Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students kicked off their school year with a groundbreaking announcement: Mississippi University for Women is offering full-tuition scholarships in perpetuity, ensuring every future MSMS student can access a top-tier education at The W.
MUW General Counsel and MSMS alumna Karen Clay announced the new scholarship Monday during the MSMS fall convocation.
“You have already made an incredible achievement in your academic career to get you where you are,” Clay told students during the convocation. “…My hope for you while you are here at MSMS is that you feel a connection to this campus and a connection to the vision that created The W and MSMS. These two institutions are so incredibly intertwined.”
The “Power of Six Scholarship” is named in dedication to six of the 12 founding faculty members of MSMS who were also MUW graduates.
The residential high school was founded on The W campus in 1987 through the efforts of Gov. William Winter, the state legislature, MUW administration and the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors.
Each scholarship is valued at about $35,000 and covers students’ tuition costs for four years at The W. Recipients of the scholarship are required to live on campus for their first two years. It is a perpetual scholarship, meaning future MSMS students who apply at MUW will also be offered the award.
MUW President Nora Miller said the university gifted the scholarship to honor the students’ hard work and encourage them to consider The W in their future plans.
“We wanted to recognize these students and offer them the opportunity to continue their education here,” Miller told The Dispatch. “We often have students from MSMS who end up here. They might go away somewhere else, and then they want to come back. And so we wanted to encourage them to think about staying here.”
The University of Southern Mississippi made a similar pledge to the high school in March, offering full scholarships to the MSMS Class of 2024 but not committing to the scholarship in perpetuity. MSMS Executive Director Ginger Tedder said she appreciates the support from state universities and she hopes to see more in the future.
“MSMS is very blessed to have all the partners that we have, and no one’s closer to use than MUW because we’re on their campus,” Tedder told The Dispatch. “It’s a great honor for us, and it’s the first of what we truly want for our students in this state. We want all of the universities to invest in our students.”
Clay closed the convocation by telling students they have a place at MUW and urging them to look at what the university has to offer.
“I encourage you to take a look at what is here,” she said. “Because you may be surprised at what The W can offer here and how that pathway may fit in the vision you have for yourself.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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