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The scholarship awards range from $10,000-$15,000 for recipients of diplomas from the International Baccalaureate Organization, which offers challenging programs of study to more than 500,000 students at 1,921 schools in 124 countries, including both North and South High Schools in the Springfield City School District.
"This is a great opportunity for Wittenberg to attract students of all backgrounds," said Susan Welker, assistant director of admission and coordinator of international recruitment. "The International Baccalaureate scholarship will have a global focus as Wittenberg continues to become more diverse."
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is described on the organization's Web site as "a challenging two-year curriculum, primarily aimed at students aged 16 to 19. It leads to a qualification that is widely recognized by the world’s leading universities."
Rather than encouraging memorization of facts and figures, the program prepares students for the challenges of higher education by developing communication skills and a strong sense of identity and culture. Students take rigorous classes, similar to widely recognized honors or advanced placement courses, write an extended essay on a topic of individual interest, and participate in a program called Creativity, Action, Service (CAS).
According to the organization's Web site, the CAS program "encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work, thus fostering students' awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena." Welker said this portion of the IB Diploma Program dovetails nicely with Wittenberg’s liberal arts mission of educating the whole person, including an innovative community service requirement.
"We feel that IB Diploma students will be responsible and contributing members of the greater Wittenberg community," Welker said. "This is critical because Wittenberg is a residential community that both calls for students to be engaged in service to others and encourages educational experiences outside the classroom."
By: Ryan Maurer
002-07
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