FLORENCE– Years of hard work culminated with the signing of an endowed scholarship form this morning on the University of North Alabama campus. Past and present members of the Student Government Association, as well as officials with UNA were on hand for the signing which makes the Student Government Endowed Scholarship official. UNA will begin awarding the scholarship in the fall of 2015.
Laura Giles, former SGA president, attended the signing and said the idea behind the scholarship actually started before she was president five years ago. “This was started quite a few years ago by Cory Hamilton and the fact that we actually finished early makes us really happy. We’re also thankful that Vice President Shields was there to help us,” she said.
David Shields, Vice President, Student Affairs, Interim President Dr. John Thornell, SGA past president, Laura Giles and SGA president Kekoria Greer, signing the SGA Scholarship documents.
Giles said the scholarship was a way to show UNA students that the SGA cared and wanted them to succeed. However, it might not have happened as quickly had David Shields, vice president of Student Affairs, not stepped in.
“This Scholarship combines two things, the endowed scholarship SGA started and a Student Affairs leadership development scholarship that had been dormant. So I approached Laura and said why don’t we combine theses scholarships and it will enable the SGA to finish their scholarship project early and it will also create a larger pool of funds to use,” Shields said.
Shields said they’re currently refining the criteria, but once that’s complete the scholarship will be available for undergraduate students at UNA. Interested students will have to fill out an application like they would for any other scholarship and the recipient will be selected by a committee.
KeKoria Greer, SGA president, said she’s heard about this since she was a freshman and is glad it’s finally ready to go. “I didn’t see the start of it, but I saw a lot of people work really hard on it. What people may not realize is that this is an SGA issue because this is a student issue, scholarships and funding, those are student issues. But I really have to congratulate Laura Giles because she saw it through. I can’t wait until we can award it,” Greer said.
Dr. John Thornell, UNA Interim President, echoed Greer’s remarks and said he’s proud of what the SGA and Student Affairs accomplished. “One of the most significant outcomes of the economic downturn was how important scholarships became as a part of the campus climate. Students find that they are doing a balancing act just to get by. I think the SGA recognizing the importance of scholarships and then to step out there and take a leadership role, really shows the work they do on behalf of the students at UNA. So we’re very proud,” Thornell said.
MEDIA RELEASE/UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA /Bryan Rachal, Public Affairs and Media Relations/PHOTO, SHANNON WELLS
