FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas administrators and staff recently welcomed the new recipients of the Silas Hunt Scholarship to campus. The Silas Hunt Scholarship Program is a four-year academic scholarship that includes a comprehensive academic support program involving monthly meetings, peer mentoring and social resources for the scholarship recipients.

By providing activities focused on the development of the whole student, the Silas Hunt Scholarship Program engages students in opportunities that will develop them socially and academically, ultimately resulting in a strong, positive experience while on campus. In this third year of the program there are 118 first-year recipients, nearly double the number from the previous entering class. There are 263 Silas Hunt Scholars on campus this academic year.

Silas Hunt Scholars have come from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and across the nation, as well as from the vast majority of the counties in Arkansas. Along with that geographic diversity, they are diverse racially and ethnically.

“Your impact has been felt in numerous areas around campus. Hunt Scholars have served as resident assistants for university housing, orientation leaders for new freshmen and student ambassadors for prospective students,” said Cedric Kenner, director of the university’s Multicultural Center. “Hunt Scholars have been selected to study abroad to Mexico, Spain, Australia, South Africa, among other places. Hunt Scholars have been selected as recipients of numerous additional academic scholarships, including Alumni Scholarships and the MLK Scholarships. Indeed, the Hunt Scholars have made a great impact on the University of Arkansas.”

Their ACT scores and grade point averages are well above the campus average. They have a variety of academic interests, spanning 48 different majors, representing all six colleges and schools at the university. They represent various cultural backgrounds and experiences, with a significant number of them being first-generation college students. For their underrepresented academic and extracurricular backgrounds, the Hunt Scholars receive scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $8,000 per academic year, renewable annually with certain criteria being met.