Program: strength of character; leadership potential; emotional maturity and stability; well-rounded personality, abilities, and broad interests; and the potential to contribute to one’s community later in life.

The Daniels Fund operates the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program and the Daniels Fund Grants Program in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The fund was established in 1997 by Bill Daniels, a cable television pioneer known for his kindness and generosity to those in need. Visit danielsfund.org for more information.

For more information about Daniels Opportunity Scholarships at WSU, visit the Emergency Care and Rescue (EMT/Paramedics) program (weber.edu/ecr/), Services for Veteran Students (weber.edu/vetaffairs) or TAPT program (weber.edu/teachereducation/contacts.htm).

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Contact: Nathan Clark, development director
              (801) 626-7539 · nathanclark1@weber.edu