Nina Scholar Applications Available
Submittal Deadline April 1

The Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars program in Arizona and Indiana is accepting applications for the seventh Nina Scholar cohort. In 2001 the Trust established the Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars program to open doors of opportunity and education for men and women who do not qualify for "traditional" college financial aid.

The Trust is sponsoring eight students at Arizona State University, 15 students at Maricopa Community Colleges, seven students at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and 12 students at Ivy Tech State College Central Indiana Campus. Since the program began, it has touched the lives of more than 240 men and women, and several have already completed their studies.

"Nina Scholars is a program that is there to help. It is not a program that wants to cut students who are having a difficult time, but will find resources and be supportive when times are tough," according to Nina Scholar Nichole Townsend who graduated from ASU with a 3.98 and is now working at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix as an emergency room nurse. "Our Nina Scholars coordinator was like having a social worker to help us navigate our way. It made a true difference."

Application deadline is April 1, 2007. For further information about applying to the Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars program, contact:

- ASU, nina.scholars@asu.edu or call Cory Gonzales at 480-727-6561.
- Maricopa Community Colleges, nina.scholars@domail.maricopa.edu or call Jennifer Steele at 480-731-8619.
- IUPUI, nina@iupui.edu or call Charles Johnson at 317-278-7878.
- Ivy Tech State College, cbush15@ivytech.edu or call Cheri Bush at 317-921-4617.

"Education was important to Nina Mason Pulliam. She believed that education is a crucial tool to self-sufficiency and personal fulfillment," said Trustee Nancy M. Russell. "The Nina Scholars program furthers the Trust's mission of helping people in need. We are especially pleased that many of our Scholars are referred to the program through organizations that have received grants from the Trust," Russell added.

The Nina Scholars program was the first college scholarship program in the United States specifically designed to assist nontraditional students who mainstream scholarship programs overlook. Nina Scholars are 25 years or older with dependents, traditional college-age students and adults with physical disabilities, or college-age youth who have been raised in the foster-care system and are self-supporting.

Along with a full scholarship, which includes tuition, fees and books, each Nina Scholar receives a $2,750 living allowance to assist with such necessities as child care and transportation. Additionally, each school has a Nina Scholars coordinator to assist the students and to coordinate special programs and activities-all designed to help each student be successful.

"We so appreciate the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust's commitment to establishing a long-term scholarship program that provides these students the key ingredients they need to succeed," said Jennifer Steele, MCC Nina Scholars program director. "With financial obstacles removed and a safety net of guidance and mentoring in place, these students will have the opportunity of a lifetime to prepare for a career and achieve goals they perhaps thought were impossible to achieve."

"Our Scholars are supportive of each other. We meet regularly, in an open forum, where the Scholars discuss challenges they may be experiencing in the classroom, celebrate their academic successes together and, most importantly, provide a support network to each other. Overall, our Scholars have become a family," said Charles Johnson, IUPUI Nina Scholars program coordinator.

"As the Nina Scholars are successful, their stories of achievement inspire other students and family members to seek higher education. We have already seen this happen within a number of our Scholar families; sisters, brothers and mothers who have returned to classes because of a Nina Scholar in the family," said Cory Gonzales, Nina Scholar coordinator at ASU.

"This is an outstanding program that far surpasses a simple monetary gift. With the comprehensive support offered by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, the Scholars have a far smoother path through college," Cheri Bush, Nina Scholars program manager at Ivy Tech concluded.

Next Nina Scholars Application Due:
April 1, 2007

Copyright 2007, The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust

Welcome to Connections!

Welcome to our new look for Connections. Rather than connecting with you three times a year when we announce Trust grants, we will now reach out to you when there is news to report and deliver that news in a more timely and concise manner. What possibly could be a more fitting first communication than to ask you to pass the word along about the Trust's signature program - Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholars?

The Trust created the Nina Scholars program in 2001, establishing a living legacy to Mrs. Pulliam who was an advocate for education her entire life. She understood life's challenges from an early age. Mrs. Pulliam's family was not wealthy in material goods but her parents were both educated and saw to it that all seven children, six of whom were girls, all went to college. And, all earned college degrees, which was quite unusual for the time.

Mrs. Pulliam went on to become a noted journalist and leader in the newspaper industry. She created scholarship opportunities for children of employees at the Indiana and Arizona newspapers she and her husband Gene owned and operated. She created scholarship programs for newspaper carriers and she personally funded higher education for children whom she learned were in need of assistance.

In October 2006, the Trustees voted to extend the Nina Scholars program through 2010. It is a significant commitment for the Trust, representing approximately 10 percent of the total grants budget. The Nina Scholars program is truly about changing lives, not only those fortunate to receive the scholarships, but also their family members.

Thank you for helping us get this information into the hands of those who could most benefit. Please don't hesitate, as the application deadline is April 1, 2007.