Iowa State President Martin Jischke announced Dec. 19 that a new scholarship in honor of former Gov. Terry Branstad will be available to students in the College of Education.

Jischke said he feels the scholarship is appropriate because Branstad, who was last semester’s commencement speaker, was highly supportive of education.

“[The scholarship] recognizes the governor, and it also invests in our future,” Jischke said.

Cathy Curtis, college relations coordinator for the College of Education, agreed the scholarship is a fitting tribute to Branstad.

“Gov. Branstad serves as a role model for education,” she said. “He put a lot of time and effort into trying to improve education, and he encouraged others to do so as well.”

Jischke said much attention is being focused on improving “K-12 education.” He said the Iowa State Board of Regents also has been encouraging regent universities to attract “talented young people” to the field.

Jischke said Branstad was very pleased about his “thank you.”

“The governor was enormously appreciative, and everybody we’ve talked to has been very grateful,” Jischke said.

The “Branstad Scholarship in Education” will be initiated Fall 1999. The scholarship is for “teacher-leaders” in the College of Education.

Curtis said a “teacher-leader” involves serving as “a catalyst for improving the quality of life through involvement and community activity.”

The scholarship will be awarded based on academic achievements, enthusiasm for teaching, commitment to a teaching career in Iowa, involvement in extra-curricular activities and promise of leadership ability to make a significant contribution to society as a teacher.

It will be a four-year, tuition and fees scholarship, and it will be awarded every fall to an incoming Iowa resident freshman in a teacher education program.

Recipients of the scholarship also must be full-time students, and they are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average.