Unwilling to see the state's best and brightest high school students head elsewhere for college, the University of Oregon is rewarding their academic achievement with a new scholarship program.

Under the Dean's Scholarships program, entering freshmen from Oregon who have a 3.6 or higher grade point average will receive scholarships worth $1,000 per year. Oregon high school valedictorians and students who graduate with a 4.0 or better will receive $2,000 per year. In addition, the UO will award scholarships on a sliding scale to entering nonresident students with high GPAs. These scholarships can be renewed for up to four years as long as the recipient maintains a minimum 3.25 GPA and progress toward a degree, potentially providing from $4,000-$8,000.

SOJC Dean Tim Gleason said, "The UO is committed to excellence. The Dean's Scholarship program is one more reason for Oregon's best students to become Ducks. It is exciting to see the impact of the this program on applications. A very good student body is becoming even better."

The Dean's Scholarships program is part of the Freshman Scholarship Initiative 1999. The initiative is one of the results of the UO's comprehensive and ongoing Process for Change effort, as well as the success of The Oregon Campaign.

"We did some research last summer that reinforced the major role that scholarships play in a student's decision about which university to attend. It was clear we needed to get more competitive in that area," UO Admissions Director Martha Pitts said. "We believe these new scholarships will help us attract even more of Oregon's topnotch students, many of whom were choosing out-of-state universities."

Students eligible for Dean's Scholarships may also apply and compete for general University and presidential scholarships that may be valued at more than $4,000 per year.

In addition, the School of Journalism and Communication awards more than $140,000 in private scholarships dollars each year, which places the School in the top tier of journalism programs in the country.

"As the cost of attending college becomes a greater barrier for students," Gleason said, "we are committed to helping talented students enter the School of Journalism and Communication."

The University expects to award up to $2 million in the first year of the new scholarship program, which was made possible in large part due to the success of The Oregon Campaign. The University's capital campaign is the largest in the history of the state and raised more than $250 million.

"Support for students and guaranteeing access to a quality education has been a top priority of our Oregon Campaign," said Duncan McDonald, UO vice president for public affairs and development. "The response from donors to this call resulted in our more than tripling our available scholarship aid."

The Freshman Scholarship Initiative also includes funding for the recruitment of National Merit scholars; annual $4,000 U-Lane-O scholarships that are awarded based on academic merit, financial need and community involvement; and a number of small scholarships that recognize students in a variety of areas.