Last Friday, Feb. 26, 89 prospective Union students arrived at the Jackson campus to participate in the first of two weekends of Scholars of Excellence, an annual scholarship competition.
The first event was set to be hosted on Feb. 19-21 but was canceled due to inclement weather conditions. Union admissions held a one-day virtual session for 11 scholars and rescheduled all remaining scholars for the weekends of Feb. 26-27 and March 5-6.
“People were so happy,” said Fran Thomas, special events coordinator. “They want to be in-person, and everyone’s longing to be in-person. Clearly, by the numbers, it’s working out okay.”
In addition to the competitive events of interviews, essay discussions and a hot topic discussion, scholars were able to attend a dinner with Union University President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, enjoy a performance by The Arcadian Wild and integrate with the Union community through student hosts.
“I love the host-scholar relationship simply because the host is really their first link to what real life looks like here at Union,” said Rachel Dawson, a freshman pre-pharmacy major and the winner of last year’s Scholars of Excellence.
“Last year as a scholar, that influence drastically changed my weekend, and so this year getting to apply and practice the same things I witnessed in my host was so fun.”
Scholars compete for a single full ride to Union under the Founders’ Scholarship, and all 186 scholars will receive staggered levels of scholarships.
“The scholarship competition weighs heavily on their minds,” said Robbie Graves, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions. “We just have to say ‘Lord, give us wisdom to use this money wisely and to divide this money wisely.’ We do the best we can with that, but it is really hard. You would so much like to give every one of them significant money.”
Historically, Scholars of Excellence is the largest recruiting event at Union; one-third of each class typically comes from the event.
“Scholars Weekend is what really nailed down in my heart that I wanted to come to Union,” Dawson said. “It was so fun because I still have friendships from Scholars. My roommate was one of those people. The relationships that are harbored in those in-between moments are the perfect opportunity for continuation of all those intentional discussions.”
Scholars of Excellence finds a lasting impact on Union faculty and staff who participate. The growth of the weekend tradition equally changes the community and students.
“Scholars is my favorite time of the recruitment year. I absolutely love it. It’s almost a bit magical,” Graves said. “I’ve been at Union 31 years now. This weekend has evolved from its rather humble beginnings to a really significant event in the academic year at Union. Getting to be a part of it all these years has been really special for me.”
Union University will host the second and final weekend of Scholars of Excellence this Friday and Saturday, with 69 students attending in-person and 17 attending concurrently through virtual meetings. The regular competition events will be held along with a President’s dinner and a performance from Union’s improv group Blank Slate.
