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The Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program (GSP) is a program to attempt to keep "the brightest" high school seniors inside the state of Kentucky. The program is a five-week program over the summer for students between their junior and senior years of high school. In order to get accepted, prospective juniors must have high academic achievement, including standardized test scores, and be active in the community. In addition, students must write an essay to be accepted into the program. The program itself consists of various classes and other school activities. The 1000 seniors that are selected yearly are eligible to receive scholarships to any in-state public university upon completing the program.
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Program
The Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program (GSP) was established in 1983 as an attempt by Kentucky leaders to keep the state's "best and brightest" interested in furthering education and potentially starting a career in the commonwealth instead of traveling out of the state to do so. It is a five-week summer program for rising high school seniors. Over 1,000 Kentucky students are selected yearly based on a thorough application process detailing their academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, volunteerism, and personal integrity. Each student that is selected is eligible to receive scholarships to any in-state public university within the state of Kentucky, as well as a handful of private institutions. For the duration of the program, located at three local college campuses chosen through a bidding process, scholars have the rare opportunity to experience college life while attending classes on a daily basis. The Governor's Scholars Program emphasizes wide-ranging representation of all Kentucky regions, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. Participating scholars are granted the opportunity to expand their horizons by forming close relationships with their peers representing all 120 counties in the commonwealth. Funding for the program is largely provided by private donations and state tax revenue. Teachers of these classes are selected through a rigorous process, including a detailed application and an intense interview. Other members of the faculty, commonly known as the "RAs," or resident advisors, compete for limited spots through a similar procedure.
Application process
In order for a student to be eligible for nomination and selection, a student must meet these requirements:
- Be in the 11th grade at a Kentucky public or private school at the time of selection and intend to return to a Kentucky school district for the next school term (Students skipping their senior year to enter college are not eligible)
- Be a current resident of Kentucky
- Have taken the ACT, PSAT, or SAT in the 9th, 10th or 11th grades.
To apply, students must fill out an application that is either provided by their school or located online. Before being accepted into the statewide program, students first participate in their school and/or district competition. If selected to represent their district, students will be eligible for the statewide selection process. Out of the 1,900 applications that make it to the statewide selection, over 1,000 scholars are chosen to take part in the Governor's Scholars Program.
Selection process
Once the applications are received in Frankfort for the state level competition, they are then divided into seven distinct sections. The first section, which contains all of the student's biographical information, is filed separately and tied to the rest of the sections only through the "journal number" that is used to identify each applicant. This allows each application to be read blindly, without any regard to the student's personal information, and insures fairness in the selection process. The remaining seven sections are divided among the members of the Statewide Selection Committee, a panel consisting of college admission personnel, college and high school teachers, and education leaders from different areas of the state. Each committee member reads and scores only one of the seven different sections.
The sections include:
Residence
The Governor's Scholars Program accepts a total of 1,050 students from all 120 counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The scholars are divided among the three host Kentucky college campuses and experience dorm life on their given campuses. Among the schools to host, some in past years and the present include, Northern Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University, Centre College, Western Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Bellarmine University, Murray State University, and the University of Kentucky. GSP students are required to stay on their given campus for the duration of the program, except for group field trips and service work.
Curriculum
Scholars attend a selection of three classes during the week: Focus Area, General Studies, and Seminar. Focus Area is a topic within the arts and sciences, assigned based on the scholar's preference. General Studies classes are assigned randomly and could be any topic of the teacher's choice. Seminar is a discussion class in which scholars are encouraged to share their opinions on social and political issues in a diplomatic setting.
While most teachers refrain from assigning outside work, classes challenge the scholars' modes of thinking in a variety of arenas. GSP teachers take a creative approach to most subjects, allowing the scholars to contribute with their own interactive and experimental projects. Regular field trips, ranging from the Little Sandy Correctional Complex to the Cincinnati Opera, enhance the GSP experience.
Focus areas
Focus areas include:
Special activities
GSP provides students many opportunities to participate in various activities throughout the course of the program. The program hosts guest speaker convocations and leadership colloquiums, ACT prep, GSP Olympics, Community Arts Day, International Fair, Blood Drives and Community Service Day, as well as weekly showcases where students can perform talent and entertainment acts. The students also have opportunities to participate in weekly dances, Classic Film Series viewings, and a Fourth of July Parade. Scholars who wish to continue their religious practices are able to attend a variety of local churches each Sunday, as well as attend bible studies on campus. Additionally, the program encourages scholars to form and publicize their own student-led events and clubs which can meet during free time throughout the day.
Scholarships
Because of the rigorous application process and educational purpose, alumni have access to a plethora of scholarships simply due to their involvement in the program.
Scholarships are offered from the following Kentucky colleges to students who have completed the program:
Scholars typically receive thousands of dollars in scholarship money. The following data represents survey responses from 2010 Governor's Scholars who graduated high school in 2011: