Texas State announces Mitte Laureate scholarship program

SAN MARCOS—Texas State University-San Marcos and the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation have announced the creation of a premier academic scholarship program that will rank among the most prestigious in the nation.

The Mitte Laureate Scholars Program will award four undergraduate academic scholarships annually worth as much as $25,000 a year or $100,000 over the course of an undergraduate student's four-year degree program.

"The Mitte Laureate Scholars Program will be one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the nation. It will mean that the university will be able to attract students of the highest caliber, including National Merit Scholars. The program is another step toward making Texas State a premier institution of higher education," said Texas State President Denise M. Trauth.

"The Mitte Laureate Scholars Program is significant because it is of a magnitude that exceeds that of almost any major scholarship nationwide, especially when institutional cost of attendance is considered," said Texas State Prof. Christopher Frost, director of the university's Mitte Honors Program.

The first scholarship in the program will be awarded in Fall 2006. Scholarship funds will pay for tuition and fees, room and board, books, study abroad, internships and other education related travel. Students selected for the program will also be eligible for other resources, including a personal faculty mentor, first choice of residence halls, office space in the Mitte Honors Program office suite, advanced class registration and membership in the Texas State Student Foundation.

To be considered for the scholarship, a student must, at a minimum, have earned an SAT/ACT score of 1300/30, maintained an unweighted high school grade point average of 3.5 or better, and met one of the following criteria:

• Achieve commended, semi-finalist or finalist status in the National Merit competition; or,
• Rank in the top five percent of their high school graduating class.

Additional factors that will be considered include communication skills, community involvement and citizenship, employment or internship history, essay response, extracurricular activities and a personal resume.

Mitte Laureates will also be required to demonstrate continued community service, in keeping with the Mitte Foundation's goal of developing community leaders.

Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte of Austin are among Texas State 's most generous benefactors and alumni. In 1997, during the university's first capital campaign, the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation made the largest total contribution to that campaign, establishing a scholarship fund to annually support 125 undergraduate and graduate students with awards of $5,000 per year, and providing an additional fund to support five endowed chairs at the university. To date, over 450 Texas State students have received a Mitte Scholarship.

Since 1997, the Mitte Foundation has also provided substantial support in the amount of $420,000 for the Grosvenor Scholars Program Endowment and $500,000 to endow the Mitte Honors Program.

The Mitte Foundation has supported a wide range of community organizations and institutions of higher education. The Foundation has also supported a variety of cultural opportunities in Central and South Texas . Further information about the Mitte Foundation can be found on their website at http://www.mittefoundation.org.