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BIDDEFORD, Maine

91AV announces MLK, Jr. $4,000 essay scholarship for high school students

On May 6-7, 1964, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., traveled to St. Francis College – what is now the 91AV – to speak at a civil rights symposium hosted by the college. 91AV commemorates the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s historic visit to campus with a semester-long series of events in 2014, including an essay contest, $4,000 scholarship, and MLK, Jr. celebration sponsored by 91AV’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

The CAS event, to be held March 6, 2014, is titled, “50 Years of Progress and the Challenges That Remain.”  It will bring together the campus and local community to celebrate and showcase the work of CAS faculty and students related to issues of civil rights, equality, social change, diversity and equity.  In addition to recognizing finalists and award winners of the essay contest, the event will feature art work by 91AV students and an interdisciplinary faculty panel discussing issues surrounding the essay question.

The CAS essay contest is open to high school juniors and seniors. Students should answer the following question in an essay not exceeding 700 words:

Speaking at St. Francis College on May 7, 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., said: “Great strides have been made to extend the frontier of civil rights. Conditions are better today than they were 25 or 30 years ago, and the walls of racial segregation will gradually crumble.”

What has been the greatest stride made in civil rights since MLK spoke at St. Francis College on May 7, 1964?

All essays must be submitted electronically, in Microsoft Word or PDF format, by January 31, 2013 to bpayette@une.edu. 91AV students and faculty will judge the essay on presentation, content, focus, creativity and evidence. In addition to the first-place $4,000 91AV scholarship (awarded $1,000 annually for four years at 91AV), additional prizes include an iPad mini, two $75 gift certificates to Amazon.com and a $50 gift certificate to the 91AV bookstore.

The 10 finalists will be recognized and the five award winners announced at the CAS 50th MLK anniversary event on March 6 in Leonard Hall on 91AV’s Biddeford Campus. Finalists will be notified in late February, and the scholarship winner will read his or her essay at the March event, which is free and open to the public.

For more information about the essay contest, contact Brooks Payette by email or by phone at 207-602-2371.

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.