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Smith-Hutson Scholarships to be awarded at SFA

Shirley Luna
•
February 2, 2015
SFA advisory council members Drs. Janet Tareilo and Ann Wilson; Dr. Baker Pattillo, SFA president; Sylvia and Robert Hutson, representatives of the Smith-Hutson Scholarship program; and Dr. Todd Brown, SFA advisory council member

The Smith-Hutson Scholarship program will award up to 20 full scholarships this fall at Stephen F. Austin State University. The scholarships will cover tuition, fees and housing costs for freshman students who demonstrate financial need and academic potential. Pictured are, from left, SFA advisory council members Drs. Janet Tareilo and Ann Wilson; Dr. Baker Pattillo, SFA president; Sylvia and Robert Hutson, representatives of the Smith-Hutson Scholarship program; and Dr. Todd Brown, SFA advisory council member.


Up to 20 freshman students at Stephen F. Austin State University with financial need will have the opportunity to receive a full scholarship, housing allowance and one-on-one tutoring through scholarships offered by one of the larger privately funded scholarship programs in the state.

The need-based scholarships will be awarded by the Smith-Hutson Scholarship program beginning in fall 2015 to students who demonstrate academic potential. The cumulative value of each scholarship is approximately $70,000.

The scholarship program was established in 1996, and more than 192 scholarship recipients now hold university degrees. Smith-Hutson scholarships are awarded at Angelina College, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar University and Sam Houston State University.

"We are honored that the Smith-Hutson Scholarship program has chosen to assist students at SFA," said Dr. Baker Pattillo, university president. "The generosity of the individuals who have contributed to this philanthropic organization is inspiring, and they truly are making a substantial difference in the lives of each scholarship recipient."

Robert E. Hutson, a Lufkin native and retired Houston-area banker, is the administrator of the scholarship program, which is funded by a private family foundation that makes no solicitations for contributions.

The selection process will include an applicant interview with members of a selection committee. Applicants must not be married and must not have children. Students who maintain a 2.5 grade point average will be eligible for annual renewal of the scholarship for four years.

SFA faculty members who will serve as members of the on-campus advisory council for the program are Drs. Todd Brown and Ann Wilson, both interim associate deans in the Nelson Rusche College of Business, and Dr. Janet Tareilo, associate dean of the James I. Perkins College of Education.

"For an SFA student with an earnest desire to earn a degree, these scholarships will provide generous support and eliminate financial barriers to a successful college experience," Pattillo said. "We believe the recipients will have a better opportunity to become productive citizens and leaders in their chosen professions and in their communities."

For more information about the program, call (936) 468-3101 or visit the Smith-Hutson Scholarship website.