The Latino Institute Latino Scholars Program.

The Latino Institute, Inc., a national educational non-profit organization based in Newark, New Jersey, announced the creation of the National Latino Scholars Program.

The Latino Scholars Program will provide support each year, on a cumulative basis, to one hundred college sophomores and juniors selected by a blue-ribbon panel of college faculty, higher education administrators and distinguished business leaders.

These students will participate, as an initial step, in the Latino Scholars Convocation, an annual conference to be held this November in New Jersey by a consortium created by the three New Jersey public research universities; Rutgers University, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in partnership with the Institute. All expenses are covered for the selected Scholars.

The need for the program is clear: in general, Latino college students do not receive enough information on how to apply, finance and enter graduate work. The data shows that while 5% of White High School graduates do enroll in graduate education after receiving a baccalaureate degree, only 1.9% of Latinos are able to do the same. As most Latino students come from poor families or with modest means, the pressure on them to finish their undergraduate degrees and join the workforce is enormous. Once they are out of school, it is extremely hard to return to complete a masters or a doctoral program. Further, Latinos annually receive only 5% of all master and only 3% of doctoral degrees awarded each year.

The second part of the program consists of a support project designed to ensure that the Scholars stay focused on graduate work. This support includes the matching of the Scholars with graduate assistantships and fellowships.

Scholars may be nominated by college faculty, their peers, or the nomination could be self-initiated. The basic criteria include the following elements:

— A minimum GPA of 3.50 in their current work (Official transcript must be included with the application).

— Declared major field of study in the sciences, mathematics, technology or the life and/or behavioral sciences.

–Demonstration of leadership skills

–Three letters of recommendation by faculty.

–Demonstration of commitment to complete a terminal degree.

The nomination period for this year’s Scholars starts July 1, 2005 and ends October 1, 2005.

The application is available at the institute’s web site at http://www.latinoinstitute.net