112 Students Compete for $1 Million in Scholarships During Scholars Weekend 2020
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (February 13, 2020) – Scholars Weekend at Regent University is about investing in emerging Christian world changers. It represents excellence, prestige, and a keen focus on the power of knowledge and faith, together. Perhaps most importantly for traditional-aged incoming freshmen, it represents an annual opportunity for some of the nation’s best and brightest students to compete for more than $1 million in college scholarships – including the largest institutional awards available to incoming Regent freshmen.
On Thursday, February 6, Regent welcomed 112 students, alongside 169 parents and guardians, for the university’s 15th annual Scholars Weekend. These high-achieving young men and women were invited following a rigorous application process and submissions from nearly 200 prospective students.
What is the Profile of a Scholars Weekend Student?
These Scholars hailed from 18 states, with 50 students representing Virginia. Their average GPA was 4.13, and their averaged standardized test scores put them in the 92nd percentile. Forty-one of the students were homeschooled.
What Events Were Included in Scholars Weekend?
During their time on Regent’s campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Scholars Weekend guests engaged with faculty and staff, collaborated with other national scholars and current Regent students, and participated in typical campus life and worship. Parents took part in sessions on financial aid and housing, as well as a campus tour and powerful discussion on campus safety with Regent Chief of Police Chris Mitchell. Concurrently, their Scholars completed timed essays, participated in one-on-one interviews, and even took on the challenge of a spirited group scavenger hunt.
“We had the privilege of getting a personal view of these gifted young men and women in areas from intellect and leadership to communication and teachability. And each of them is truly remarkable,” said Avery Walsh, senior director of Undergraduate Admissions for the College of Arts & Sciences. “My team is humbled to invest in them and excited for the future, knowing that God is mobilizing such a high-caliber generation of Christian leaders.”
Honors College Announcement
During the capstone Scholars Weekend banquet on Friday evening, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riano announced the launch of a standalone Honors College on Regent’s Georgian-style campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The college is recruiting now for its first class, to begin in August 2020.
The Honors College will offer sophisticated honors curricula based on its unique educational L.I.F.E. model: great Learning, Instruction, Faculty, and Expectations. The L.I.F.E. approach to honors education at Regent will be offered by some of the best faculty in the country who serve at the university.
“Simply said, the focus of The Honors College is to discover greatness – the greatness of God, the greatness of His ways and His acts, and the greatness that He allows us to accomplish through Him,” Moreno-Riano shared. “We believe it will absolutely transform students to be great leaders to make the world a better place.” Read more about the Regent University Honors College.
Moreno-Riano also identified three emphases that will remain at the center of the Honors experience:
- Studying the greatness of God and the greatness of His ways.
- Studying God’s creative works.
- Wrestling with the question: Is my purpose realized through self-affirmation and a proud rejection of God or self-affirmation in loving obedience to God?
Scholar Elizabeth Hammer resonated strongly with the university’s focus on academic rigor integrated with deep Christian faith and a passion for developing students: “I imagined the Scholars Weekend being much more competitive and stressful, yet I was greeted with warm hospitality, God-centered principles, wonderful new friends, and an experience I would never trade.”
“This experience was unmatched,” said Steve Radabaugh from Richmond, parent of one of the Scholars. “The care shown for the scholars and parents was remarkable. We especially appreciated the convenient accessibility to faculty, staff, and subject matter experts. It was a blessing to see firsthand the incredible work that the Lord is doing at Regent University.”
With a deep-seated understanding that the world needs strong Christian leaders – and with a passionate commitment to develop such young men and women – Regent’s Scholars Weekend committee looks forward to announcing award recipients in late February.
ABOUT REGENT UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1977, Regent University has nearly 11,000 students studying on its 70-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and online around the world. The university offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in 135+ program areas including business, communication and the arts, cybersecurity and technology, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, nursing and healthcare, and psychology. Currently, Regent University is ranked among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report and is one of only 23 universities nationally to receive an “A” rating for its comprehensive liberal arts core curriculum. In its 2020 “Best Online Programs” rankings, Regent University’s College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) again scored #1 for “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs” among Virginia schools, the eighth year in a row that Regent has earned the top position. The university also earned its 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the highest level that a university can be awarded from that organization.