Hagen-Harvey Scholarships for American Indian Students Available Now

Hagen-Harvey Scholarships for American Indian Students Available Now

American Indian students who plan to pursue higher education in South Dakota may apply now for a Richard Hagen-Minerva Harvey Memorial Scholarship. Scholarship amounts start at $1,000 for the first two years of attendance and reach $2,500 for the fourth year of attendance.

"One of our goals is to see more students graduating and going on to higher education, whether it's a four-year institution or a technical institute," said Gov. Mike Rounds. "This is a great way for the State of South Dakota to support students who choose to do just that. A student may receive up to $6,000 over four years to pursue a degree."

To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must:

* be an enrolled member of a tribe whose reservation is located - in part or whole - in South Dakota.
* graduate from an accredited South Dakota high school.
* attend a public or non-public accredited university, college or technical institute located in South Dakota.
* apply within five years after high school graduation or within one year after release from active military duty (if that release is within five years of high school graduation).

Once a recipient has been approved for the scholarship, the student is authorized to receive up to four years of funding. The student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5.

The Hagen-Harvey scholarship program was established in 2003, after Minerva Harvey left the proceeds of her estate to the South Dakota Department of Education to develop a scholarship program for American Indian students. Richard Hagen was a legislator from Pine Ridge who served in the State House and Senate.

An application form and guidelines are available online at www.state.sd.us/deca/Secretary/hagen/ or by calling the Department of Education at (605) 773-3727. Application deadline is April 15, 2005.

http://www.state.sd.us/governor/