SCHOLARSHIP and GRANT FOUNDATION

The School Foundation awards scholarships and grants to students in good standing.  To qualify for this award, students must be enrolled on a full-time basis.  School officials, directors and/or members of their immediate families are not eligible for an award.  The student must submit a completed application and be enrolled at GST.

 

AWARD DETERMINATION PROCESS

A committee appointed by the GST Board of Advisors (the Board) determines awards annually based on some or all of the following criteria in no order of priority:

• Academic achievement, awards and honors
• Financial need
• Leadership experiences
• Achievements in Music
• Community Involvement
• Career goals and objectives

The decisions of the committee are final upon approval by the Board and there is no process of appeal.  The deliberations of the committee are considered personal and confidential because of the nature of the material submitted in the application.  Board members are not allowed to share information about an applicant or the Board’s deliberations and decisions other than that expressly granted by the applicant in writing.

APPLYING FOR AN AWARD

Award application forms are available from GST no later than October 1st each year. 

To qualify for consideration, an applicant must complete and sign an application and send it to the address on the application by the date indicated.  All required supporting documentation for an application, such as a personal photograph and an official transcript, must also be sent by the date indicated on the application.  The date sent is the postmark date, facsimile receipt date or electronic mail date stamp.  All application materials submitted are the property of GST and will not be returned to the applicant or released to other parties internal or external to GST.

All applicants are given equal consideration based on the applications submitted for each specific academic year.  Previous award recipients may apply for consideration every year but they receive no priority over applicants who have not previously received an award.

TYPES OF AWARDS

 The SCHOLARSHIP for ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – This scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence and financial need and who provide leadership and service to their community.  Award amounts rang from one-thousand dollars to as much as four-thousand dollars.

The GST ADVISORY BOARD SCHOLARSHIP – This award supports theological and educational pursuits. Each award given to a student is in the amount of one-thousand five-hundred dollars per academic year, but it can be more based on available funds. 

FUNDING OF AWARDS

The GST Advisory Board establishes the amount of money available for awards annually based on earnings on investments and other funds available at the discretion of the Board.  The Scholarship Committee Chairman, with advice from Chancellor, is responsible for submitting a motion to the Board for funding of awards.  Funding is approved no later than December, so the Scholarship Committee can determine the number and size of the awards for each academic year.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS

The Board determines the award recipients and amounts during the month of November.  The recipients are notified in writing in early December.  Applicants who do not receive an award are notified at the same time.  A list of awards with recipient names, and size of award is provided to all the members of the Advisory Board, concurrent with the notification to award recipients.

Public announcement of awards is made as soon as possible after notification is sent to the recipients.  The size of the awards is not revealed publicly.  The GST website and other such publications are the primary means for public announcement.  Each recipient’s name, hometown and major are typically published with a photograph of the recipient.  A copy of the award announcement letter is sent to the recipients, with a cover letter from the Board. 

DECLINED OR RETURNED AWARDS

Should an award be declined or returned, the Board may apply that award to another applicant if done before December 15 of the award year.   Declined and returned awards are not available for distribution after this date and will be returned to the scholarship fund.

METHOD OF AWARD PAYMENT

Awards are paid directly to GST.  Award funds are not paid directly to a student except by the consent of the Board.  Award payments are applied only to tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment and other costs eligible under Internal Revenue Code section 117 and other applicable regulations.  Funds are issued by check after the award recipient is enrolled in school, and the recipient returns a signed Information Request Form to GST.

MID-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT

Each recipient is expected to provide a progress report to the Board during the second term of the academic year.  This report includes a copy of the grade report from the first term, a copy of the student’s class schedule for the second term and an indication of any change in the student’s enrollment status.  A request for this progress report is sent to the student in the month of January.