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The Sallie Mae Fund announces winners of "Writers of Passage" scholarships, commits $100,000 to second year of support

Scholarship awards benefit both students and their universities

RESTON, Va., June 8, 2006—The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, announced today that it will support the "Writers of Passage" scholarship program for a second year with a grant of $100,000. The program offers a novel approach to access philanthropy by providing awards to students and the universities they attend.

A panel of judges selected the scholarships, which were awarded at the annual National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) conference, held recently in New Orleans. Each of the four winning applicants was awarded a $5,000 scholarship and each of their universities received a $20,000 grant to help improve student outreach and retention: Michael Brockington (Alcorn State University), Chaqua Williamson (Clark Atlanta University), Sharon Shivers (Sojourner Douglas College) and Yarbough Miller (Morris College).

"This unique scholarship program contributes to the continued success of our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as our predominantly black colleges because it engages students and their universities in moving education forward," said Lezli Baskerville, president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.

The Sallie Mae Fund created the Writers of Passage scholarship program in partnership with NAFEO to underscore the importance of writing skills in the college admissions process for African-American students. This emphasis is particularly relevant in light of the changed structure of the new SAT, which requires more writing. Applicants were asked to write an essay describing the obstacles they overcame in their path toward college. Due to the enthusiastic interest in the first year of the program, NAFEO is seeking additional sponsors for the upcoming scholarship year.

"The Sallie Mae Fund wants to help more minorities secure the benefits of a college education," said Kathleen deLaski, president, The Sallie Mae Fund. "Through the Writers of Passage program, our goal is to encourage and motivate students to strengthen their academic abilities, and to support universities in recruitment of promising minority candidates."

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission—to increase access to a post-secondary education for America's students—by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information visit www.salliemaefund.org.