College for All Texans Grant Program

This scholarship is a need-based, one-time-only $1,500 award to be granted to 965 Pell Grant-eligible Texas students in fall 2010. The scholarship will be applied to educational costs for any accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States.

To be eligible, Students must:

At the time of application, be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents and reside in the State of Texas.

Be high school seniors or graduates (which includes GED recipients) who plan to enroll full time, or students who are already enrolled in an undergraduate course of study.

Be eligible to receive Title IV (federal financial aid) funding.

Plan to enroll in at least twelve (12) semester credit hours (or the equivalent) for the 2010 fall term.

Enroll in a Title IV-eligible accredited two- or four-year college or university in any of the United States, its possessions or territories.

Funds are limited and will be awarded on a first-come basis. The application is posted below for you to complete, sign and mail. No electronic submissions will be accepted for the application.

Students must complete the application and mail it to Scholarship America along with the following documents by the postmark deadline of May 25, 2010:

A completed and signed scholarship application;

If a currently enrolled undergraduate student, a cumulative transcript of grades, or if a high school senior or a student who has not previously enrolled in a postsecondary institution, a copy of your college acceptance letter. If you are enrolling in a Texas community college, a copy of your Apply Texas confirmation; and

A completed copy of the 2010-2011 SAR or ISIR. The SAR is the federal document that indicates the student's Expected Family Contribution. To be considered for an award, an applicant must have applied for financial assistance by completing the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA). Once you complete the FAFSA and it has been accepted, the Department of Education will either 1) send you your SAR via mail (if you did not provide your email address) within 14 days, or 2) send you an email with a link to your SAR on the web. You will need to provide the SAR "Print Summary" containing your name and EFC. Alternatively, your college financial aid office can provide you a copy of your most recent Institutional Student Information Report (ISIR).

NOTE: All documents must be sent in one envelope.

Awarded funds will be disbursed directly to your school of choice after your enrollment in fall 2010 classes is confirmed. This $1.5 million scholarship opportunity is provided by the U.S. Department of Education College Access Challenge Grant.

To make application go to:
http://collegeforalltexans.com/index.cfm?objectid=95E8C88F-078A-D3A0-64484E106C85A9F9

Workforce Stats on Unemployment

While male unemployment rates have mostly been very similar to female unemployment rates since 1948 (in the 70’s and 80’s the male rate was a little below the female rates), this chart from Verifiable.com shows that this recession is different. Male rates have soared to a peak 10.6% while females rates peaked at 8%. The reason for this unprecedented difference could be because the housing crisis hit the construction industry hard — an industry that is heavily male dominated.

This second chart, from Verifiable.com shows that workers with less education suffer more unemployment than those with a more education. The difference has been even greater than ever in this recession. In 2001, the workers with no education were suffering an unemployment rate of around 9%, while for those with a bacherlor’s degree the rate was about 3 percent.

However, in this recession, that has been about a 10% difference between those with no high school diploma and those with a bachelor’s degree. The unemployment rate for those with no high school diploma peaked at 15.6%.

Source: http://setxp16.org/wp/resources/workforce-stats-unemployment-different-looks/

Academic Lecture Series

The College of Arts and Sciences' Academic Lecture Series will feature Sarah Vowell, New York Times best-selling author of five non-fiction books on American history and culture. Vowell offers personal, often-humorous accounts of everything from presidents and their assassins to colonial religious fanatics, as well as thoughts on American Indians, utopian dreamers, pop music and the odd cranky cartographer. Her most recent book, The Wordy Shipmates, examines the Puritans and their journey to and impact on America. Assassination Vacation (2005) is a road trip to tourist sites devoted to the murders of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. Vowell was a contributing editor for Public Radio International's This American Life from 1996-2008. She is a frequent guest on late-night talk shows and is the voice of teen super-hero Violet Parr in The Incredibles. The lecture, supported by student services fees, is open to the public without charge. This lecture will be held at the Lamar University Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6th.