SD DOE Press Release

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For Immediate Release: March 2, 2005
Contact: Mary Stadick-Smith - (605) 773-7228

Hagen-Harvey Scholarships for American Indian Students

American Indian students who plan to pursue higher education in South Dakota may apply now for a Richard Hagen-Minerva Harvey Memorial Scholarship. Scholarship amounts start at $1,000 for the first two years of attendance and reach $2,500 for the fourth year of attendance.

“One of our goals is to see more students graduating and going on to higher education, whether it’s a four-year institution or a technical institute,” said Gov. Mike Rounds. “This is a great way for the State of South Dakota to support students who choose to do just that. A student may receive up to $6,000 over four years to pursue a degree.”

To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must:

be an enrolled member of a tribe whose reservation is located – in part or whole – in South Dakota.
graduate from an accredited South Dakota high school.
attend a public or non-public accredited university, college or technical institute located in South Dakota.
apply within five years after high school graduation or within one year after release from active military duty (if that release is within five years of high school graduation).

Once a recipient has been approved for the scholarship, the student is authorized to receive up to four years of funding. The student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5.

The Hagen-Harvey scholarship program was established in 2003, after Minerva Harvey left the proceeds of her estate to the South Dakota Department of Education to develop a scholarship program for American Indian students. Richard Hagen was a legislator from Pine Ridge who served in the State House and Senate.

An application form and guidelines are available online or by calling the Department of Education at (605) 773-3727. Application deadline is April 15, 2005.

Application Form and Guidelines