The implementation of three scholarships at UNK seeks to help enrollment numbers in the years to come. The Good Life Opportunities Program, the Kearney Teachers Tomorrow Scholarship and the Presidential Scholars Program will offer a range of aid that will remove the financial burden for chosen students looking to attend UNK.
The Good Life Opportunities Program has seen substantial growth through its capability to accommodate a variety of students.
“The Good Life Opportunities Program most heavily benefits students at UNK because of its interdisciplinary characteristics,” said Chuck Rowling, the professor and chair of UNK’s pre-law department. “Anyone who joins the program doesn’t have to declare a (political science) major, but the opportunities within the program offer substantial financial benefits.”
The Good Life Opportunities Program is a collaborative effort between all of the professors in the political science department. It is designed to open the door to the idea of staying within communities in Nebraska while serving the city and state.
Each year the political science department will award five full-tuition scholarships to students interested in joining the program as well as guaranteed admission into UNO’s masters of public administration program. This program will also heavily focus on professional and experiential learning, opportunities for paid internships, meetings with city and state legislatures and undergraduate research on campus.
“The biggest way we hope to help students is by allowing them to see themselves doing this kind of work while staying in Nebraska and focusing on policy issues they care about,” Rowling said.
The political science department has already seen growth since the idea of this scholarship came out last year. From 2023 to now, the program has seen a 29% growth. The program has also tripled in size in the past three years, boosting enrollment numbers within their department.
Another influential scholarship that was created in 2023 is the Kearney Teachers Tomorrow Scholarship. Dr. Mark Reid, the dean of the College of Education, and Jason Mundorf, the superintendent of Kearney Public Schools, have partnered together to create a binding relationship between UNK and the Kearney area.
“The Kearney Teachers Tomorrow Program is a wonderful collaborative effort between KPS and UNK, bringing a vision of teaching in KPS for students who love to study, work, and live in Kearney,” Mundorf said.
The vision of the scholarship was to return KPS students back into the workforce of teaching within the Kearney community. It provides a pathway for a guaranteed career with KPS after graduation.
Two KPS students will be chosen every spring and will receive $6,000 to cover expenses as well as a housing waiver and waived fees through the College of Education. Once the students have finished their undergraduate in this program, they will be offered a job within the KPS community that they must stay in for a minimum of three years.
“This program will shine a spotlight on the need for teachers across the state of Nebraska and ultimately draw students into the program with the guarantee of a career after graduation,” Reid said.
With nearly 75 applications submitted in a week when the scholarship was implemented last year, the need for a program such as this became evident. This enabled the College of Education to receive a $500,000 grant to partner with other programs to keep students in this area of study.
One scholarship that is being added across all of the Nebraska University System campuses is the Presidential Scholars Program. The program is open to Nebraska students who score between a 32-36 on the ACT or have an equivalent SAT score. There is no cap for this scholarship and any student who meets the requirements may receive it.
It will cover undergraduate tuition, fees, books and supplies, housing and food, personal expenses and transportation. Among all other costs of attendance, they are also offering a $5,000 annual stipend. Students are required to maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA and pass 24 credit hours each year. The scholarship is also renewable for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters.
“We want you on team Nebraska – and if you’re willing to work hard, there’s a place for you here to chase your dreams,” said Jeffery Gold, the president of the University of Nebraska System. “We can’t wait to connect with more students and parents across the state and grow our team.”
This scholarship will directly aid students in staying within the university system of Nebraska. The scholarship can be applied to all universities within the state, such as UNK, UNL, UNMC, UNO and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.
Leah Jurgens, a senior at UNK, majoring in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Accounting and a minor in Entrepreneurship received two scholarships from the College of Business.
“It’s encouraging to know that my continued success from high school that has carried into my undergraduate degree program is appreciated and it keeps me in this university system by offering an affordable education,” Jurgens said.
