GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP NOMINATION

MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE

Washington, DC - Nomination Materials for the Gates Millennium Scholars
program are now available for the 2003-2004 Gates Millennium Scholars
(GMS) awards.  Principals, teachers, guidance counselors, tribal higher
education representatives, and other professional educators are invited
to nominate students with outstanding academic records, strong
leadership potential and commitment to community service.  Nominators
must act
in their personal capacity.  Institutional nominations will not be
accepted.

All applications materials must be postmarked or submitted online no
later than February 1, 2003.

The Gates Millennium Scholars program was established in 1999 through a
grant provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide Asian
Pacific Islander Americans, African Americans, American Indians/Alaska
Natives, or Hispanic Americans with an opportunity to complete a
college

education.  The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to
provide an opportunity for thousands of outstanding students with
significant
financial need, particularly those intending to study mathematics,
science, engineering, education or library science, to reach their
fullest potential.

Additionally, GMS provides opportunities for Scholars to prepare for
leadership roles in their profession and communities through a
comprehensive leadership development program.  GMS awarded scholarships
to 1000 high-achieving students for the 2002-2003
academic year, bringing the total number of students awarded GMS
scholarships to over 6,000.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), with the support of the American
Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), the Hispanic
Scholarship Fund (HSF) and the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA),
administers the Gates Millennium Scholars program.

Eligibility Criteria
In the 2003-2004 academic year, individuals are eligible to be
considered for a Gates Millennium Scholarship if they:

1. are Asian Pacific Islander American, African American, Hispanic
American or American Indian/Alaska Native;
2. are a citizen, legal permanent resident or national of the United
States;
3. have a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale;
4. will be entering a U.S. accredited college or university as
full-time, degree-seeking freshmen in the academic year 2003-2004;
5. have demonstrated leadership commitment through participation in
community service, extracurricular, or other activities that reflect
leadership abilities; and
6. meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.  Eligibility for
Federal

Pell Grant can only be determined though the submission of a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of
Education, Federal Student Aid Programs.


To request Nomination Materials or for more information, please include
your name and information and contact:

Neel Saxena
Outreach Coordinator, GMS/APIA
Email: gmspinfo@ocanatl.org
Phone: 202-530-8894