COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 245

December 16, 2005

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Gates Millennium Scholars Program

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting school divisions to help identify outstanding students for the Gates Millennium Scholars program. This scholarship is for students who have significant financial needs and strong leadership capabilities. The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) program will select one thousand students per year to receive this important scholarship.

The scholarship supports the costs of attendance at colleges and universities and can be renewed each year throughout a scholars undergraduate degree program. Additionally, the scholarship can be renewed through graduate school for those continuing scholars who choose one of six graduate majors as their concentration: education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health, or science.

Students are eligible to be considered for a GMS scholarship if they:

are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, or Hispanic American;

are a citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the United States;

have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted);

will be enrolling for the first time at a United States accredited college or university as full- time, degree-seeking, first-year student in fall 2006;

have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular, or other activities;

meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria (Eligibility for Federal Pell Grant can only be determined through the submission of a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Programs); and

have all three required forms (Nominee Personal Information Form, Nominator Form, and Recommender Form) completed and submitted by the deadline.

There are three components of the GMS scholarship nomination process:

a Nominee Personal Information Form to be completed by the student;

a Nominator form to be completed by a principal, teacher, school counselor, or other professional educator; and

a Recommender Form to be completed by an adult who is familiar with the nominees community service and leadership activities. Nominations and recommendations from relatives will not be accepted.

Nomination forms are available at http://www.gmsp.org. The deadline for submission of nomination materials is January 13, 2006.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact the Gates Millennium Scholars program (info@gmsp.org), at (877) 690-4677 or Dr. Willie Stroble (Willie.Stroble@doe.virginia.gov), school counseling specialist, Office of Middle and High School Instruction, at (804) 786-9377.

JLD/JF/ce