Illinois State Student Receives $1,000 Scholarship, Honors Chapter Wins Award

Illinois State University student Donna Cummings of Bloomington, a new member of the Illinois State chapter of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), was awarded the $1,000 Merit Award scholarship.

The scholarships are awarded to only 50 outstanding new NSCS members out of thousands of applicants nationwide. The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is an honors organization for high-achieving freshmen and sophomores at 240 universities nationwide.

"We read hundreds of applications for this award and Donna truly stood out," said Thomas Locke, member of the NSCS Scholarship Review Committee. "Merit Award is always one of our favorite scholarships. We enjoy being able to support students by removing some of the financial burden they face."

Recipients were chosen based on their essays, extracurricular activities, recommendation letter, and demonstration of commitment to and knowledge of the NSCS mission statement and ideals.

In addition to the $50,000 awarded to new NSCS members through the Merit Award scholarships, NSCS also awards scholarships for textbooks, study abroad, integrity and graduate school, as well as community service grants.

The Illinois State chapter of NSCS was also awarded silver STAR status at NSCS' annual Convention Honor Gala on Saturday Aug. 15, in Washington D.C.

STAR status is determined by chapter program success, community service, member engagement and on-campus involvement. Chapters are also required to hold an induction ceremony for new members each term.

NSCS chapters can attain one of four STAR status levels bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Each level is determined based on the quantity and quality of events a chapter holds.

The chapter's officers traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent the chapter and receive the award along with a $100 Chapter Scholarship to go toward funding chapter programs for the next academic year and the silver star award.

Members also worked diligently to execute and improve long standing NSCS programs such as Planning for College Success, a mentoring program for middle school students andI Stand for Integrity Week, a week dedicated to supporting NSCS' integrity initiative.

Other requirements to attain silver status include holding an induction ceremony for new members, creating an on-campus membership recruitment campaign and having at least one officer attend NSCS' leadership training summit.

For the NSCS chapter at Illinois State campus, the reward of attaining silver status is second only to the impact it has had on the community and the bonds it has strengthened between members.

The Illinois State NSCS chapter was founded in 2000. NSCS is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is the nation's only interdisciplinary honors organization to invite first- and second-year college students. Membership is by invitation only, based on grade point average and class standing. NSCS awards more scholarship dollars to undergraduates than any other honor society nationwide. NSCS offers members exclusive access to scholarships, career resources, leadership and networking opportunities. NSCS has more than 625,000 members and 240 chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.