Cal State Long Beach has cut back on the amount of incoming President’s Scholars this year, selecting 30 freshmen for the scholarship as opposed to 50 last year.
The program received more than 550 applications, according to Valerie Bordeaux, director of the President’s Scholars program.
Created in 1995, the award offers a four-year scholarship worth nearly $50,000 to incoming freshmen who meet the standards of a President’s Scholar. That is, they must either be a California high school valedictorian, a National Achievement Scholar, a National Hispanic Recognition Scholar or a National Merit finalist or semi-finalist.
However, Bordeaux said the program, which persists via donations from alumni and President’s Associates, needed to make reductions in lieu of the ever-present budget crisis.
“The President’s Scholars Program was not immune to the economic downturn of the economy and the rising costs of California higher education. As with the university community, we shared the necessity to scale back and look forward to better economic times ahead,” Bordeaux said via e-mail.
Those who are chosen for the award contribute more than 7,000 hours of volunteer campus and community service every year to “give back” to the university and the state, according to Bordeaux.
President F. King Alexander released a statement to reiterate that CSULB is still a top-choice college, but the program was a mere byproduct of the declining financial system.
“As you have probably heard, California continues to face a challenging economy. But, as we begin planning for the next academic year, the governor’s 2010-11 proposed state budget prioritizes higher education above many other areas and represents a positive starting point for the CSU,” Alexander said.
The program awarded its 1,000th President’s Scholar this year.
“This fall, nearly 240 President’s Scholars will be studying on campus,” Bordeaux said. “The program continues to thrive in its 16th year under the leadership of President Alexander, and continues to be recognized as the premier program of its kind in the state of California, having been recognized by the California legislature in 1997 as the model program for both the CSU and the UC system.”
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