AUSTIN— State Representative Yvonne Davis announced that scholarship are available for high school graduates from Dallas and 18 other urban areas throughout Texas. Administrated by the Texas Association of Developing Colleges (TADC), the Urban Scholarship Program was created during the 74th Legislative session as part of House Bill 2128 with the cooperation of the three largest local telephone companies in the state of Texas.
“This fund was created to provide accass to higher education opportunties for Texans who, without this assistance, might not be able to strive for a college education,” said Rep. Davis. “Basicallly all the problems facing our communities, including economic parity, high crime, building cohesive families, and other quaility of life issues are related to the lack of education. By providing increased avenues of educational opportunity, we multiply our chances of improving the conditions of our State. The goal of this fund is to boost the chances of reaching this target.”
The 2009-2010 Urban Scholarship Fund is for Texas residents who are also U.S. citizens and full-time undergraduates in good academic standing at any accredited public or private non-profit college, university or technical college.
Additionally, applicants must demonstrate financial need and have graduated from a high school in the following metropolitan: Abilene, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Garland, Houston, Irving, Laredo, Mesquite, Pasadena, Plano, San Antonio, and Waco. Students interested in applying for scholarship should contact their high school guidance counselor; college financial aid officer, or call the Texas Association of Developing Colleges at (214) 630-2511. The deadline for applying for the 2009-2010 Urban Scholarship Fund is Monday, July 6, 2009.
The Texas Association of Developing Colleges (TACD), a Dallas higher education consortium administering the program, anticipates awarding between 300 and 350 scholarships. The number of awards is uncertain because of the varying funding levels to different types of institutions. Students attending technical, junior or community colleges will recieve $700, public four-year college and university students will receive $1,000, and private four-year college and university students will receive $2,000.
The Urban Scholarship fund was created in 1995 when Rep. Davis attached an amendment to the omnibus telecom bill creating a pool of funds derived from unclaimed telephone service deposits. Previously unclaimed funds went in the State Tresury. Although these funds will be shifted into the scholarship account, local telephone companies will still reimburse consumers for any funds properly claimed in the future.