Drew Offers Free Tuition to Participants of NJ Governor’s School in the Sciences
MADISON, NJ—Drew University announced today a major initiative aimed at recruiting some of the state’s most academically talented high school science students. Beginning this year, Drew will offer free tuition to any graduate of the New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences, which the university has hosted on its Madison campus every summer since 1984. The 85 students who completed the program in August—now high school seniors and representing each of the state’s 21 counties—are the first to become eligible for the award.
“Students in the Governor’s School are among the best and the brightest in the state,” said Drew President Robert Weisbuch. “We have always given them a great hands-on experience in the sciences as part of the summer program. Now we want them to seriously consider returning to Drew and spending their undergraduate career with us.”
Historically, only a handful of Governor’s School graduates have returned to Drew to pursue their bachelor’s degree—most have opted for large research universities. But Drew has been investing heavily in its science program in recent years.
Earlier this year, Drew was the recipient of a $1.1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute that the university is using to revitalize its curriculum in the sciences, enhance research opportunities for undergraduates, and increase the number of students pursuing a major in a scientific discipline. Drew also received a $950,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to create an innovative academic major in Environmental Studies and Sustainability. The grant money is supporting two additional faculty members, new interdisciplinary courses, and student internships and research experiences.
“We think we can offer these students an excellent opportunity to study the sciences in a very different kind of setting,” continued Weisbuch. “They would bring a lot to our program but would at the same time find themselves challenged by it. These are exactly the kind of students we want to have studying at Drew.”
The scholarship covers tuition only and is good for four years of study, provided the recipient remains enrolled in Drew as a full-time student, makes appropriate academic progress and majors in one of the science disciplines.
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