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By Emily Stegman
GIA scholarships are no longer limited to citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. International students who would like to earn their Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) diploma through Distance Education or attend courses on campus at GIA London or GIA India, will have access to six new scholarships starting in 2008.
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Bev Berthoty
Photo by Melissa Jacobs
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Bev Berthoty, GIA's manager of Institute Relations, said these were created by the Board of Governors in response to the need for international scholarships and were made possible because of the Institute's growing Endowment Fund.
"This is the first time we've been able to offer international scholarships and we're thrilled to have this option available to students from around the world," said Berthoty. "With the help of many very generous donors, GIA's Endowment Fund continues to grow. In the coming years, we look forward to expanding our scholarship program even more, both in the U.S. and abroad."
Donations made to GIA's Endowment Fund are invested in perpetuity. A portion of the interest earned by the investment is awarded with the approval of the Board of Governors. This year, the Board approved a record amount of $297,000 for scholarships for the 2008 calendar year. This amount is in addition to $134,640 available for scholarships funded by donations made outside of the Endowment Fund. In all, up to 97 scholarships may be awarded for 2008.
The six new international scholarships available to non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents include:
The GIA London and GIA India scholarships are available to international students for courses taken only at those two campuses. The Distance Education scholarship is available only to students living in a country where GIA does not have a campus. GIA has campuses in: China, Italy, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the U.S.
Applications and supporting material for a scholarship to attend GIA India or GIA London should be submitted directly to that campus. Applications and supporting material for the Distance Education scholarships should be submitted to GIA Carlsbad. The 2009 scholarship applications will be available in June 2008.
For more information about GIA Scholarships, click here or call (800) 421-7250, ext. 4175.
To make a donation to GIA's Endowment Fund, contact Bev Berthoty at bberthoty@gia.edu or (760) 603-4120.
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