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See the program booklet of the 2007 - 2010 James Matthews Scholars with highlights on the Class of 2010 |
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Scholarship > The James Newton
Matthews Scholars Program
The James Newton Matthews Scholars Program
The University of Illinois seeks to recruit the very best and brightest
students from throughout the state of Illinois and beyond. Any academically
exceptional student is eligible for the Matthews Scholars Program.
Many potential Matthews Scholars will fall into one or more of the
three groups of high-achieving students especially targeted for
recruitment by the University. This includes: National Merit Scholars,
Campus Honors students and out-of-state students.
Scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen who have demonstrated
outstanding achievement in high school. Students do not apply but
rather are selected for consideration from the entire first year
class based upon their academic, leadership, community service and
extracurricular high school activities. A field of students are
selected and then narrowed through a pre-arranged, personal telephone
interview with a member of the selection committee.
The Matthews Scholars selection committee is made up of members
of the University's development community - including representatives
from the University's Foundation, every College, Admissions, Student
Affairs and current upper-class recipients of a Matthews' scholarship.
Scholarship recipients must maintain a cumulative grade point average
of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale annually and progress toward a degree to remain
eligible for the scholarship during their four years.
A Personal Investment in the James Newton Matthews Scholars Program
When you make a gift to the Matthews Scholars Program, you are forging
a personal link with tomorrow's leaders. One of the goals of this
program is to provide an opportunity for interaction between the
sponsor and the student(s) who will benefit from the scholarship(s).
This personal interaction can be rewarding for both student and
sponsor.
Sponsors may designate a group—including students from a particular
state or area, or students enrolled in a specific college—from
which the student to benefit from their gift will be selected.
A gift of $45,000 or more allows you to establish a named permanent endowment. Such an endowment will fund scholarships
for students in perpetuity. With a gift at this level, you also
become a member of the University of Illinois Foundation Presidents
Council.
A gift of $2,000 annually enables you to have a personal
connection with a specific student by becoming a Matthews Scholar
sponsor.
A gift at any level designated for the Matthews Scholars
Program will be used to continue to build a permanent endowment
that will provide scholarships to qualified students.
If
you are interested in discussing the Matthews Scholars Program further,
please contact our office by phone at (217) 244-8060 or via email
at leaders@uiuc.edu.
Current James Newton Matthews Recipients
Four short years ago the first class of fifteen James Newton Matthews
Scholars entered the University. This year, we recognized 150 distinguished
scholarship recipients with the value of the scholarship being $2,000
per year. As we anticipated, the typical list of activities and
honors of incoming recipients includes valedictorian; student government
and/or other organization president; athlete; National Merit Scholar,
finalist or commended student; and recipient of many high school
honors.
These accomplished incoming students who are selected to be Matthews
Scholars continue to achieve academic excellence and hold leadership
roles within the campus community. The first class of Matthews Scholars,
the class of 2000, graduated this past spring and set high standards
for the following classes to strive to meet. The average cumulative
grade point average for the members of the class of 2000 was 3.73/4.00
with five of the fourteen graduates earning Bronze Tablet honors—the
University's highest honor—and three of them graduating early.
Their successes outside of the classroom include participation in
campus groups including Block I, Volunteer Illini Projects, and
the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Their experiences internationally
include archaeological digs (National Science Foundation research
experience grant internships and study abroad programs in several
countries. Some of these intelligent young men and women have gone
on to graduate school at Illinois and Wisconsin, medical school
such as Washington University while others have begun their careers
with companies such as Caterpillar, Strata Decision Technology,
Wisconsin Electric Company, and Greenhill Software.
This senior class is equally impressive. The average cumulative
grade point average for the members of the class of 2001 is 3.77/4.00.
Their successes outside of the classroom include participation in
campus groups including Tau Beta Pi Engineering Society, Orientation
Leaders, the Central Black Student Union, and Residential Hall Student
Government. Their experiences internationally include England, Japan
and Russia.
