To mark the 25th anniversary of Olivet Nazarene University’s first group of Leadership Scholars, the University will again offer the Leadership Scholarship to select incoming freshman students.
Established in 2000, the ONU Leadership Scholarship for Freshmen was originally designed to benefit select first-year students. For several years, this scholarship program served as an expression of the University’s commitment to developing future Christian leaders. Through the generosity of donors, alumni and friends, ONU continued to expand its scholarship offerings, and the Leadership Scholarship funds helped finance more robust scholarship offerings for larger groups of students.
Fall 2024 marked the 25th anniversary of that first group of Leadership Scholars, and the University will again offer the Leadership Scholarship to select incoming freshman students. The scholarship selection criteria will be similar to the original focus.
Students will submit an application, including their responses to short essay prompts. They can strengthen their application with an optional portfolio and/or campus visit interview. A committee will then review all applicants to award a variety of scholarship amounts.
While being considered for this scholarship program, Leadership Scholarship applicants are strongly encouraged to visit ONU for either an individual campus visit or a Purple & Gold Day event.
Dr. Brian Allen ’82/’05 Litt.D., vice president for institutional advancement, oversaw the original rollout of the Leadership Scholarship during the 1999–2000 school year. He praised the initial recipients as “an exceptional group with enormous leadership potential” and shared that the selection criteria “allowed for a variety of students to showcase their passions and communicate effectively through both the written word and the creativity of their portfolios — everything from artwork to videos and presentations.”
Dr. Mark Reddy ’95/’08 M.O.L., vice president for enrollment management, shared: “I am thrilled to introduce this scholarship to a new generation of leaders. The selection committee and I look forward to getting to know the students who will become the future leadership of this campus, the Church and their professions.”
Dr. Reddy is also looking forward to recognizing these leaders through “significant financial scholarships.”
“While the original group of Leadership Scholars received awards of $500 to $3,500, the 25th Anniversary Leadership Scholars will benefit from a much larger pool of scholarship awards,” he said. “We have reserved a number of full-tuition scholarships as well as many approaching that amount.”
