Girl Scouts in Missouri have access to a new scholarship at Missouri State University.
Officials with the university and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri signed an agreement that gives participants access to a scholarship of $2,000 annually.
MSU President Clif Smart and Natissia Small, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, signed a memorandum of understanding April 3 to formalize the arrangement.
The scholarship is open to Girl Scouts who reside within that council, which includes counties in the northeastern and eastern sections of the state. It is the first arrangement of its kind that MSU has established with the Girl Scouts.
MSU does not yet have a similar agreement with Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland, the council that covers Springfield, as well as much of southwest and central Missouri, but is open to one in the future.
“Missouri State University and Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri are united in our commitment to empower young women through education. With this scholarship,” said Ryan Reed, director of access and success programs for MSU, in a press release. “We’re not just funding their education. We’re investing in their future, their families and the communities they’ll impact.”
The scholarship is intended to help potential Pell-eligible students build on MoState Access funding.
To qualify, Girl Scouts must have participated for at least a year and during their high school senior year. The scout must be in good standing, nominated by a troop leader and have not received another MSU scholarship of equal or greater value. They must also meet MSU’s admission standards enroll as a full-time student during the same year they complete high school.
