New Shimer College Scholarship

If you have any students hoping to attend a Great Books college and/or have expressed their ambitions to change the world, you might direct them to this brand new sparkly opportunity offered by Shimer College–it’s called the Dangerous Optimist’s Scholarship. Here’s the low-down:

A two-year, full-tuition scholarship for transfer students who will change the world.

Buckle up.

The Dangerous Optimist’s Scholarship rewards you for what you are capable of today, not your past grades or your previous accomplishments.

Follow these easy steps:

  1. Apply: Apply to Shimer College for the Spring 2014 Semester by November 15 by visiting our online application portal.
  2. Write a couple essays: Download Adrienne Rich’s essay Split at the Root: An Essay on Jewish Identity here and write one of your two required essays for the application based on the prompt at the end of the essay.
  3. Interview: Interview with one of the Shimer faculty  on The Dangerous Optimist’s Scholarship Committee by November 26. Be prepared to spend at least half of the interview discussing Split at the Root with your interviewer.

Some things to note:

  • Scholarship applicants will be judged solely on the quality of their essay on and discussion of Split at the Root.
  • All participants will be contacted by December 6. Registration for the 2014 Spring semester will take place January 13; classes begin January 15.
  • To be eligible for The Dangerous Optimist’s Scholarship, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form before a scholarship can be awarded.  Note: Students who are awarded federal or state grants may have their scholarship adjusted if the combined amount of all aid exceeds the cost of tuition.

Important Dangerous Optimist’s Scholarship Dates:

November 15 Last day to complete your application for Spring 2014 including your essay on Split at the Root.
November 26 Last day to complete your interview with Shimer faculty member
December 6 Scholarship Recipient Announced
Before December 15 Submit completed FAFSA form online
January 6 Deadline for winner to accept scholarship and submit enrollment deposit for Spring 2014
January 13 Register for Spring Semester classes

Contact us with any questions at 312.235.3555 or admission@shimer.edu.

Interesting Things Afoot at HW Partner, Shimer College

From the Chronicle yesterday:

The Board of Trustees of Shimer College voted on Monday to fire President Thomas K. Lindsay, a member of the board has confirmed on the condition of anonymity…The decision to oust Mr. Lindsay follows recent votes of no confidence by both Shimer’s faculty and its Assembly, the college’s governing body. The directors of Shimer’s Alumni Association had also called for Mr. Lindsay’s resignation.

HWC has had an interesting and productive relationship with Shimer for a couple of years now, even as they’ve battled their way through months of controversy. If you haven’t been following it, you can check out some of it here. Locally, The Chicago Reader has been the only place really covering the shenannigans over there (see this article and this one.

And if you don’t know anything about Shimer, read this (about the move downtown in 2007) and this (about the previous 135 years of the college’s existence), and then go talk to John Hader about how our students can take classes there at HW prices.

At any rate, it’s nice to see a community with shared governance that then has to fight to keep it and manages to win the fight. Enough to give us all hope.