ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 5, 1997 TAG: 9704070072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
Students must have a 3.75 overall grade-point average and be ranked in the top 10 percent of their class.
It could pay almost a third of one year's tuition, or cover a meal plan for the semester.
And it is open to every state high school student.
Virginia Tech announced Friday a new scholarship program that would offer $1,000 to an incoming freshman from each of the 300 public high schools in Virginia.
The $7 million Pamplin Scholars Program - the first of its kind offered by a Virginia public university - was named for its main contributors. Robert B. Pamplin and his son, Robert Jr., gave $3.5 million to establish the scholarship. Tech's University Foundation will match the gift, much of which already has been raised by alumni contributions.
"This is our chance to make a difference in the lives of many young people," said Robert Pamplin Jr. He appeared with his father via satellite from their home in Portland, Ore.
The endowment also will provide for the Pamplin Scholar Award, given to one of the freshman winners, which would fund a three-year scholarship covering tuition and fees at Tech. In the next 10 years, the university hopes to add more slots so 12 full rides could be offered.
"We have been rooted in the notion of access to higher education for all who are academically qualified, regardless of their economic situation," said Tech President Paul Torgersen. This program will draw the "best and the brightest and allow us to touch every corner of the commonwealth," he said.
The first group of $1,000 Pamplin Leadership Awards will be presented to next year's high school seniors - the Tech class of 2002.
The students must have a 3.75 overall grade point average and be ranked in the top 10 percent of their class. The students also must have leadership and community service experience.
Robert Pamplin Jr. said he hopes this scholarship will encourage students in rural areas to apply to Tech. And, "it could encourage others to link on with that challenge and attend Tech or other universities as well."
In the fall of 1996, 34 percent of incoming freshmen came from Northern Virginia. Eighteen percent of incoming freshman arrived from Southwest Virginia; 12 percent came from the Richmond/Williamsburg area.
For Carol Johnson, a guidance counselor at Giles County High School, the students interested in attending Virginia Tech don't need any more enticements. Of about 60 seniors who plan to go to a four-year college, 28 are hoping for Tech.
What is beneficial about this program, she said, is that there are few merit scholarships available.
"There are really good financial aids for kids that cannot afford college," she said. "But the kid that is not going to qualify, who just misses those guidelines, would benefit from this."
Costs for an in-state undergraduate at Virginia Tech for the 1996-97 school year are: $3,500 for tuition; $3,250 for room and board; and $631 for comprehensive fee. Total for the year is $7,381.
Tech has benefited from the Pamplin family for decades. The father and son have donated more than $28 million to Virginia Tech alone; the R.B. Pamplin College of Business ranks among the top business schools in the country.
Robert Pamplin Sr. was raised in Dinwiddie County and graduated from Tech. He joined Georgia-Pacific Corp. as an accountant and retired as chairman and chief executive officer in 1976. He was named "Virginian of the Year" by the Virginia Press Association in the same year.
With the elder Pamplin, Robert Pamplin Jr. developed the R.B. Pamplin Co., one of the country's most profitable private businesses. Robert Jr., who attended Tech for a short time, has focused on "creative philanthropy" efforts like owning several farms which supply free food for the Portland area.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB