<h2>Creating A New Award</h2><p>Awards recognize excellence and outstanding talent in academics, athletics and the arts. When creating a new award, donors may consider different criteria in describing the ideal recipient of the award. Overall or major-specific grade point average, area of study, or the results of a specific experiment or research project may be used to define the recipient of an award.</p><p>The amount the recipient receives for an award is usually less than the amount given for a scholarship, but may be as great or greater than $1,000. In accordance with University policy, the SIUE Foundation notifies the Student Financial Aid Office of all awards received by students through the Foundation.</p><p>An award fund may be endowed or non-endowed. An endowed award requires a minimum endowment level of $15,000. Non-endowed awards require a gift that will ensure that the award may be awarded for at least two years and in subsequent years, the scholarship cannot be awarded without a pledge or gift from the donor that will cover the amount of the award for that year. Special arrangements may be made for one-time or irregular award gifts.</p><h3>What should be considered?</h3><p>1. Is the award based on a specific GPA and is this GPA overall or in an area of study?<br /><br />2. Is the award restricted to a specific program, department, School or College?<br /><br />3. Are there items that an applicant must complete to be considered for the award such as an application or an essay?<br /><br />4. Is the award open to all students, including graduate students, or is it limited to undergraduates, or even more specifically, to a certain class or type of student such as incoming freshman or transfer student?</p><p>To address the potential situation where an award may no longer be awarded as specified, the stipulation (the document that details how the scholarship will be awarded) will include a statement giving the Foundation's Board of Directors the ability to adapt or change the stipulation as necessary in order that an award may be made. Examples of such situations would include, but are not limited to: a program being dropped from the curriculum, a change in the tuition and fee structures, or a restrictive limit on the amount that may be awarded when additional funds are actually available.</p><h3>Whom should I contact?</h3><p>To explore the possibility of creating a new award, please contact:<br /><br /><strong>Pat Mesnard</strong> at pmesnar@siue.edu or 618-650-2973;<br />or the Director of Development in the area in which you are interested.</p><p></p>