The Daily Bulletin Archive

More than 200 first-year students are receiving at least one of four merit-based recruitment scholarships offered by the college: the All College Honors (ACH) Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship, the Provost Scholarship, and the Dean’s Scholarship.

“The number of individual scholarships is close to 300,” said Mark Petrie, vice president for enrollment management, “but students who receive the All College Honors Scholarship also receive either the Presidential or the Provost scholarship.” This practice puts the ACH Scholarship total of either $4,000 or $3,500 closer to the college’s annual tuition of $4,970 for undergraduate state residents.

“Many colleges offer their honors students a scholarship that covers tuition,” said Petrie. The scholarship is awarded for four years as long the recipient continues to meet the requirements.

The purpose of giving these scholarships is to improve Buffalo State’s student academic profile—the average SAT score and high school GPA of incoming students. “We know there is a direct correlation between this information and retention and graduation rates,” said Petrie. Colleges report these rates, along with other data, to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Many people determine student success based on retention and graduation rates.

For all four scholarships, the minimum high school average is 90; the SAT (or corresponding ACT score) varies. The Presidential, Provost, and Dean’s scholarships are awarded automatically based on information entered into Banner when students apply. These three scholarships are funded out of the college’s operating budget.

“Everything is easier since Banner,” said Dean Reinhart, the associate director for admissions. “Every Friday, the system gives us a running total of how many Presidential, Provost, and Dean’s scholarships have been offered. We just verify that the information in Banner is correct before sending out an award letter.” Among students offered scholarships, the yield—or percentage of accepted students who submit a deposit to attend Buffalo State—is up this year, to about 20 percent, compared with 17 percent last year.

“We keep going until we run out of money,” said Reinhart. “Last year, Dr. Howard told us to offer Presidential Scholarships to anyone who met the criteria, and the college supplemented the scholarships with money from the College Foundation’s general scholarship fund.” So far this year, the number of students choosing to attend Buffalo State after being offered one of these scholarships exceeds the college’s goals. The total goal was 217 scholarships for first-year students; the actual number of scholarships being paid is 292.

The All College Honors Scholarship is funded entirely by private dollars donated to the Buffalo State College Foundation. Most are supported by fundraisers and individual donations, but in addition, many people have established endowment funds to provide ACH Scholarships. According to Reinhart, the criteria for ACH Scholarships is more complex, involving consideration of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses in high school, co-curricular activities, and community involvement.

“The goals for Buffalo State come out of our MOU [memo of understanding] with SUNY,” said Petrie. The MOU calls for increasing the percentage of students from more-selective categories and decreasing the percentage from less-selective categories, with selectivity meaning test scores and high school averages.

It’s important to note that awarding scholarships based on academic achievement does not mean that recipients don’t need the money. Many of Buffalo State’s ACH students choose Buffalo State because it’s the best scholarship offer they receive, and financial aid is the main factor in their choice of colleges. Another important impact is that the scholarships enable the students to work less, making it possible for them to focus on their education and the broad college experience available at Buffalo State.