News Center

MEADVILLE, Pa. – March 14, 2011 – Allegheny College juniors Lindsay Codispot and Jigar Jethva have received the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to support their studies at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, this semester.

Codispot, from Cranberry Township, Pa., is majoring in communication arts with a self-designed minor in sociology. She plays violin in Allegheny’s Civic Symphony and is a member of the student-led Orchesis Dance Company, Lambda Pi Eta communications honor society and the Honor Code committee. Jethva, from Erie, Pa., is a psychology major with a double minor in economics and writing. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service fraternity and Psi Chi psychology honor society.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants to undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens and who might not otherwise be able to study abroad due to financial constraints. During the spring 2011 application cycle, the program received nearly 2,900 applications for more than 850 awards.

“Study away experiences help students become truly global citizens who are prepared to confront the complexities of an interconnected world,” said Dean of the College Linda DeMeritt. “Jigar and Lindsay have embraced the opportunity to learn in Australia, and we are thrilled that the Gilman Scholarship program has recognized their achievements and potential. This is a tremendous honor for both of them and for Allegheny.”

Students applying for the Gilman Scholarship must meet the requirements for the federal Pell Grant program, which provides need-based assistance to promote access to postsecondary education. Approximately 27 percent of Allegheny students are eligible to receive Pell Grants, which range in value from $555 to $5,550 this academic year.

In addition, Allegheny provides more than $30 million in institutional financial aid to students annually, supported in part by gifts to the college’s Annual Fund and endowed scholarship funds. The average financial aid package awarded to first-year Allegheny students is approximately $28,000, and last year 96 percent of Allegheny students received merit- and/or need-based financial aid from the college.

The 32nd oldest college in the nation, Allegheny College will celebrate its bicentennial in 2015. One of 40 colleges featured in Loren Pope’s “Colleges That Change Lives,” Allegheny also is included among the 100 “best values” in national liberal arts colleges by Kiplinger’s, a private financial advising company.

Ninety percent of Allegheny alumni seeking employment start a career within eight months of graduation, and the college ranks in the top 5 percent of schools nationally whose students go on to earn Ph.D.s.

The national liberal arts college where 2,100 students with unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents excel