International Students Awarded Lutheran College Scholarships

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has awarded scholarships of $1,500 each to 16 international students attending ELCA colleges and universities. The scholarships, from the Phoebe Herman Scholarship Endowment Fund, were awarded through the ELCA Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES).
Phoebe Herman was an active Lutheran who lived in Selinsgrove, Pa. Upon her death she left most of her estate to the ELCA Foundation. She specified that one third of the proceeds were to be used for scholarships for "worthy and needy" students of any Lutheran college in the United States, said Arne Selbyg, director for colleges and universities, DHES. The ELCA Foundation maintains the fund.
Students who do not qualify for regular state or federal financial aid were given highest priority for the scholarships, Selbyg said. In this case, international students who would not be able to attend ELCA colleges and universities without the scholarships were selected, he said.
"Every year it is heartwarming to see how the Lutheran colleges provide their academic opportunities to many students who have no means of paying for this excellent education themselves," Selbyg said. "It is also stimulating to see the ELCA colleges and universities reach out to students from all over the world, providing these international students the opportunity to benefit from our strong colleges."
"At the same time, the colleges give students from North America opportunities to broaden their horizons and place themselves and our country in a global context," he continued. "It is very important that these partnerships continue."
The establishment of the Phoebe Herman Fund is one example of how Lutherans can leave a gift that will have long-lasting meaning for future generations, said the Rev. Donald M. Hallberg, executive director, ELCA Foundation. Members can support students at one of the ELCA's 28 colleges and universities by a gift of cash or a deferred gift, adding to the Phoebe Herman permanent scholarship endowment, he said. Named scholarships can be initiated with a minimum gift of $25,000, Hallberg added.
The 2004 recipients are:
+ Yury Bahdanionak, Belarus, attending Augsburg College, Minneapolis
+ Carol Chinomnso Uluocha, Nigeria, Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill.
+ Idris Liasu, Nigeria, Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas
+ Nyaradzo Suangweme, Zimbabwe, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.
+ Andres Subiabre, Chile, Dana College, Blair, Nebraska
+ Rami Ali, Lebanon, Grand View College, Des Moines, Iowa
+ Manal Elattir, Morocco, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn.
+ Cassie Benoit, The Bahamas, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C.
+ Yee Seir Kee, Malaysia, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
+ Toni Jericevic, Croatia, Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb.
+ Irina Puzdrjakova, Russia, Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina
+ Mai Nguyen, Vietnam, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.
+ Alex Mitrenko, Ukraine, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa.
+ Miho Kubota, Japan, Thiel College, Greenville, Pa.
+ Iyoel Megerssa, Ethiopia, Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa
+ Frehiwot Wolde-Michael, Ethiopia, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa
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Information about ELCA colleges and universities can be found at http://www.elca.org/education on the ELCA Web site.

Information about the ELCA Foundation, including gift possibilities, is at http://www.elca.org/fo on the Web, or call 1-800-638-3522, extension 2970.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news