New Online Scholarship Tool Simplifies Process for Students and Faculty

March 9, 2015

MyScholarships, Georgia Southern’s new online scholarship tool, will make it easier to both find and award the many available scholarships at the University. The University’s Office of Donor Relations launched MyScholarships in partnership with Academic Works, a company which provides this software to hundreds of four-year universities, community colleges and community foundations throughout the U.S. The software allows students to fill out an application for scholarships online. Once the application is completed, they are automatically matched with the awards for which they qualify. Faculty reviewers can then login and not only review the candidates, but also award the scholarship through the administration panel. “It’s a one-stop shop for applications, reviews and awards,” said Dawn Oliver, assistant director of Donor Relations. Oliver said in past years, the paper-in-person process made scholarships somewhat difficult for everyone involved, and many scholarships went unclaimed. The students had trouble finding available scholarships and didn’t apply, and the faculty were so busy, many didn’t have the time to find, qualify and recruit candidates. The new system, however, makes scholarships accessible with a click, and in addition, participants will get email notifications if further steps such as recommendations, resumes or additional questions are required. The system even allows students the ability to leave a thank you note once they receive the scholarship. This process, said Oliver, levels the playing field for applicants, and simplifies the faculty selection process as well. “I found this new process generates consistent results from one reviewer to the next and therefore provides a system that is fairer than the prior selection process,” said Cindy Randall, assistant dean of students and external relations for the College of Business Administration. Students can sign up for MyScholarships by logging into MyGeorgiaSouthern, clicking on the MyScholarships link and then filling out the online application. To learn more about available scholarships and requirements, visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/scholarships.