sun devil promise Success Starts With Opportunity  access and excellence  financial assistance  academic and social support

mentor training outline  Purpose of the Obama Scholars program  the sun devil way  Who are Obama Scholars  Obama Scholars program overview  scholars success program component  financial award component  Next steps

Sun Devil Way  The foundational philosophy of the Obama Scholars Program  Guides our expectations of all ASU students

Sun Devil Way  Achievement  Responsibility  Engagement

Sun Devil Way  Achievement  Set academic and personal goals  Take advantage of learning and support resources  tutoring  success coaching  career development workshops

Sun Devil Way  Responsibility  Responsible individual decision-making  make healthy choices  adhere to the student code of conduct  Responsibility to the community  service to others  volunteer & community service

Sun Devil Way  Engagement  Become an active member in the ASU community  take part in university traditions  get involved in a club connected to academic discipline  get a job on-campus  get involved in the residential community

who are Obama Scholars?  Meet ASU Assured Admission by March 1  AZ residents that graduated from an AZ high school  Enter ASU immediately after graduating from high school  Applied for FAFSA by March 1 (free of error)  Submit all required documents to Financial Aid by June 1 (free of error)  Have a total family income of $42,400 or less on the FAFSA

Obama Scholars represent  Every college  Every campus  Male & Female  Every race and ethnicity  Students who graduated at the top of their class  Students who graduated in the second quartile  Students from large high schools

Obama Scholars represent  Students from small or rural communities  Students who are an only child  Students who have several siblings  Students who are the first to go to college  Students whose parents have master’s degrees No one generalization can be made about an Obama Scholar recipient

demographics Obama Scholars  901 Obama Scholars  77.8% are merit scholars  average high school GPA = 3.49  average college credits = 16.9

demographics Obama Scholars  American Indian/Alaskan Native…1.6%  Asian……...…………………………9.5%  Black/African American……..….….5.3%  Hispanic/Latino……………………44.6%  White………………….……………30.6%  Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander…0.4%  Two or more races…………………3.7%

Obama Scholars Program  Two primary components  Scholars Success Program  mentoring  scholars success activities  Financial Awards

Obama Scholars Program Mentoring Component

mentoring  Mentors provide guidance and support to Obama Scholars throughout their first year at ASU  Mentors play key role in helping students make smooth transition into university life  One-to-one mentoring on a monthly basis

what a mentor does Listens Asks questions Helps the student set semester goals Encourages involvement Offers referrals Discusses challenges & ways to help Connects to campus resources

what a mentor does not do  Doing homework or editing papers  Tutoring/academic advising  Counseling  Sharing confidential information about a student with anyone outside the mentoring program

mentor communication  Each campus has an Obama Scholars Program Liaison (contact information for each campus at displayed at end) who are available to respond to any questions/concerns throughout the year  Visit the Obama Scholars Resource Webpage obama.asu.edu  Next slide shows visual of the link

Obama Scholars Resource Page obama.asu.edu

first scholar meeting Mentors are expected to initiate contact with Scholars the first week of the semester –Schedule your first meeting for early September –Discuss expectations for both mentor and scholar –Give scholar your contact info

first mentor meeting continued Ask about their goals for the semester as they relate to academics, family, employment, and transition to ASU Review online resources and success program activities Review with your scholar the requirements for renewal consideration Discuss what there success activity is/will be for the month Schedule your next meeting

scholars success activities  Campus activities, events, services  Suggestions provided on a monthly basis  Mentors provide guidance on what is most appropriate for their scholar each month  Purpose of scholars success activities are to engage students

Obama Scholars Program Financial Award Component

financial award component  Obama Scholars program is designed to meet estimated direct costs through three sources  scholarships and grant aid  work-study  expected family contribution (EFC) as determined from the FAFSA  The sum of these three sources will equal the estimated directs costs  The program is funded for eight consecutive semesters (Fall and Spring) as long as student continues to meet renewal criteria

estimated direct costs  Actual Tuition and mandatory fees  Standardized allowances for room, board and books/supplies  Special class/college fees, study abroad program fees and academic program fees are not covered  Summer tuition/fees are not covered through the Obama Scholars program; however, students can apply for other types of financial assistance.

how it works  Student may still have a bill  Student needs to factor in their estimated family contribution (EFC) and their work study earnings  Understand standard allowances

Obama scholar funding  Not all Obama scholars will receive a book grant or an award titled “Obama Scholarship”  However, those that do…  The amount of the book grant awarded will be refunded to the student for the purpose of buying books  Students are Obama Scholars regardless of receiving an award titled “Obama”. This means that their estimated direct costs are being met by other aid.  The advantage of student being an Obama Scholar is that if they lose any scholarship or grant funding in the future and continue to meet the Obama renewal criteria, the Obama scholarship will be available to replace that funding.

maintaining scholar standing  Obama Scholars must maintain full-time status  accrue 24 ASU credits by end of spring semester  Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 by end of spring semester their first year  and every semester thereafter  Submit FAFSA each year by March 1 (error free)  submit all required documents by June 1 (error free)  Have a total family income of $42,400 or less on the FAFSA  family assets sufficient to help pay for college costs are considered  Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress each year

work study  Obama Scholars are expected to contribute to their cost of education via federal work-study  Work-study students are awarded up to $2500/year  freshmen are encouraged to work no more than 15 hours per week  students may need to use work-study or borrow offered loans in order to pay indirect costs or direct costs above the estimated/standard allotment

next steps  Mentor Assignments/Matches found on website: obama.asu.edu  Mentors click on the ‘Contact your Scholar’ link for your Obama Scholars contact information

Obama Scholars Program Are you ready?

10 things you now know 1.What is the sun devil way? achievement, engagement and responsibility 2.Who are Obama Scholars? AZ HS grads who directly enroll fulltime at ASU family income is < $42,400 as determined by the FAFSA and met assured admission by March 1. 3.Financially, the Obama Scholars program covers…? estimated direct costs minus the expected family contribution with gift aid and federal work study 4.How many semesters can a student be an Obama Scholar? 8 consecutive fall and spring semesters (summer sessions not included)

10 things you now know 5.Academically, how do students remain Obama Scholars? must maintain a 2.5 GPA by end of spring semester AND every semester beyond first year 6.Is work-study required? no, however if students are work-study eligible, this amount is factored in as part of the estimated direct costs of their financial aid package 7.Do students have to meet with their mentor monthly? yes…it is an expectation!

10 things you now know 8.Do students have to attend a scholars success activity monthly? yes…it is an expectation! As a mentor, you may assist in guiding and suggesting what activities, events, programs, workshops, lectures, etc. will best serve your Scholar’s needs. 9.Who do I contact first with question or concerns? Campus Coordinator visit the Obama Scholars/mentor homepage…plethora of information, FAQ’s, resources, etc. 10. What is expected of me as a mentor? Meet with my scholar once a month Be a great resources for your scholar

campus coordinators  Downtown Phoenix campus   Polytechnic campus   Tempe campus   West campus 

Thank You!  have a great semester  meet with your scholar  enjoy being an Obama Mentor!

Thank you!  have a great semester  meet with your mentor or coach  enjoy being a Sun Devil!