Seven hundred Pennsylvania college students have the chance to go to graduate school for free, and all they did was attend a conference for minorities.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Phila.) announced at the Fattah Conference on Higher Education that all undergraduates present were eligible for the scholarships -- which can be used at 17 graduate schools throughout the state -- as a surprise gift for attending.
The Fattah Conference was held last weekend in Philadelphia. Twenty Penn undergraduates are among the potential recipients.
Karen Lawrence, Penn's assistant vice provost for graduate education, said that while the University didn't learn of the scholarships in time to officially be named one of the 17 participating schools, the University will provide free tuition to any of the eligible students who are accepted to a Penn doctoral program.
According to Lawrence, about 90 percent of current Penn Ph.D. candidates already don't pay tuition because the University already offers a variety of scholarship and financial-aid programs.
The University chose to support potential minority Ph.D. students instead of those seeking master's degrees so that it can eventually cultivate a more diverse faculty, Lawrence said.
The original 17 universities included Drexel University, Temple University and the University of the Sciences of Philadelphia.
Fattah said that many schools expressed interest in awarding graduate scholarships to students prior to the conference. This provided the impetus for him to organize the scholarships.
Philadelphia-based Educational Advancement Alliance Inc., which promotes minority education, is a partner in the effort.
Fattah said that he is elated by the success of the conference, which attracted about 300 more students this year than last.
He added that though scholarship money abounds in higher education, "a commitment like this will encourage so many more [first-generation college students] to go on to graduate school. I think that's a tremendous accomplishment."
Penn's Vice Provost for University Life Valarie McCoullum has led panels at the conference for 19 years, but she was not present at the Wyndham last weekend. She called Fattah "an absolutely phenomenal supporter of higher-educational access."
Bridina Holloway, a Temple junior and an administrative assistant in McCoullum's office, attended the conference.
"We all look at the opportunities presented in life, and [the scholarship] is a wonderful opportunity," she said.
The conference offered full scholarships to all participants once before, in 1990. From that year's group, 80 percent enrolled in graduate school. Penn provided scholarships to conference participants that year.
Fattah started the conference in 1987 to increase minority enrollment in higher education. Those who wish to attend must apply to participate.
