Pilot Scholarship Programs to Increase Global Understanding and Diversity

Westminster School has been selected as one of five boarding schools to participate in two pilot scholarship programs, the Davis Scholars Program and the Davis International Scholars Program, designed to increase and diversify the international and domestic student population of American independent secondary schools.

Funded by the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund (SCDCF), the two programs will help promote international understanding and cross-cultural connections across boarding school campuses and around the globe.

Domestic Scholarships
The Davis Scholars Program will focus on domestic students and provide support for four to 10 exceptionally motivated and talented students to attend Westminster School from areas not previously targeted for admissions recruitment, specifically students from recently immigrated families or students who would be among the first in their families to attend college. One of the objectives of the new program is to build a broadening network of America’s future decision makers. The program will be in addition to Westminster’s existing recruitment programs.

International Scholarships
The Davis International Scholars Program will focus on international students and provide support for four to 10 international students to attend Westminster who exhibit outstanding leadership potential and come from places around the world not currently served by the school. Although Westminster already has students attending from 14 countries, this program will expand the school’s recruitment of prospective students from other nations as well as from diverse ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.

One of the ancillary benefits of the programs is that upon graduation from Westminster School, Davis Scholars and Davis International Scholars will be eligible for continued scholarship support for four years should they elect to matriculate at any of the Davis United World College Scholars colleges and universities in the United States, now numbering more than 85 leading colleges and universities—including among many others, Harvard University, Princeton University, Williams College, Duke University, Colby College, Middlebury College, Lewis & Clark College and Claremont McKenna College.

“We are honored to participate in such an exciting new initiative that seeks to advance global diversity and understanding at the secondary school level,” said Westminster School Headmaster Graham Cole. “These programs will bring Westminster School even greater numbers of outstanding students from varied communities and cultures who will not only enrich our school community with their diverse perspectives but hopefully return to their own communities as future leaders in a rapidly changing world.”

An Impressive Group of Peer Schools
The other schools selected to participate in the pilot programs are Phillips Academy Andover, The Lawrenceville School, The Taft School and Emma Willard School. Each of the schools is responsible for recruitment and admission of its own students into these programs for fall of 2008. The pilot programs at the five schools are expected to run for a minimum of two years and then be examined for possible future expansion at other independent boarding schools.

"We are very pleased to have Westminster School among the five schools selected for the pilot phase of this major new initiative for greater international and domestic diversity in American boarding schools," comments Dr. Philip O. Geier who designed the program and who is executive director of the Davis United World College Scholars program, now supporting over 1,400 scholars at over 85 colleges and universities throughout America.

For additional information about these programs, please contact Kimberly Pope, tel. (860) 408-3026