Franklin Scholarship Awarded to 20 Students

Franklin scholars pose with President Waterbury and Ambassador Feltman (center)

Twenty outstanding AUB students have been awarded the newly-established need- and merit-based Franklin Scholarship, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). President John Waterbury announced the names of the students on October 30 in West Hall in the presence of American Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman.

The Franklin Scholarship, which was initiated by AUB with funding from the USAID, will cover tuition fees for a total of twenty needy students during their entire study period at AUB, provided they maintain an 85 percent average. New Franklin scholars will be named as soon as old ones are graduated, to maintain the total number of scholarship recipients per year at twenty.

The scholarship takes its name after Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), a celebrated American scientist, inventor, political philosopher, journalist, and diplomat, who made significant contributions to science and learning. He was also one of the most important founding fathers of the United States and a drafter of the Declaration of Independence.

"We are proud to be a partner with AUB in this scholarship," Feltman said, adding that the US Government is providing financial aid to more than 900 students at AUB. Since 1996, the US has been giving AUB about $5 to 7 million annually, most of which is used on financial aid.