Terry O'Banion Leadership Scholarship

One of the nation’s leading experts on the learning college, which, “places learning first and provides educational experiences for learners anyway, anyplace, anytime,” Dr. Terry O’Banion has been active in the field of education for more than 40 years. For more than two decades, he was president of the League for Innovation in the Community College, which is now recognized as one of the most dynamic organizations in the community college world. He continues to shape the future of higher education by publishing, consulting, and serving as a senior fellow with the League. Dr. O’Banion also served as a Walden University faculty member and director of the Community College Leadership specialization in Walden’s Ph.D. in Education program. Walden recognized Dr. O’Banion’s contributions by awarding him an honorary doctor of humane letters in 2005 and the Extraordinary Faculty Award in 2009.

The Terry O’Banion Leadership Scholarship awards two $25,000 scholarships* annually to new Walden students and is named in honor of Dr. O’Banion to reflect the shared commitment he and The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership have to helping those in the field of higher education prepare students to be successful and contributing members of the 21st-century workforce.

*Only one scholarship or grant benefit may be applied to tuition.

Eligible Programs

Ph.D. in Education

• General Program
• Adult Education Leadership
• Community College Leadership
• Educational Technology
• Global and Comparative Education 
• Higher Education
• Leadership, Policy, and Change
• Learning, Instruction, and Innovation
• Self-Designed

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) 

• Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning
• Adult Education
• College Teaching and Learning 
• Higher Education Leadership 

Education Specialist (Ed.S.) 

• Adult Education 
• College Teaching and Learning

M.S. in Higher Education

• General Program
• College Teaching and Learning
• Enrollment Management and Institutional Marketing
• Global Higher Education
• Leadership for Student Success
• Online and Distance Learning

M.S. in Adult Learning 

• General Program
• Developmental Education
• Online Teaching
• Teaching Adults English as a Second Language
• Training and Performance Improvement

Scholarship Eligibility

Recipients of the Terry O’Banion Leadership Scholarship must:

• Not be currently enrolled in a Walden University program.
• Have not received another merit-based Walden scholarship.
• Not be employed by Laureate Inc. or any of its subsidiaries.
• Meet all admission requirements with the university in receipt of all of the applicant’s official documentation and be fully admitted into one of the Riley College of Education and Leadership’s aforementioned programs.

Scholarship Criteria and Application Process

Applicants must:

• Call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336 to receive an official scholarship application form.
• Submit an essay of no more than 1,000 words describing how they are better preparing their students to be successful and contributing members of the 21st-century workforce.
• Submit a formal letter of recommendation from a higher education official (on letterhead) describing how this individual is preparing their institution’s students to be successful and contributing members of the 21st-century workforce.
• Submit a current copy of their resume or CV.
• Email the completed nomination form, essay, resume, and letter of recommendation all together to leadershipscholarship@waldenu.edu.

All required information must be provided in order for a nomination to be considered. Applicants may be contacted by phone to confirm the authenticity of information submitted.

Deadline and Start Dates

• Scholarship application deadline is July 15, 2013.
• Scholarship winners must enroll and start classes within two start dates of being awarded the scholarship or scholarship will be forfeited. Start dates are as follows:

Scholarship Selection Process 

A scholarship committee comprising members of the Riley College of Education and Leadership will review the nominations and select the finalists.

Scholarship Announcements and Publicity

Individuals who receive a scholarship must affirm that they are willing and able to participate in all publicity efforts promoting the program. Such publicity may include news releases and media advisories, local and national media coverage, media interviews and photos, and other similar public relations activities.

Individuals who participate must sign a release that allows Walden University to use the individual’s participation in the program for publicity purposes without limitation and states that all such materials remain the sole and exclusive property of Walden University.

Scholarship Funding

Scholarship funds will be disbursed beginning in the student’s first term after being awarded the scholarship and remaining funds will be applied toward the following term(s) until all funds have been used. For funds to be disbursed, the student’s records with the Office of Admissions must be complete, including the student’s official transcript. At any given time, if a scholarship disbursement exceeds the cost of tuition, funds will be disbursed in the amount of the tuition cost. Students will not receive cash if the award amount exceeds their cost of tuition.

Students who withdraw from the program or university or change to another degree program not eligible for this scholarship will forfeit the scholarship. Should the scholarship be forfeited, students need not reimburse Walden for funds already disbursed to them. In order for scholarship funding to continue throughout the length of the program, recipients must meet the satisfactory academic progress criteria set forth by Walden University’s current catalog for the duration of their program. If a student is in a new semester and forfeited in the previous semester (due to internal lag time), the student will receive a revised bill for the prior semester, in which the scholarship was received.

The cost of books and course materials are included in the tuition for some of Walden’s programs and specializations. However, scholarship recipients enrolling in Walden’s Ph.D. in Education program are responsible for the cost of books and materials. Scholarship recipients enrolling in either the Ph.D. in Education program or the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program are also responsible for all associated residency costs. All recipients who enroll in a Walden program are responsible for the technology fee each term as well. Recipients are responsible for all other non-tuition costs including but not limited to residency travel and other university or program fees as applicable.

Students may combine this scholarship with one of the tuition-reduction opportunities outlined on the Walden University website but may not combine this offer with any grant, scholarship, or tuition reduction that is associated with a specific start date. 

If the student is eligible to receive both a scholarship and a tuition reduction (i.e., offer/discount), the bursar's office will apply the scholarship funds first to the student's account and then apply the tuition reduction to any remaining balance for that term. If no balance is due in that term, the scholarship will be applied and reflected in the student's next billing statement in the following term. 

This scholarship is not managed by Walden University’s Office of Financial Aid. Please call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336 for more information.