FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 19, 2007

Kathleen McPartland
530-898-4260
Carol Berg,
President's Office
530-898-5201

High-Achieving Students Compete for President's Scholarships

Two-hundred thirty high school students, some from as far away as Alaska, Montana and New Mexico, will come to California State University, Chico on Saturday, Feb. 24 to compete for $132,000 in scholarships.

The President's Scholars Competition Day was initiated in 1995 and is continuing under CSU, Chico's current president, Paul Zingg. High school seniors who have applied and been accepted to the University and have a 3.7 or above high school grade point average or a 3.5 GPA and a 1200 total SAT I or a 27 composite ACT score are eligible. Each of them received a personal letter of invitation.

The students, with more than 500 parents and friends, will gather Saturday morning in Bell Memorial Union (BMU) for a continental breakfast. Then the students will take a series of three exams testing critical thinking, science and reasoning, and communication skills. The scholarships are awarded based on the results of these exams.

While the students take their exams, student tour guides will escort the parents around campus. Tour stops will include the Instructional Media Center, the Recording Arts Studio, communication and education programs, the Psychology Perception Lab, engineering labs, agriculture student projects, the Office of Career Planning and Placement, the glassblowing lab, business labs, the Natural Science Museum, geology/environmental science labs and study abroad programs.

Parents and students will gather at 2:30 p.m. in the BMU for a reception hosted by the president, where students can meet deans of colleges and department chairs.

"We have found over the years that students who actually visit the University-those who see firsthand our beautiful campus, talk to knowledgeable and helpful staff, interact with students and meet with faculty-enroll at CSU, Chico at a much higher rate than those who do not. And we have found that those who come here
for President's Scholars Day are no exception," said Zingg.

"Scholarships support students with high potential who might not otherwise be able to afford college," said Zingg. "This contributes directly to building CSU, Chico's reputation as one of the best public universities in the West."

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