FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas administrators and staff, including Chancellor G. David Gearhart, recently welcomed the new recipients of the Silas Hunt Scholarship to campus at a reception held Friday, Aug. 29, on 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 fifth year of the program there are 73 first-year recipients, for a total of more than 230 Silas Hunt Scholars on campus this academic year.

“We're blessed with thousands of exceptional students at the University of Arkansas, but our Silas Hunt Scholars stand at the forefront,” said University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart. “I am extremely proud of this program, and the caliber of students it attracts. You are a model for the kind of students we want to attract to campus. You also are worthy heirs to the legacy of Silas Hunt, who overcame tremendous obstacles and disadvantages to become a student at this university.”

Silas Hunt Scholars have come from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri 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 in 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 Martin Luther King 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.