1890 NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM Release No. 0650.96 Laura Trivers (202) 720-4623 laura.trivers@usda.gov USDA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 1890 NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM FOR 1997/98 SCHOOL YEAR WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 1996--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the 1890 National Scholars Program for the 1997/98 school year. The program is aimed at students studying agriculture or related subjects at the 17 Historically Black 1890 Land-Grant Universities, with the goal of placing successful graduates into career positions at USDA. "This undergraduate program provides educational opportunities for some of the nation's best and brightest young people," Glickman said. "It also enhances the diversity of USDA's workforce through the employment component of the program. We consider the 1890 Institutions to be important partners with USDA and we encourage students who are interested in a career in agriculture, food, natural resources or related disciplines to consider this scholarship program." USDA provides students in the program with full tuition, fees, books, use of personal computer, software, employment, and employee benefits for each of the four years they are pursuing a bachelor's degree. The institutions provide the scholarship recipients with room and board for each year. To be eligible for the program, students must meet the following criteria: Be a U.S. Citizen, be an entering freshman, and hold a high school diploma or G.E.D. Certificate; Have a high school GPA of 3.0 or better and have a combined verbal/math score of 1,000 or more on the SAT or a composite score of 21 or more on the ACT; Attend one of the seventeen 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions, studying agriculture, food, or natural resources sciences; and Demonstrate leadership, community service, and the potential to be successful. In addition, students must sign a service agreement to work one year for USDA for each year of the scholarship. The program is in its fifth year. To date, 129 students have been selected as USDA/1890 National Scholars. Currently, the retention rate of students as employees after graduation is 93 percent. USDA's goal is to add 34 undergraduate scholarships each year. Persons interested in more information about the scholarship program should call Della Streaty-Wilhoit or Teresa Winding at 202-720-1164 or 202-720-1048. Applications must be received by January 15, 1997. The class of 1890 scholars for the 1996/97 school year is as follows: Student USDA Agency University 1. Sharron Allen Departmental Administration Tuskegee University 2. Kelsi Bracmort Cooperative State Research, North Carolina A&T Education, & Extension Srv. 3. Kesi Chestnut Economic Research Service North Carolina A&T 4. Jamila Cole Rural Development Kentucky State Univ. 5. Quincy Coleman Natural Resources Conservation Prairie View A&M Service 6. Courtney Dixon Foreign Agriculture Service Prairie View A&M 7. Stephanie Dorsey Foreign Agriculture Service Tennessee State Univ. 8. Jerome Faulkner Natural Resources Conservation Kentucky State Univ. Service 9. Stephanie Floyd Forest Service Virginia State Univ. 10. Sara Foote Natural Resources Conservation Langston Univ Service 11. Timothy Foster Forest Service North Carolina A&T 12. Anetra Harbor Agriculture Marketing Service Southern University 13. Kerri Harris Food Safety & Inspection Srv. Alabama A&M Univ. 14. Stacie Hayes Natural Resources Conservation Langston Univ. Service 15. Pia Herring Animal & Plant Health Inspection Tennessee State Univ. Service 16. Lakeisha Hill Forest Service Alabama A&M Univ. 17. Mia Hollingsworth Animal & Plant Health Inspection Tuskegee University Service 18. Capree Houston Economic Research Service Virginia State Univ. 19. Marques Hunter Natural Resources Conservation Florida A&M Univ. Service 20. Tihesha Jenkins Food and Consumer Service South Carolina State 21. Jill Johnson National Agricultural Statistics Southern University Service 22. Cedric Jones Agriculture Research Service Ft Valley State Univ 23. Lee Jones Rural Development/Policy Planning Southern University 24. Corbin Lee Forest Service Prairie View A&M 25. Stephanie McFadden Grain Inspection, Packers Univ. of Arkansas & Stockyards Administration Pine Bluff 26. Eleasha McNair Animal & Plant Health Inspection Alcorn State Univ. Service 27. Todnechia Mitchell Natural Resources Conservation Prairie View A&M Service 28. LaToria Neely Natural Resources Conservation Delaware State Univ. Service 29. Tiffany Roberson Forest Service Delaware State Univ. 30. Eulanda Seals Rural Business-Cooperative Srv. Univ. Of Arkansas - Pine Bluff 31. Valerie Sellars Agriculture Research Service Tennessee State Univ. 32. Jamal Trawick Forest Service Florida A&M Univ. 33. Letitia Turner Rural Business-Cooperative Univ.of Maryland - Service Eastern Shore 34. Marie Wells Agriculture Research Service Florida A&M Univ. # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov