Conant and Hanford Explain New Scholarships Helping Students of Greater Boston Vicinity

Dean Hanford made the following comment yesterday on the new Massachusetts scholarships:

"We are very glad that recent bequests have made it possible to add the State of Massachusetts to the National Scholarship area. In this way a larger number of students will have been taken toward making the plan more truly national in scope. For some time there has been a desire to extend the advantages of the National Scholarship plan to the graduates of Massachusetts schools, but funds for this purpose have not been available.

Two-fold Benefit

"The new Nonresident Scholarships, which are intended for men who live at home, have a two-fold advantage. Such scholarships spread the benefits of the funds so as to help a larger number of students than would have been assisted if the money available had all been used for National Scholarships which carry a higher maximum stipend. At the same time, the Nonresident Scholarships give to the commuting student almost as complete a college life as if he lived in residence through provisions for a study in the Freshman Halls or the Houses and also a certain number of meals in the College dining halls.

"One of the chief aims of both the National Scholarships and the newly established Nonresident Scholarships is to enable promising high school graduates to obtain a college education in cases where their families can contribute very little, if anything, toward their expenses. It has been our experience that there are a considerable number of able boys who are unable to go to college at all because of limited financial resources or who can obtain a college training only by an excessively heavy burden of outside work, which often defeats the purpose of attending college and frequently leads to a breakdown in health. It is hoped that through these new arrangements Harvard College may render a useful service to the community by widening the opportunities of education regardless of residence, birth, and financial circumstances.

Character, Interests Count

"In selecting the men for both the National and Nonresident awards, the Scholarship Committee plans to follow the methods that have proved successful in recent years. Attention will be given not only to the applicant's intellectual ability and promise but also to his personal qualities, character, and interest in worthwhile activities. The Committee is particularly interested is the well-rounded type of individual who has done more in school than merely make a good academic record.

"The accomplishments of the National Scholarship men in Harvard College indicate that they have been a representative group who have not only done well in their academic work but have also been active in extra-curricular affairs and have exerted a significant influence on the genera life of the College. For example, two of the recent Student Council president have been National Scholars. The possible renewal of the scholarships at the end of the Freshman year for the remainder of the college course relieves the student of certain worry and pressure and makes it possible for him to devote his attention to doing an all around excellent job over a period of years instead of having to center his attention on the selection of courses each year which will yield the highest results in grades."