Each year, intercollegiate athletics programs throughout the nation celebrate what is commonly known as the early signing period when blue-chip athletes announce at what college or university they are going to continue their playing careers. The day culminates weeks, months and sometimes years of letters, campus visits and other inducements as coaches and administrators try to convince top recruits why they should choose their institutions.
Claflin University recently hosted a similar celebration of sorts. However, these recruits were not selected for their explosive times in the 40-yard dash or for leading their high schools to conference championships. Instead, the 78 high school seniors who attended Claflin's "Become a Visionary Leader" event caught the attention of Claflin's Office of Admissions for their impressive performances in the classroom.
"We designed this event for students with strong academic records who also aspire to become visionary leaders," said Antonio McFarland, Claflin's assistant director of admissions. "The selections were largely based on grade point averages and test scores."
The event included brief presentations which provided the students and their parents a general overview of Claflin's campus admissions, financial aid, scholarships and campus services. Students also had an opportunity to talk with current Claflin students and members of University's world-class faculty and tour the campus.
Among the guest attending the program was Dr. Hector Flores, president of the South Carolina Governors School for Science and Mathematics. "I am extremely impressed with the quality of students, staff, faculty and facilities at Claflin," said Flores. "We look forward to further conversation and a path to send more GSSM graduates to Claflin in the coming years." Claflin enrolled its first student from GSSM last fall and a second student has been accepted for the Fall 2017 semester.
"This speaks to the growing reputation Claflin has earned for producing graduates from STEM programs," said President Henry N. Tisdale. "We are one of the region's leading liberal arts universities but our emphasis on STEM aligns with career opportunities in today's workplace."
Of the 78 students that attended the "Become a Visionary Leader" program, 17 were out of state students who hailed from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey and North Carolina. The highlight of the program was a presentation of scholarships as students received awards ranging from $3000 to Presidential Scholarships. Presidential Scholars receive full academic scholarship, free books and a monthly stipend.
http://www.claflin.edu/
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Tuesday, February 7th 2017 at 11:32AM
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