[Rockville, Md.] The Montgomery Scholars Program, an innovative and rigorous academic two-year program at Montgomery College that draws some of Montgomery County’s top high school graduates to the community college, was awarded the 2001 Maryland Association for Higher Education’s Distinguished Program Award. 

“This award is a great tribute to the innovation and effort that has gone into the creation of the Montgomery Scholars program,“ said Dr. Charlene R. Nunley, president of Montgomery College. “What makes the program so special are the people involvedR014bright students and outstanding faculty. Its unique educational opportunities let students reach beyond their immediate surroundings and experiences.”

The Montgomery Scholars program, launched in 1999 for exceptional Montgomery County high school graduates, offers an educational experience comparable to the first two years at the best four-year schools. Students complete 30 hours of specially designed interdisciplinary honors classes, augmented by visiting scholars, internships, and research opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution, plus summer travel study at the University of Cambridge, England. 

Scholars are chosen based on high school records, SAT scores, extracurricular activities, recommendations, essays, and other indicators of academic excellence. The program provides each scholar a fully funded two-year college experience.

According to Dr. Dianne Ganz Scheper, professor and Montgomery Scholars’ program director, the program “has risen meteorically, because it dramatically changes students’ lives. After their experience in the program, these students feel like citizens of the world, capable and confident. They get to experience the ‘community’ in community college, through day-to-day contact with faculty and each other.”

“Montgomery Scholars is a wonderful program that was developed through the support of Montgomery College, and the vision of faculty members such as Diane Ganz Scheper and many others,” said Dr. Mary Kay Shartle-Galotto, vice president and provost of Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus, where the Scholars program is based. “Since its inception, it has done outstanding things for the students who have been part of the program and it is wonderful that MAHE has recognized such a fine and unique effort.”

Montgomery Scholars graduates and other honor students at Montgomery College have received scholarships to prestigious institutions from around the country, including Smith, Columbia, and Bennington, and to top local schools, including the University of Maryland and Georgetown. Now in its third year, Montgomery Scholars has enrolled 75 students, and has become a model for other community colleges looking to replicate the program, including the Community College of Baltimore City, Howard Community College, NOVA, and Rockland Community College in New York. 

For more information about the Montgomery Scholars program at Montgomery College, call 240-567-5039 or direct emails to: mcscholars@mc.cc.md.us. Or log on to the Montgomery College Web site at www.montgomerycollege.edu and click on "Uniquely MC."

Montgomery College is Maryland’s oldest and largest community college, with campuses at Germantown, Rockville and Takoma Park. The College serves more than 21,000 students in credit programs and another 24,000 enrollments in non-credit, continuing education programs. Its diverse population includes students from approximately 170 different nationalities.