The 2015 Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) just concluded and was a great success. However, the University of Kentucky has dampened the mood of many scholars, causing some to completely reevaluate their college plans. Universities across the state that want to attract the best and brightest students from the Commonwealth offer special scholarships for those students chosen as Governor’s Scholars. The entire GSP process, from application, to acceptance, and through the program itself, consumes the better part of a year for many students. Until just last week, the ACT requirement for Scholars to automatically receive the UK Presidential scholarship, which equals full tuition, was 28. The requirement for the Singletary scholarship, which equals tuition plus room and board, was 31. Representatives from UK came to the three GSP campuses at the end of July and gave Scholars those requirements, telling them that if they met them, they would be given a scholarship. But then, on August 6, UK decided to change the Presidential scholarship requirement to an ACT of 31 and the Singletary to a 33, effectively taking away scholarships from potentially hundreds of students who were told only a week or two before that they had them.

GSP is about so much more than test scores. The program chooses students on the basis of academic achievement, student profile including extracurricular, community service, and awards, as well as recommendations from a teacher and a community member. Test scores are only a small part of what makes a student an asset to the state of Kentucky. Unfortunately many scholars may be unable to attend UK because the bar was raised after they essentially had scholarships. Many may choose to explore better college opportunities out-of-state, which is in direct opposition to what the Governor’s Scholars Program hopes to achieve. In conclusion, the GSP class of 2015 and its supporters believe that any changes to scholarships that effect GSP students should not apply to the current class of scholars.