Low application numbers have led to an extension of the scholarship application deadline in the College of Communication and Information.
The original deadline of Feb. 1 was extended to March 1 after students voiced their concerns to professors.
“I have heard from some students this semester who have said they just need more time to apply,” said J.D. Ponder, an associate professor of communications studies. “They are working and going to school so that takes a lot of the hours they have. … It can pull their attention away from scholarships.”
CCI has tried to address common student concerns.
“We have heard how some scholarship criteria is too restrictive or difficult … so we work with the donors to let them know about these barriers and see if they think those requirements are still necessary,” Ponder said. “Another issue people expressed last year was the duplication of questions, [so] KSU spent some time this year removing the duplicate questions and making the process more streamlined.”
Other professors discussed the efforts they are taking to increase applications.
“I’ve made an effort to go to classes … and get students to apply,” Paul Haridakis, director of the School of Communication Studies, said.
It was a mixture of both a lack of applicants and applicants simply needing more time to apply, Haridakis said. Both Haridakis and Ponder said the new system, Scholarship Universe, caused problems for students last year as well. CCI extended the deadline in the past due to a combination of factors, including last year’s FAFSA change, Ponder said.
“There is a learning curve with the system itself so there is a need for assistance,” Ponder said. “I have put together handouts … that showed students how [to] fill out the forms and how to navigate Scholarship Universe.”
Another contributor to the extension is the way CCI reviews scholarship applicants. While other schools allow Scholarship Universe to review applications, CCI manually reviews them when selecting scholarship winners.
CCI is trying to spread the word and increase scholarship applicants.
The television screens around Taylor Hall have all been used to advertise the extension deadline, Haridakis said. CCI is also sending out weekly notices to the undergraduate listserv.
Most notably, CCI set up an event called “Cookies and Dough” in the Taylor Hall gallery, where students could meet advisors and professors and receive help to apply for scholarships.
“These were held … on Jan. 22 and 23. If students were unable to attend those times, these issues would still be present,” Ponder said.
These efforts have not been in vain. While unable to cite exact numbers, Haridakis said application numbers increased.
Keegan Berzonski is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].