The National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA), Hastings Architecture, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville have announced a new scholarship initiative aimed at bolstering the pipeline of students from diverse backgrounds entering architectural education.
The new Keystone Scholarship will "cover all academic costs" for an incoming student from Tennessee in the college’s School of Architecture or School of Interior Architecture each year of their education, while also providing financial support and guaranteeing a summer internship opportunity for the selected student. A statement announcing the launch of fundraising for the scholarship explains that "the full scholarship should enable the student to graduate with no academic debt."
Valarie Franklin, President of the Nashville Chapter of NOMA, explains: “One of NOMA’s missions is to encourage students into the profession and to continue in an active role in their education through licensure. This scholarship will not only award a talented and deserving student but will also assist in reducing attrition rates of black students in architecture programs reported by NCARB, which has largely been attributed to financial strain and high student loan debt.”
To which Scott Poole, Dean of the College of Architecture and Design, adds, “When fully realized, the scholarship will fund the education of an outstanding recipient each and every year. This scholarship will help us achieve greater equity in access to our program.”
David Bailey Principal at HASTINGS explains further that “recent events have changed it to a call to action, and we feel it is critical to make this opportunity available to outstanding diverse high school graduates in our state. We hope an overwhelming majority of firms and professionals across the country will join us in this important and overdue opportunity to change the landscape of our profession.”
Fundraising for the scholarship has started, with the fund organizers targeting a $1 million endowment for the prize by 2021.
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