The University is convinced that these young people, tomorrow's
leaders, will continue to achieve and excel after their undergraduate
days at Illinois.
Hear some of the students' stories about the effect their
scholarship has had on their college experience
Paul Sudkamp, Matthews Scholar, Class of 2001 writes:
"A little over four years ago, Lyn Jones-then Assistant
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs-signed and mailed a letter
to a small-town basketball junkie informing him that as an incoming
freshman, he was being considered for a new merit-based scholarship
program called the James Newton Matthews Scholars. Her letter,
on behalf of a selection committee, inadvertently helped make
a life changing decision for this boy, namely me.
After high school my path was predetermined-attend a junior
college and then attempt to transfer to the University of Illinois
as a college junior. That's what poor kids from Sigel do. I
had applied to the University as a high school senior curious
to see if I could get in. Imagine my surprise to receive a letter
from an important woman at a major academic institution stating
that I was being considered for a merit-based scholarship! She
used words to describe me like outstanding, exceptional, and
chosen-was she really talking about me? She had even signed
the letter with real ink! I started rethinking my plans, received
some good news about need-based aid and my apply-on-a-whim jaunt
soon turned into my status as an University of Illinois freshman.
Since that time the Matthews program has been a metaphor for
my life as a student and a citizen. It was immediately a privilege
and a challenge. The opportunities that have been presented
to me, simply because I chose a great University, are almost
unreal: first-class education, high-level research projects,
and an internship in England to name a few.
I have also been expected to work hard and give back during
college as a peer tutor, volunteer at a local preschool, vice
president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and
freshman ME orientation class learning assistant.
The Matthews program also provides me with great personal reassurance.
To know that someone (besides my mom) has faith in my talents,
and actually cares enough to support scholarships like the Matthews
program, is a powerful motivation. I am continuously congratulated
on accomplishments, yet reminded that complacency simply will
not do.
The students in the Matthews program are amazing. We are pre-meds,
journalists, engineers, teachers, archaeologists…the list
goes on and on. We are Bronze Tablets, hospice volunteers, musicians,
student researchers, study-abroad participants, athletes, and
anything else you might want us to be. We are also normal students
who are scared of what is out there, awed by the achievements
of those who have preceded us, and need just a little push to
get us out of the nest.
To the generous friends and alumni of this University, rest
assured that we students recognize the investment you are making
in each one of us, and its effect is not lost. Thank you so
much for providing some of that impetus, and making our journey
that much easier. Thank you for graciously reminding us that
talent is accompanied by increased expectations. Thank you for
showing us that it is possible, whatever "it" might
be. And thank you for caring enough to give back to a fledgling
generation, just as eager and ambitious to follow your example
of accomplishment and investing in the future as you have been
to set it." |
About
James Newton Matthews
On March 2, 1868, three of the original ten faculty members of the
Illinois Industrial University stood at the steps of the University's
only building to welcome the very first student. That student was
James Newton Matthews, the sixteen-year old son of Dr. William Matthews.
The young man, from the small town of Mason, Illinois, studied literature
and medicine before graduating with honors in 1872.
Matthews worked briefly as a journalist after graduation. He eventually
entered medical school and returned to Mason to take over his father's
medical practice. Although hailed as a selfless hero for tireless
care of his patients, this country doctor never relinquished his
love of literature. He published multiple volumes of poetry for
which he was honored, before and after his death. The "Poet
of the Prairie," James Newton Matthews, died giving service
to the people of Mason. In 1910 he walked more than five miles through
a snowstorm to treat a patient. He suffered a fatal heart attack
on his return home.
The life of James Newton Matthews exemplifies the scholarship and
service that remains today the hallmark of a land grant university.
Just as the faculty welcomed this gifted young student so long ago,
today we welcome new generations of talented men and women through
the Matthews Scholars Program.
A core of committed faculty and students came together in 1868 to
form this University long before our impressive campus and international
reputation were built. That same personal interaction and commitment—from
students, faculty, staff, and alumni—are still at the heart of
what makes the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "one
great university."
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